From Silos to Systems
UK Marine Science, Policy and Regulatory Relational Frameworks
From Silos to Systems
Relational Frameworks to foster Collaboration, unlocking Value for Marine and Coastal Management
The aim of this conference is to explain relational frameworks in order to demonstrate their power in enabling collaboration and unlocking value to help drive solutions to solve our most pressing issues in the marine environment.
Sponsored by:
The Environment Agency
The Wildlife Trusts
There is a sponsorship package for the conference – contact Lissa Batey at for details lissa@lboceanconsulting.com Phone: +44 7733 405707
Please circulate to colleagues who might be interested
The conference is being organised by the co-ordinators of the Relational Framework project:
Lissa Batey lissa@lboceanconsulting.com, Hayley Hinchen hayley@seasensemarineconsulting.com and Bob Earll bob@bobearll.co.uk
Introduction
The aim of the meeting is to explain relational frameworks in order to demonstrate their power in enabling collaboration and unlocking value to help drive solutions to solve our most pressing issues in the marine environment.
The objectives of the meeting are to:
- Explain and understand the Relational Frameworks between UK marine science and governance in terms of regulations, licensing and policy development
- Demonstrate how successful collaboration works and enable participants to understand the key lessons.
- To explore what specific topics could benefit from greater collaboration built around relationships between frameworks, to deliver real value for the marine environment and wider society
The meeting will provide a unique platform to forge crucial connections and drive tangible change by covering three main topics:
- Seeing the Whole Picture – The Relational Frameworks Project
For too long, marine science, policy, and regulation have operated independently. Using simple tables, the Relational Frameworks project has begun to map how marine science, regulation and policy fit together. This meeting will demonstrate and help you understand the broader connections and relationships between science, policy and regulation. This will show how the people and expert groups and the finance and value chains involved in our current framework are related. By seeing the "whole picture," you can better align your work with others, creating a more impactful, collaborative and cohesive effort. Operational examples of Relational Frameworks and how they can be used will be provided.
- Boosting Collaboration and Efficiency – Solutions Beyond Silos
"We’ve treated the ocean like it’s separate from us. It never was... We lost sight of the ocean and of ourselves. Now we reimagine that relationship. From distance to belonging. From extraction to care.
From silos to shared responsibility." Dr Sylvia Earle (Marine Biologist & Oceanographer)
"Nature doesn’t work in silos, neither should we." The Commonwealth Secretariat (2026 Blog)
The management issues arising from fragmentation and siloed working are well known and this is no less apparent in the marine environment. Silos serve a useful function but often the challenges of the marine environment require a more integrated and collaborative approach. The Relational Framework project provides a clear map of key organisations and expert groups, revealing where to find the right people and how to form effective partnerships. The meeting will explore what successful collaborations across silos look like and what they can achieve with examples that lead to better-designed projects, less duplication, more strategic resource allocation, and a more streamlined approach to achieving our collective goals.
3. Understanding interrelated marine frameworks to unlock collaboration and value to shape the future
This workshop is not just about listening; it's about actively shaping the future by identifying issues, challenges and topics where better collaboration could make a real difference. Collaboration is key to coming away with tangible action and adding value covering the financial, environmental and social dimensions (capital) which are key to sustainability. We aim to demonstrate:
- financial and decision-making value of the evidence being collected and used across nested groups in a coordinated and consciously interrelated way;
- value to marine environmental outcomes;
- the social value of connection - collaboration to meet defined ends.
The meeting will include a mix of presentations and in-depth discussions. You will have the chance to identify and address the current weaknesses in the UK's marine science and regulatory programmes and propose solutions. Your input will directly contribute to the outputs of the event and to building a more collaborative and forward-thinking systems approach that breaks out of the silos. The sessions will be being interactive and outcome oriented.
Programme
09.00 Registration and refreshments
Session 1 Beyond silos – Relational Frameworks in the Marine & Coastal Environment
09.30 – 09:35 Welcome - Beyond silos Chair - Matt Frost, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
09:35 – 09:50 Relational Frameworks: how the project developed
Lissa Batey, LB Ocean Consulting Ltd, Bob Earll & Hayley Hinchen, Sea Sense Marine Consulting
09:50 – 10:00 Q&A
10:00 – 10:15 Relational Frameworks in practice – how you could use them
10:15 – 10:25 Q&A
10.25 – 10.40 A European project perspectives of mapping science – policy - regulation interactions
Mike Elliott & Gemma Smith International Estuarine & Coastal Specialists Ltd
10.40 – 10:55 Defra family ‘Blue Monitoring’ Hayley Hinchen Sea Sense Marine Consulting
10:55 - 11.25 Discussion - The benefits and uses of Relational Frameworks – Your Examples – What next?
11.25 – 12:05 Break 1 Sandwich buffet & refreshments
Session 2 Understanding the Benefits of Collaboration Chair Mark Duffy Natural England
12.05 – 12.20 Multi-agency collaborative seabed mapping surveys - realising the benefits
Andrew Colenutt, Maritime & Coastguard Agency
12:20 – 12:35 Collaborating to inform decision makers - UK Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP)
Matt Frost, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
12:35 – 12:50 Collaborating at the coast – Lessons from the Coastal Partnerships
Natasha Bradshaw The Coastal Collaborative
12:50 – 13:05 The Power of Partnership: the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change (OWEC) Programme experience Rachael Mills The Crown Estate
13:05 – 13.35 Discussion - What are the benefits of collaboration? How do we break down the barriers? How do we access the knowledge on what works? How do we use relational frameworks to understand how best to collaborate?
13.35 – 14:15 Break 2 Sweets and refreshments
Session 3 What Next? – Provocations: What are the Priority Challenges facing the Marine Environment that need collaboration to unlock value?
14:15 – 14:20 Introduction to the Provocations Chair Roger Proudfoot Environment Agency
14:20 – 14:35 Provocation 1 – The needs of the South Coast Marine Recovery Programme
Ruth Williams The Wildlife Trusts
14:35 – 14:50 Provocation 2 – How to we measure progress to Good Environmental Status?
Lucy Greenhill Howell Marine Consulting
14:50 – 15:05 Provocation 3 – Marine Recovery Action Plans: Linking regional priorities to national assessments
Tara Hooper Natural England
15:05 – 15:20 Provocation 4 – What is data anyway, and how can we break out of our data silos?
Ross Bullimore, Cefas
15:20 – 15:35 Provocation 5 – Working in Systems not Silos – how to make it a reality
Jonathan Turner, NLA International
15.35 – 15.55 Discussion - What lessons do we need to learn from these provocations? What is the single biggest roadblock we can dismantle if we pool our resources?
15.55 Chair’s closing comments, next steps and evaluation
16.00 Close
Contact us
- Lissa Batey
- li••••a@lbo••••g.com
- +44 7733 405707