ECOCHANGE: Ecosystem Consequences of Changes to Habitats and implications for a Net Gain Energy approach

Status: Active

Start Date: December 2024

Lead Organisation: Scottish Government Marine Directorate

Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs) act as artificial reefs, altering the habitat and attracting a diverse array of animals to the local development area. However, there is a lack of consensus on whether this change is “good” or “bad” for ecosystem health, and therefore, how to incorporate such incidental changes into marine net gain (MNG) targets. Survey data will be collected around offshore wind farm sites including invertebrates, plankton and will include use of novel analyses to predict ecosystem changes and increase confidence in model outputs.