Protected Areas Of Scotland
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Many parts of
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
are protected in accordance with a number of national and international designations because of their environmental, historical or cultural value. Protected areas can be divided according to the type of resource which each seeks to protect.
NatureScot NatureScot () is an Scottish public bodies#Executive NDPBs, executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its nature, natural, genetics, genetic and scenic diversity. ...
has various roles in the delivery of many environmental designations in Scotland, i.e. those aimed at protecting
flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
and
fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
, scenic qualities and
geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...
features. Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designations that protect sites of historic and cultural importance. Some international designations, such as
World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
, can cover both categories of site. The various designations overlap considerably with many protected areas being covered by multiple designations with different boundaries.


National environmental designations


National parks

The national parks of Scotland are managed areas of outstanding
landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...
where some forms of development are restricted to preserve the landscape and natural environment. At present, Scotland has two
national parks A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
: Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, created in 2002, and the
Cairngorms National Park Cairngorms National Park () is a national park in northeast Scotland, established in 2003. It was the second of National parks of Scotland, two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament, after Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National ...
, created in 2003. Unlike the national parks of many other countries, the national parks of Scotland are not areas of uninhabited land owned by the state. The majority of the land is in the ownership of private landowners (including conservation bodies such as the National Trust for Scotland), and people continue to live and work in the parks. Although the landscapes often appear "wild" in character, the land is not
wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
, as it has been worked by humans for thousands of years. Like their English and Welsh counterparts the national parks of Scotland are effectively "managed landscapes", and are classified as
IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...
Category V Protected Landscapes because of this.


National nature reserves

National nature reserves (NNRs) are areas of land or water designated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to contain habitats and species of national importance. NNRs can be owned by public, private, community or voluntary organisations but must be managed to conserve their important habitats and species, as well as providing opportunities for the public to enjoy and engage with nature. There are currently 43 NNRs in Scotland, which cover less than 1.5% of the land area of Scotland. Many of these reserves are IUCN Category II (national park) areas, such as Glen Affric, Rùm, Abernethy Forest and The Great Trossachs Forest. There are 19 NNRs with IUCN Category II status in Scotland. There are none with this status in England, Wales or NI. This is mainly due to Scotland’s natural habitats being more intact than in the rest of the UK. NatureScot is responsible for declaring NNRs in Scotland, having taken advice from the NNR Partnership comprising representatives of the NNR managing and community and land-owning organisations. The majority of NNRs are directly managed by NatureScot; however, some are managed by, or in co-operation with other bodies such as Forestry and Land Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland and RSPB Scotland. Most NNRs in Scotland overlap Sites of Special Scientific Interest; many are also
Special Areas of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
and/or
Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
s.


National scenic areas

There are 40 national scenic areas (NSAs) in Scotland, covering 13% of the land area of Scotland. The 40 NSAs were originally identified by the Countryside Commission for Scotland in 1978 as areas of ''"national scenic significance... of unsurpassed attractiveness which must be conserved as part of our national heritage"''.


Sites of Special Scientific Interest

There are 1,422 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Scotland, in total covering around , or about 12.6% of the country's total land area. They cover sites that are considered worthy of protection due to their
flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
,
fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
,
geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
or geomorphology. Sites notified for their flora or fauna are known as ''Biological SSSIs'', whilst those notified for geological or
geomorphological Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topography, topographic and bathymetry, bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. Ge ...
interest are ''Earth Science SSSIs''; sites may be notified under both categories. SSSIs are considered to form the basic building block of site-based nature conservation in Great Britain, and most other legal nature/earth science conservation designations, including national nature reserves, Ramsar sites, Special Protection Areas, and Special Areas of Conservation are based upon them. Most SSSIs are in private ownership, and
NatureScot NatureScot () is an Scottish public bodies#Executive NDPBs, executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its nature, natural, genetics, genetic and scenic diversity. ...
works with the owners and managers to ensure the special features are preserved. Each SSSI has a site management statement produced by NatureScot which describes these features and details the actions and restrictions required to conserve them. The SSSI designation was originally introduced across
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
by the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 (the similar Areas of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) operates in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
). SSSIs in Scotland now fall under the remit of the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
and
Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
, and are designated by NatureScot under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. The Register of Sites of Special Scientific Interest is held and maintained by the Registers of Scotland.


Marine protected areas

Scotland's network of Marine protected areas (MPAs) consists of more than 230 designated areas, covered by various designations including Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. In order to strengthen the protection of marine areas seventeen Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (NCMPAs) were designated within Scotland's territorial waters (i.e. within ). A further thirteen protected areas are beyond the 12 mile limit and are therefore designated by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee rather than NatureScot.


National designations for historic and cultural sites


Scheduled ancient monuments

A
scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...
is a "nationally important"
archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...
or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The protection provided to scheduled monuments is given under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, which is a different law from that used for listed buildings (see below). According to the 1979 Act, a monument cannot be a structure which is occupied as a dwelling, used as a place of worship or protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973. As a rule of thumb, a protected historic asset that is occupied would be designated as a listed building.


