One of the key focuses of the research conducted at St Abbs Marine Station is the monitoring of ecosystem health through assessing the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on marine ecosystems.
The Berwickshire Marine Reserve within a designated Natura 2000 site is one of the oldest marine reserves in the UK. The diverse biotopes that mould the environment here at St Abbs bring with it a diverse abundance of marine flora and fauna. The functional and societal value of protected species and habitats is now as important to understand as their biodiversity conservation value, if multi stakeholder conflicts are to be reconciled.
The location of St Abbs Marine Station allows it to be in the forefront of an era of rapid change in the use of marine space through built structures, Marine Protected Areas, Marine Spatial Planning, and corresponding changes in the distribution of historical fishing pressures.