Adaptation to climate change–related ocean acidification : An adaptive governance approach

• Greenhill, Lucy
• Kenter, Jasper O. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3612-086X
• Dannevig, Halvor

© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Funding Information: Collaborative and polycentric activity is fundamental to adaptive governance and is supported by emerging structural capacity across the governance system. This includes government led public – private initiatives, the regional Marine Planning Partnerships, organisations and groups proposing to take on local management of Crown Estate Scotland assets and co-operation supported through Aquaculture Management Areas. In this supportive institutional context, actors operating at different levels can support awareness raising, advance collective action and enhance adaptive capacity. Marine planning can encourage and facilitate consideration of potential adaptation options alongside other priorities, but the process is still developing and challenges are evident in its implementation and in understanding its influence on the management of marine activities ( Greenhill et al., 2020 ). Greater connectivity between marine planning, national policy development and regulatory decision-making regarding aquaculture would increase capacity to develop and implement adaptation responses for the sector. Strengthening the legal procedures connecting marine planning and aquaculture sector planning and management by government, Crown Estate Scotland's leasing process and local authority licensing in Scotland could enhance the role of marine planning in adaptation, including increasing its capacity to facilitate legitimate debate on adaptation options ( Craig, 2019 ). Funding Information: Delivering Scottish Government's policy to expand the aquaculture sector faces significant challenges, including sea lice, disease, public objection and conflict for space with other activities (O'Hagan et al., 2017).22 Various national initiatives therefore seek to promote the growth of the aquaculture sector while addressing the constraints, including spatial guidance for finfish development based on environmental sensitivity to nutrient enrichment and benthic impacts (Marine Scotland Science, 2019),23 designation of protected areas for shellfish growing24 and guidance on addressing visual impacts (SNH, 2008)25. Development of larger sites, further offshore is encouraged to avoid sensitive inshore locations and there is a presumption against further marine finfish farms on the north and east coasts due to potential for interaction with wild salmon (Scottish Government, 2015).26 As owner and manager of a range of rural, coastal and marine assets including the seabed and most of the foreshore, Crown Estate Scotland's27 objectives are to enhance the value of their assets and revenue from activities including the aquaculture sector (finfish, shellfish and seaweed), and they invest in strategic research and development to support the industry.This research was supported by the project ?Adapting Coastal Zone Management to Ocean Acidification (grant no. 255748), funded by the Norwegian Research Council. The contribution from the participants at the workshop is gratefully acknowledged. This article has benefitted from the constructive feedback of three anonymous reviewers. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

• Accepted: 29 February 2020
• Published: 15 June 2020

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