Evidence Bridges: Marine Mammal Case Study – Closing the Loop: Feasibility study to determine a feedback approach for post-consent monitoring to reduce consenting risk in future assessments.

Evidence-based decision making is a critical component of effective conservation and management. The collection and analysis of evidence can be used in many domains and applications, which supports robust planning, consenting and the development of new policy. In the UK and abroad, utilising the best available science or evidence is highlighted as a key pillar in UK statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs), policy and in the application of the precautionary principle.  

In the context of offshore wind consenting processes, there is a drive to ensure that the evidence base is up to date, fit for purpose and that it feeds back into the assessment process and decision making. The collection of data for marine mammals, birds and other taxa is expensive and time consuming and therefore the absence of this feedback loop is indicative of a missed opportunity, a waste of resources and can delay consent decisions and erode confidence in processes. Therefore, there is a requirement for a mechanism that can promote the uptake of evidence into decision making processes (particularly as it relates to consenting decisions for offshore wind) to drive a virtuous cycle.  

This work package was developed to deliver an approach for a second receptor group (marine mammals), but also to deliver a focused framework to assist decision makers (with the potential to also support how we can close the loop at a broader scale).