Guidance

MMO2030 Strategic Plan HTML

Updated 27 July 2023

1. MMO2030

Healthy, Productive Seas and Coasts MMO Strategic Plan

2. Contents

• Foreword
• Our Strategic Fit
• Vision & Mission
• Our Goals
• Our Services
• Our Relationships
• Organisational Values
• Strategic Principles
• Outcomes and Impacts

Delivered though our goals and services

3. MMO2030 Our Strategy

Chair and Chief Executive foreword

Ensuring the sustainable future of our seas is one of the biggest challenges on the planet and the Marine Management Organisation has a huge role to play.

In 2020, after consultation with colleagues and stakeholders, we launched our MMO Story setting out our identity and ambition – who we are, what we do, and where our aspirations lie for the future of our seas.

Our MMO Story places the protection and sustainability of our marine environment at the heart of everything we do, balancing this with the need to use the sea’s precious resources wisely for the benefit of our seas, coasts and communities.

As the independent marine manager and regulator for England’s seas, we defined the way we will work to achieve the Government’s UK and global aims – using the principles of ambition, professionalism and balance as our mantra.

Using the bridging years of the MMO Story as our steer, we have now developed those broad ambitions into a long-term strategic plan for the next decade.

We have created seven strategic goals that include restoring our precious marine ecosystems and managing them with a culture of compliance across all sectors, developing a comprehensive marine planning framework and leading on transforming the viability of the fishing industry.

Our aspiration is to be recognised as a world leader, and share our expertise, experience, evidence and data with others who share our ambitious agenda.

We will not do this alone – we are privileged to be working with our stakeholders, partners, communities industries, businesses and governments, and hope you will join us on Our Journey to 2030.

Hilary Florek, Chair and Tom McCormack, Chief Executive.

4. Our Strategic Fit

MMO was created by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 to manage and regulate England’s seas and coasts, to ensure balance between increased economic development and the protection and enhancement of the marine environment.

MMO is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and governed by an independent Board. We are a delivery body created to implement Defra and HMG policy objectives as set out in the Defra / MMO Framework document which sets out the obligations and expectations of both parties.

MMO works as part of DEFRA, with the rest of government (national and local), businesses, industry groups and local communities to implement the DEFRA 25 Year Environment Plan – this describes 10 strategic goals supported by six policies, two of which are of particular focus for MMO:

• Securing clean, productive and biologically diverse seas and oceans
• Protecting and improving the global environment helping to create a more prosperous marine environment

This strategy also has regard to: The UK Marine Policy Statement, the Fisheries Act 2020, the Environment Act 2021 and the Marine Strategy regulations.

5. Our Vision

A prosperous future for our seas, coasts and communities.

6. Our Mission

As England’s marine manager, we protect and develop our seas, coasts and communities for the benefit of generations to come.

The UK’s exit from the EU and new status as an independent coastal state, bringing new powers and reinvigorated policy ambition, has given MMO unprecedented opportunity to move towards our vision of a prosperous, sustainable and ambitious future for our seas, coasts, communities and marine environment for generations to come.

Ours seas will be protected, clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse allowing sustainable development and economic opportunities.

MMO exists to protect and enhance our precious marine environment
and support a sustainable, successful blue economy in our seas,
coasts and communities, for the benefit of generations to come.

We will do everything within our remit to protect and enhance our seas, ensuring they are used wisely for the benefit of the environment, society and the economy.

We aim to do this by:

• Using our legal powers, licensing, education and support, enforcing when necessary
• Building on the strength of our expertise, experience and existing relationships
• Ensuring safe and sustainable marine development
• Supporting the prosperity and diversification of our marine environment
• Supporting the whole marine sector to reform and adapt including modernising fisheries management
• Sharing trusted expertise to support international improvements in ocean health and resilience
• Creating a strong business that is fit for the future

7. Our Goals

To deliver our vision, MMO 2030 has seven strategic goals.

7.1 Goal 1

Work with partners to restore functioning marine eco systems introducing increased levels of protection and improvement to our marine environment.

7.2 Goal 2

Manage a responsive and widely owned English marine planning framework that prescribes the strategic priorities for using and managing our seas, integrating terrestrial planning policies across the range of marine sectors.

7.3 Goal 3

Ensure MMO is recognised as a world leader for the marine management activities it regulates and the services it delivers across England, UK and Internationally.

