Delivering marine nature recovery in England requires effective collaboration across sectors, scales and stakeholders. In the marine environment achieving environmental targets depends not only on policy mechanisms, such as Biodiversity Net Gain, Marine Net Gain, green and blue finance, and Local Nature Recovery Strategies, but also on the strength of partnerships that enable coordinated, place-based action.
The collaboration and coordination facilitated by Coastal, Estuary and Marine Partnerships (CEMPs) is critical to the implementation of the key policy initiatives outlined and is especially important in the context of emerging green/blue finance markets. This research adopted a mixed method approach to examine what characterises effective coastal partnerships for supporting and delivering marine nature recovery, particularly in the context of these emerging policy initiatives.
Findings demonstrate that CEMPs already play a significant role in marine nature recovery, particularly as trusted, place-based brokers connecting communities, regulators and delivery partners. In relation to governance, the research highlights the importance of both ‘hard’ factors (e.g. legal status, funding structures, organisational arrangements) and ‘soft’ factors (e.g. trust, collaboration, leadership, skills and local reputation), with the latter often proving equally or more critical to effectiveness. While many CEMPs operate successfully without formal legal status, those with stronger institutional arrangements or host-body support are shown to be better positioned to attract and manage larger-scale investment for MNR.
Despite strong appetite to expand their role in marine nature recovery, the research shows that CEMPs are constrained by limited core funding and capacity. Significant opportunities exist to strengthen their contribution through blended finance models and increased engagement with green and blue finance markets, enabling both environmental and social outcomes. The findings of this research highlight the strategic value of sustained investment in CEMPs to unlock their full potential in delivering marine nature recovery.