Listed buildings

A
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
or listed structure is one that has been placed on the statutory list maintained by Historic Environment Scotland. A listed building may not be demolished, extended, or altered without special permission from the local planning authority, which typically consults the relevant central government agency, particularly for significant alterations to the more notable listed buildings. The degree of protection depends on whether a building is classified as Category A, B or C, Category A denoting the highest level of protection. There are about 47,400 listed buildings in Scotland. Of these, around 8 percent (some 3,800) are Category A, and 50 percent are Category B, with the rest listed at Category C.


Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland

The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland is a listing of
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
s and designed landscapes of national artistic and/or historical significance, in Scotland. The inventory was originally compiled in 1987, and now covers sites dating from the medieval period through to the 20th century. From 1991 the inventory, which is a continually evolving list, was maintained by Historic Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, and it is now updated by a dedicated team within Historic Environment Scotland. As of 2019 the inventory included over 300 sites across Scotland, ranging in size from one hectare to well over 1000 hectares.


Inventory of Historic Battlefields

The Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland lists nationally significant
battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
fields. It was first published for consultation in December 2010 by Historic Scotland, and formally launched in May 2011. the inventory, which is now maintained by Historic Environment Scotland (successor body to Historic Scotland), lists 40 battlefields on the inventory, the most recent addition being the Battle of Sark which was listed in 2016.


International designations


World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites are locations that have been included in the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Programme list of sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common
heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...
of humankind. Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for cultural sites, whilst the
Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
's Environment & Forestry Directorate is responsible for natural sites. As of 2018 there are 6 sites in the country, with a further 2 undergoing a process of formal evaluation.


Ramsar sites

Ramsar sites are internationally recognised wetland sites, protected under the terms of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which was developed and adopted by participating nations at a meeting in Ramsar,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, on 2 February 1971. At the end of 2010, 160 states were contracting parties to the Convention, and the worldwide total of sites was 1,920. The
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
was one of 18 original signatories to the Convention, and has since designated 168 Ramsar sites. 51 of these sites are within Scotland, including one site, the Upper Solway Flats and Marshes, which covers parts of both Scotland and
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in the Solway Firth. The total area of all Ramsar sites in Scotland is approximately . All of Scotland's Ramsar sites form part of the European Natura 2000 network as either
Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
s or
Special Areas of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
, and many sites are further protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.


Natura 2000

Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) designated under the Habitats Directive and Birds Directive respectively. The network includes both terrestrial and marine sites (
Marine Protected Areas A marine protected area (MPA) is a protected area of the world's seas, oceans, estuary, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human ...
(MPAs)).


Special Areas of Conservation

A
Special Area of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...
(SAC) is defined in the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
's '' Habitats Directive'' (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and approximately 1000 species listed in annex I and II of the directive which are considered to be of European interest following criteria given in the directive. They must be chosen from the Sites of Community Importance by the State Members and designated SAC by an act assuring the conservation measures of the natural habitat.


Special Protection Areas

A
Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...
(SPA) is a designation under the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
(EU) have a duty to safeguard the
habitats In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.


Local designations


Local nature reserves

Local nature reserves, of which there are 74, are designated by local authorities, and are usually close to towns and cities. The land is usually owned or leased by the local authority: where another person or body is the owner, the owner must formally agree to the designation.


Conservation areas

A conservation area is an area considered worthy of preservation or enhancement because of its special architectural or historic interest. In conservation areas, it is the protection of the quality and special interest of the neighbourhood or area as a whole that is intended, rather than specific buildings, which are protected by having listed status. Conservation areas are used to protect features such as groups of buildings, open spaces, street patterns, trees, and historic gardens. Scotland has around 600 conservation areas, which are controlled by local authorities.


Regional parks

Regional parks are defined to co-ordinate the management of areas of attractive countryside that are of importance for recreation due to their proximity to population centres. The parks have been defined and are managed by local authorities. Currently Scotland has three regional parks: * Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park * Lomond Hills Regional Park * Pentland Hills Regional Park


Non-statutory protected areas

In addition to statutory designations, many areas are protected by virtue of being owned by a conservation organisation. Such areas may also have legal protection, however there are many areas that are protected despite having no statutory designation. Examples of bodies owning land and property for conservation purposes in Scotland include: * John Muir Trust * National Trust for Scotland * Scottish Wildlife Trust *
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a Charitable_organization#United_Kingdom, charitable organisation registered in Charity Commission for England and Wales, England and Wales and in Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, ...


Forest parks

Forest parks are areas of forest managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) that are managed for multiple benefits, with an emphasis on recreation facilities for visitors. There are currently six forest parks in Scotland.


See also

* List of biosphere reserves in Scotland


References

{{Europe topic, Protected areas of, UK_only=no