7.4 Goal 4

Manage an agreed framework for a culture of compliance through leadership, co-management and earned recognition leading, where appropriate, to self-regulation.

7.5 Goal 5

Support global marine protection by example and through sharing our expert marine management services.

7.6 Goal 6

Assure the sustainable and transparent management of fishing opportunities to achieve a resilient and increasingly viable fishing sector.

7.7 Goal 7

Maximise value from the use of evidence and data while ensuring effective specification, capture, integration and sharing of marine data and information.

8. Our Services

Working with delivery partners across UK Government we will continue to deliver and develop our six core services which support our key sectors.

• Enabling sustainable marine development
• Delivering sustainable fishing opportunities
• Protecting marine habitats and wildlife
• Administering marine support funds
• Providing regulatory support and assurance
• Supporting global marine protection

9. Our Relationships

To protect what are some of the most biologically diverse and productive seas in Europe, we need the help and collaboration of our stakeholders and partners.

We are committed to continuing to listen, learn and work together to maintain strong and enduring working relationships with our customers and stakeholders that support and enable us to deliver our strategic goals.

9.1 Stakeholders and delivery partners

Our stakeholders and partners are diverse, ranging from government and the devolved UK administrations to groups that represent the many different marine industries and sectors that use or rely upon the sea.

Our aim is that collaboration, partnership and joint stewardship will underpin everything we do, and we will proactively engage, and share best evidence and technology to devise and achieve shared objectives.

9.2 Customers

Our customers use and are reliant upon the services we offer, and they range from individuals to large corporations. As we move towards more paid services, we will develop and ensure the most consistent and highest levels of customer service. This will be underpinned by an ethos of mutual respect, expert knowledge and transparency.

10. Our Values

MMO will be a “top place to work”, considered an employer of choice with development opportunities. An organisation with an open, diverse and inclusive culture, respected for our commitment to diversity and inclusion and for our colleague care and support in health, safety and wellbeing, as well as an exemplar for our own environmental credentials.

Our values are the foundation of our organisation:

10.1 Accountable

We take ownership of issues and make confident decisions which are informed by robust evidence. We are honest, transparent and fair.

10.2 Innovative

We are innovative in our thinking and adapt how we use our resources to do the best we can for our customers. We look for better ways.

10.3 Engaging

We are collaborative, working with each other and with our stakeholders to get the job done.

10.4 Inclusive

We promote an inclusive environment that allows everyone to thrive. We promote and support wellbeing, diversity and equality of opportunity for all.

11. Strategic Principles

Our guiding principles serve as an anchor when choosing what direction to take. They will steer conflicting or difficult decision-making and drive the thinking behind our strategic plan.

These are different to our set of organisational values, which describe the way we influence and interact with each other, and how we work together to achieve results – what we believe in and how we do things.

11.1 Sustainability

We manage marine activities to achieve long-term environmental sustainability and deliver economic, social and employment benefits.

11.2 Precautionary

We are a risk-based organisation and will take a precautionary approach to protect our marine environment and wildlife.

11.3 Ecosystem-based

We take an integrated approach to managing marine activities, recognising the interdependencies within ecosystems.

11.4 Scientific evidence-based

We base our decisions on the best evidence available and commission it where needed.

11.5 Equal access

We ensure that access to UK waters by UK businesses is not restricted by their registered location.

11.6 National benefit

We ensure that proposed marine activities bring social or economic benefit to the UK.

11.7 Climate change and environmental protection

We set conditions to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to the impact of climate change.

11.8 Efficient

We deliver outcomes through innovation and optimisation of our regulatory and digital services.

12. Outcomes and impacts of our Strategic Goals and Services

12.1 Goal 1 Ecosystem recovery

Work with partners to restore or recover functioning marine ecosystems, introducing increased levels of protection and improvement to our marine environment.

Our outcomes will be:

• Significantly improved levels of protection of marine wildlife and habitats through influencing and managing human behaviours:
• Compliance with the conditions of our marine licensing framework
• Compliance with regulatory frameworks
• Understanding / agreement of the recovery and protection methods that drive increased biodiversity in our seas

The impact of this will be:

• Contribution to government ambition to restore marine eco systems
• Activities in the marine space do not introduce unacceptable risk to fully functioning eco-systems (ecologically coherent and biodiverse)
• Improved understanding of the impact of human interaction on marine habitat and wildlife levels

12.2 Goal 2 Integrating marine planning

Manage a responsive and widely owned English marine planning framework that sets out the strategic priorities for using and managing our seas, integrating terrestrial planning policies across the range of marine sectors.

