These tools and templates are a work in progress. They will be updated, curated, and added to over time, and all have been co-designed with groups involved in Community Managed Marine Areas.
They sit within a wider management framework based on international best practice, which is currently undergoing testing and review.
We’d love to know how you might want to use these resources. It helps us understand what’s most needed and to do more. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch.
Tools & Templates
This is a concise summary of the Ramsar Designation and what it means in Scotland, providing groups with helpful information they need to work within these protected areas. This is boilerplate text that is nationally relevant, which should be updated, written in plain language explaining what Ramsar designations are, what the designation is, the implications for national marine resource management and useful links.
Developed by PAF volunteer Iona Milne, this searchable database provides a quick-reference summary of marine species of conservation importance in Scotland, including Priority Marine Features and IUCN Red List species. As this resource requires regular updating, please check the original sources cited for any changes since January 2026.
Available now — Download Excel, V1 2026
Produced in response to a request from Edinburgh Shoreline for clarity on the Granton Ramsar Site designation, which forms part of the Scottish Marine Protected Area Network. Co-developed to present a concise, plain-language summary covering the site's location, the reasons for its designation, the main pressures it faces, and the groups involved in its management.
Available now — Download PDF
Co-designed with community groups, this template provides a simple structure for summarising national MPA designations.
Available now — Download Word document
Co-designed with community groups, this template provides a simple structure for summarising site-level MPA designations.
Available now — Download Word document
Reverse-engineered from the outcomes of multiple protected area planning processes around the world, this tool brings together the key building blocks for understanding and communicating a Community Managed Marine Area. We are working to make this available as soon as possible.
In development
A structured list of achievable, active management activities, developed from a central strategic document to support consistent and accountable planning.
In development
A framework to help build and maintain a record of everyone involved with an MPA and the nature of their interest. When storing personal information of this kind, users should ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In development
Co-developed to set out a basic agreement between two organisations wishing to collaborate. The template captures who is engaging with whom, what is being shared, and for what purpose. Please note it does not cover the sharing of resources such as funding or staff time.
In development
We are co-designing a set of simple, standardised hashtags to help sites report and celebrate the active management work they carry out, to aid their management reporting in a standardised way.
In development
Briefs
This Snapshot provides a window onto Scotland’s marine protected areas (MPA) network, which comprises 233 sites for nature conservation
This Briefing sets out how our work supporting community management of marine protected areas supports climate change mitigation and adaptation.
This research, funded by Natural England, outlines the current state of investment in the UK marine environment, identifying investor motivations and needs and barriers to investing. It makes several recommendations for statutory nature conservation bodies, governments, local councils, buyers of marine ecosystem services, philanthropy and investors.
