CCW research

The Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) is the Government’s statutory advisor on sustaining natural beauty, wildlife and the opportunity for outdoor enjoyment in Wales and its inshore waters.  CCW champions the environment and landscapes of Wales and its coastal waters as sources of natural and cultural riches, as a foundation for economic and social activity, and as a place for leisure and learning opportunities.

CCW is committed to the production of green energy at sea as long as developments respect the scenic beauty and wildlife importance of our seas and coasts.  We have a key role to play in providing advice to the Welsh and UK Governments on the development of the offshore marine renewable energy sector and potential impacts on the marine wildlife, habitats, and seascapes and landscapes of Wales.  In addition we work closely with others, including the marine renewable energy developers and key stakeholders in the maritime environment to ensure that Wales* coasts and seas have the appropriate management frameworks and policies in place to secure their future.

CCW is committed to working with regulators and developers to support the development of marine renewable energy in locations, and using technologies, that avoid significant adverse environmental impacts. The report below summarises work CCW has undertaken to produce and share key synthesised evidence relating to Welsh natural heritage interests, in the form of GIS-based data layers, to be taken into account by strategic planning process for marine energy devices (wave and tidal stream).

Download the document here  Natural heritage evidence to support strategic planning for marine renewable energy – CCW Policy Research Report No 11-3

CCW strongly supports the need for coordinated research into the effects of wave and tidal stream technologies, in order to ensure the sustainable exploitation of marine renewable energy in Welsh waters.  The paper below details CCW’s view on current priority areas for research to support the assessment and development of wave and tidal stream technologies.  This information may be of interest to academic institutions and research organisations, as well as regulators and developers.

Download the document here  CCW wave and tidal stream research priority recommendations

Download the  CCW presentation on research given at MEP working group meeting here.