Orkney is an archipelago off the north east tip of the Scottish mainland. It has many unique marine habitats that are protected nationally and internationally. At the heart of the islands is Scapa Flow - known better for its strategic importance in two world wars and is the location of one of the largest oil terminals in the UK (on the island of Flotta) and proposed site for one of the largest container hubs to service Europe. It supports an active fishery and fish farming industry, and has become one of the most popular diving sites in Europe.

The conservation interests are widespread with the Orkney cliffs providing breeding and nursery grounds for seabirds and numerous sites designated for their conservation and cultural value. The Local Biodiversity Action Plan lists many habitats such as Storm Beaches, Coastal Strandline, Tidal Rapids, Modiolus modiolus beds, and Seagrass beds, to name a few. These habitats are on the list of UK priority habitats. The richness and diversity of Orkney waters makes it a prime area for activities that have a direct and indirect affect on the marine environment. The seas around Orkney are used for fishing, shellfisheries, fish-farming, diving, sailing and are testing grounds for marine renewable energy. Individually each activity has an impact that can alter the nature of the environment. Together the impact in the future could be quite noticeable.

The threats to the marine environment from such activities range from pollution, waste disposed at sea and washing up on the beaches or being consumed by marine animals, damage to sensitive habitats through fishing methods such as dredging for scallops, changes to nutrient levels or water composition near aquaculture, sewage inputs, sand extraction and coastal erosion. There is so much we do not know about the marine environment that we need to carefully consider our actions before we move forward and then put in place monitoring and reviews to check that the cumulative effects do not reach a critical point. To guarantee that we take proper care and custodianship of the marine environment we must make opportunities to participate at a local level in its development. At a national level much is being discussed on fishing, pollution and planning within/for the marine environment to cover industries such as oil and gas, renewable energy, fishing and development. The local level is where community groups and individuals can make a positive impact and become involved as custodians. A good example of this is the Bag the Bruck campaign run by Environmental Concern Orkney, an annual event to clean the rubbish from the beaches.

In an ideal world the marine environment would not find itself so cluttered with waste from ships, cruise liners, sailboat, and fishing vessels as well as fly-tipping, however that is not our current situation. Groups like ECO and individuals are meeting these challenges and demanding that more emphasis and concern is placed on the marine environment by public bodies locally.