Assessment of stakeholders' experiences and views of the drivers and pressures affecting the UK marine environment

3.1 This project aims to support the OEP in developing an independent view on the trajectory to achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) for UK marine waters. It will support us to gather and analyse the views of the stakeholder community on the drivers, and pressures in the marine environment. It will also seek views on the current state of the evidence base.

3.2 The marine environment is a priority for the OEP, and our corporate plan is that this year we will review available evidence of the condition of the marine environment and identify any gaps in this evidence that should be addressed by the UK Government. This project is a key part of delivering this commitment and will shape the future of the OEP's marine programme.

3.3 We are seeking to understand the drivers and pressures adversely affecting the marine environment; the steps that are yet to be taken to achieve GES; the barriers preventing those steps being taken; and the evidence needed to enable those steps to be implemented and effectively monitored. By drivers and pressures, we mean:

• Drivers: Social, economic and demographic influences (e.g. dredging & extraction, fisheries, offshore infrastructure and industrial activities) and natural conditions that impact upon the environment. These include direct and indirect drivers.

• Pressures: The stresses, arising from a driver, that cause a deterioration in the natural environment (e.g. gaseous emissions, noise pollution, damage to seabed).