Our outcomes will be:

• Marine plans are the focal point for a joined up, integrated planning framework that manages the marine space
• Marine planning enables the right activities to happen in the right place, at the right time and in the right way, in the marine and coastal space and places sustainability of development at the centre of all decisions
• Anticipating and enabling investment in marine and coastal developments (including offshore wind) with confidence
• Quicker decisions allow sustainable development in the marine space to progress more rapidly

The impact of this will be:

• Ensure a sustainable marine and coastal environment that promotes economic development; protects marine habitats, species, and our heritage assets; and contributes to social and economic wellbeing in coastal communities
• The marine and coastal environment contributes to UK climate change mitigation targets for a low carbon economy and renewable energy generation and provides opportunities to adapt to the impacts of climate change

12.3 Goal 3 Modernising services

Ensure MMO is recognised as a world leader for the marine management activities it regulates across England, the wider UK and globally.

Our outcomes will be:

• Trusted advisor with customer and stakeholders, natural choice for government and other coastal states
• A more financially secure organisation
• An integrated customer experience drives the identification of more opportunities

The impact of this will be:

• Increasingly influential thought leader in the marine space
• A world renowned and accredited marine sector in England

12.4 Goal 4 Transforming regulation

Manage an agreed framework for a culture of compliance through leadership, co- management and earned recognition leading, where appropriate, to self-regulation.

Our outcomes will be:

• Co-management opportunities leading to increasingly informed, empowered and confident stakeholders
• Empowered marine sector that understand and support assurance activities

The impact of this is:

• Facilitating marine sector growth through targeted and assured grants funding
• Enabled and facilitated global trade
• Prospering and compliant marine businesses

12.5 Goal 5 Global protection

Support global marine protection by example and through sharing our expert marine management services.

Our outcomes will be:

• MMO has a leading global marine management presence and enhanced domestic visibility/ reputation
• More developed expert colleagues with both domestic and global experience leading to better and consistent availability of expert advice
• Improved use of innovative technologies
• Knowledge transfer to leave a more capable international capability in the locations we work
• Increased employment opportunities and or local economic opportunities linked to the marine sector as a result of the projects we undertake

The impact of this is:

• Improved global marine environment and climate change mitigation
• Improved understanding of our global marine environments and the impacts of activities
• Improved ocean literacy

12.6 Goal 6 Assuring sustainable fisheries

Assure the sustainable and transparent management of fishing opportunities to achieve a resilient and increasingly viable fishing sector.

Our outcomes will be:

• Progressive and inclusive fisheries management to assure all fish stocks harvested as sustainably as possible within the limits set by the Secretary of State
• Fishing opportunities are economically available to all who meet sustainable criteria
• Fishers have an influential voice in fisheries management decisions and can make informed decisions based on a full understanding of the relationship between fishing and the overall marine eco system
• The eco system services delivered by fish stocks are fully recognised and accounted for in fisheries management decisions
• Marine development takes place based on a full understanding of fisheries as defined in the integrated single marine plans

The impact of this is:

• Vibrant and sustainable UK fishing industry whose resilience and versatility allows it to maintain environmental and economic viability
• Responsive and transparent fisheries decisions based on clear fisheries data/science available to understand the “levels” to influence the health of England’s fishing industry

12.7 Goal 7 Improving evidence

Maximise value from the use of evidence and data while ensuring effective specification, capture, integration and sharing of marine data and information.

Our outcomes will be:

• The MMO Evidence Strategy regarded as an increasingly significant tool in our organisational success
• MMO is regarded as an important contributor to knowledge about human behaviour, what drives it, and how it impacts environmental, social and economic impacts in the marine space
• Increased use of MMO data and evidence assets in regulatory policy development and marine management decision making

The impact of this is:

• Better understanding of how to protect, enhance and restore the marine environment
• Delivering sustainable fisheries

12.8 MMO2030 is published by:

Marine Management Organisation, Lancaster House, Hampshire Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7YH, Contact: 0300 123 1032, Email: info@marinemanagement.org.uk