Explore top questions within Permissions
- What is the difference between a licence, consent, permission and lease?
- What guidance is available about licences?
- Our project is in an MPA. Does that change anything?
- Do I need a translocation licence?
- Where can I get some help with permissions?
- How do I manage biosecurity?
- What is Transfer and Delegation?
What is the difference between a licence, consent, permission and lease?
This can seem like challenging territory but a lot of help is available. The terms licence, consent, permission, permit and lease can sometimes be used interchangeably which can cause confusion. The following is a guide only, talk to the relevant bodies concerned and use the pre-application forms provided to discuss what is needed for your project:
- Scottish Governments Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team (MD-LOT) regulates ‘licensable marine activities’ including placing or removing items (from moorings to native oysters) on the seabed
- Crown Estate Scotland agree leases which are like a rental agreement for the seabed
- Consents and permits are usually terms used about areas regulated by SEPA such as water quality and pollution control
- Species licences are managed either by NatureScot – terrestrial species, research related activities etc., whilst licences relating to cetaceans – European Protected Species – are managed by MD LOT
- Fish health, including fish and shellfish diseases, is managed by the Fish Health Inspectorate
- Local Authorities may also need to be involved should your project require planning permission
- The legislation underpinning Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) requires NatureScot to identify any areas that it considers are likely to damage the natural features for which the site is designated. Before a private owner or occupier of a SSSI carries out any activity listed on the Operations Requiring Consent (ORC) list, permission must be sought from NatureScot and consent issued.
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Glossary
It can feel overwhelming with the amount of terminology surrounding restoration. Search for specific words or explore our glossary through the below themes:
- Algae = A photosynthetic, plant-like single- or multi-cellular organism.
- Bathyscope = Underwater viewer that can be used from a boat or dry land, generally as a clear bottom viewing cone. It works by eliminating both water surface glare and internal reflection, thereby allowing underwater viewing as far as water clarity and light will permit.
- Bed = Used to describe when a marine animal forms a bed like structure that is greater than 5mx5m.
- Boat draught = The vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (keel).
- BSL = Below sea level (water depth).
- Colonial = Several individual organisms (of the same species) living together in close association.
- Datum = A known, fixed point.
- DDV = A drop down video system (DDV) is a marine survey equipment setup that is typically an underwater camera and lights on a robust sled/frame. DDV systems generally have a live stream of footage to the surface, built in depth sensors and lasers to provide a scale to estimate the field of view.
- Ebb and flood tide = Ebb is the tidal phase during which the water level is falling and flood the tidal phase during which the water level is rising.
- Eddies = An eddy is a circular current of water.
- Epiphyte = A small plant that grows attached to another plant.
- GIS = Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyse, manage, and present all types of geographical data.
- GPS = Global Positioning System used to navigate and mark locations.
- Inshore water = Scotland’s inshore waters are the marine region within 12 nautical miles of the coast.
- Intertidal = The intertidal zone or “littoral zone” is the term used to describe the seashore which is covered during high tide and exposed during low tide.
- Marine life cover = The dominating marine community on the seabed or shoreline.
- MPA = Marine Protected Area
- Native Range = Native range refers to the part of the natural range where a species or other taxonomic entity currently naturally occurs (e.g. the places it has reached without movement by humans and still occurs at)
- Native range = A species range is the area where a particular species can normally be found during its lifetime.
- Non-native species = Species introduced or spread from one region to another outside their normal range.
- PMF = Priority Marine Feature. This is used in Scotland to describe features characteristic of the Scottish marine environment. The list of PMFs is used to focus conservation and they are given policy protection in the National Marine Plan.
- Polecam = A polecam is a video camera attached to a pole that can be deployed to record underwater.
- Quadrat = A defined area for scientific sampling, and the frame that is used to define this area.
- Random = Lack of pattern or predictability.
- ROV = Remotely Operated Vehicle is an unoccupied underwater robot that is connected to the surface by a cable.
- SCUBA = Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus.
- Sessile = Permanently attached to the substrate. Can only move by external forces (such as water currents).
- Slack water = A short period in a body of tidal water when the water is completely unstressed, and there is no movement either way in the tidal stream, which occurs before the direction of the tidal stream reverses.
- Species = A name of a living organism.
- Spring tide = A tide in which the difference between high and low tide is the greatest. This results in very low, low tides and very high, high tides.
- Substrate = The surface or material on or from which an organism lives (e.g. rock, cobbles or mud).
- Subtidal = The area of coast which is covered by water at low tide.
- Taxonomic hierarchy = Taxonomic hierarchy is the process of arranging various organisms into successive levels of the biological classification.
- Tether = The cable that connected an underwater camera to the surface, which transfers information or power.