Annual Report 1997-98 Working with Scotland’s people to care for our natural heritage To the Right Honourable Donald Dewar MP Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Scotland Sir, I have the honour to present the report of Scottish Natural Heritage, covering the period 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, Magnus Magnusson KBE Scottish Natural Heritage Chairman 12 Hope Terrace Edinburgh EH9 2AS November 1998 Laid before Parliament under Section 10 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 i Board Members at 31 March 1998 SNH BOARD Bill Howatson Chairman Robert Kay Magnus Magnusson KBE Jim McCarthy Deputy Chairman Professor John McManus Professor Christopher Smout CBE Captain Anthony Wilks Professor Seaton Baxter OBE Nan Burnett OBE WEST AREAS BOARD Simon Fraser* Chairman Barbara Kelly OBE Barbara Kelly CBE David Laird Vice Chairman Professor Fred Last Colin Carnie Ivor Lewis Lady Isobel Glasgow Peter Mackay CB Dr James Hansom Peter Peacock CBE Dr Ralph Kirkwood Bill Ritchie+ Robin Malcolm Professor Roger Wheater OBE Dr Malcolm Ogilvie Dr Phil Ratcliffe NORTH AREAS BOARD Richard Williamson Chairman Bill Ritchie+ SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE Simon Fraser* Professor Paul Racey Vice Chairman Vice Chairman Amanda Bryan Professor John Davenport Dr Michael Foxley Ian Currie Nigel J O Graham Professor Charles Gimingham OBE Hugh Halcro-Johnston Dr Ralph Kirkwood Isobel Holbourn Dr James Hansom Dr Jim Hunter Professor Fred Last Annie MacDonald Professor T Jeff Maxwell Janet Price Professor Jack Matthews Michael Scott Professor John McManus Dr Kenneth Swanson Dr Malcolm Ogilvie Dr Philip Ratcliffe EAST AREAS BOARD Michael Scott Chairman Professor Brian Staines Nan Burnett OBE Professor Roger Wheater OBE Vice Chairman Andrew Bradford Ian Currie + until 31 December 1997 Elizabeth Hay * from 1 February 1998 Register of Board Members’ Interests SNH maintains a public register of Board members’ interests. An extract from this register is printed on page 50 of this report. Any enquiries concerning this should be addressed to the Board Secretary, Scottish Natural Heritage, 12 Hope Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 2AS. ii Annual Report 1997 - 1998 iii Chairman’s Preface It is my pleasure, as Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, to present the Annual Report of our activities for 1997-1998. Scottish Natural Heritage was established by Parliament in 1992 to secure the conservation and enhancement of Scotland’s unique natural heritage. We are also charged with promoting its enjoyment and understanding and encouraging its sustainable management. We do this through the designations for which we are responsible, and on the land we own or lease, through the various projects and initiatives we operate, through our grant-aid and advice which we offer to others, and through the advice we provide to Government and other organisations. During the year we welcomed a new administration into power. We were pleased to be asked for the first time since our establishment to lead on major exercises for new policies and legislation: on Access and on National Parks. Partnership is the cornerstone of our work. This year we formalised many of our partnerships with organisations as diverse as the Ministry of Defence and the Scottish Wildlife Trust to ensure that we can make the most of our resources, understand the concerns of others and build the trust which is essential when working with local communities and groups throughout Scotland. Consultation is another important aspect of our work. To ensure that our policies for the natural heritage are accepted, the people of Scotland must have the opportunity to be a part of the decisions to be taken. We have engaged in consultation on issues such as the possible re-introduction of the European beaver and the development of National Parks, and in our advice on these matters to the Secretary of State for Scotland we shall take into consideration the views expressed by respondents. We organise our work in eleven Themes or Programmes, and the structure of our Annual Report is based on these. At the end of the report there is a formal Summary Financial Statement. The companion volume, SNH: Facts and Figures 1997/98, contains tables and statistics about our work. I am proud to present this account of our stewardship of Scotland’s Natural Heritage. Magnus Magnusson KBE Chairman Scottish Natural Heritage iv Annual Report 1997 - 1998 Contents Chairman’s Preface iv Table of Contents v Chief Executive’s Summary vi 1: Maintaining and Enhancing Diversity 1 2: Protecting and Managing Special Natural Heritage Sites 5 3: Integrated Management of Key Areas 9 4: Environmental Education and Public Relations 13 5: Improving Access Opportunities and Land Management 17 6: Encouraging Sustainable Use of Maritime Areas 21 7: Assisting Local Authorities 25 8: Supporting the Central Scotland Forest Initiative 29 9: Delivering our Special Nature Conservation Functions 33 10: Developing Policy and Providing Advice 37 11: Improving the Management of SNH 41 Financial Results 44 Summary Financial Statement 46 Section 29 Orders 48 Board Members’ Interests 50 v Chief Executive’s Summary The year heralded major changes for the directly concerned proved to be protracted and working environment of SNH. We welcomed the we prefer to move forward wherever possible new government into power and the new by consensus. stimulus which they gave to exercises for changes in policy and practice on the use and During the year we were able to demonstrate management of land and for the designation of the importance of the natural heritage and its protected areas. We welcomed, in particular, the better use and management in a wide variety of prominence given to the key themes of ways. We identified the substantial number of integration, co-ordination and community jobs created directly and indirectly as a result of involvement. All of these are resonant with our Scotland’s heritage of wildlife and landscape. We own work in leading and contributing to many were able to demonstrate many new practices. partnerships throughout Scotland. The new For instance, in arable farming our manual on lease of life given to sustainable development: Targeted Inputs for a Better Rural Environment the fundamental approach to people and the advised on new techniques which could benefit environment, first set out for Scotland in our both farmers’ livelihoods and the natural founding legislation, was a particularly welcome heritage of these areas. Our ‘Plants for Wildlife’ initiative. We were pleased to be asked to initiative demonstrated how everyone with undertake major exercises to inform future access to a window-box or garden could decision-making on access, National Parks for contribute to wildlife diversity on their own Scotland, and National Scenic Areas and to doorstep. The collaborative research with other participate in early discussions on the review of partners, particularly at Langholm, demonstrated wildlife legislation and on land reform. how objective scientific endeavour could inform how to improve the management of grouse moors and at the same time secure the continuing protection of wild birds. Our work is informed by the collection and analysis of data about different aspects of the natural heritage and the trends affecting it. During the year we completed two major exercises: a forty-year study of land cover change through the National Countryside Monitoring Scheme and an inventory of our landscape resource through our Landscape Character Assessment Programme. These and many other major inventories and assessments have been placed within modern, spatially Early in the year we had agreement from our referenced databanks to make them accessible Minister, Lord Sewel, for a new set of High Level to interested parties. Indicators to guide our work and to enable Ministers and their officials and the wider public We continued to provide practical support for to scrutinise our performance. Along with the 7 projects which improve access and the High Level Indicators, 17 associated understanding of our countryside: the performance measures were agreed, and for development of new footpaths and the repair each of those targets were set. I am particularly and maintenance of existing ones, the provision pleased to report the progress that we made of financial support for Ranger services and the during the year on each of these targets. In production of a wide variety of environmental summary, 5 targets were exceeded, 7 targets education materials. were met in full, and 4 were substantially achieved. The outcome on one (SSSIs notified to As in previous years, the largest single element support the Natura 2000 programme) was well of our activity relates to the identification of, below target primarily because the pre- consultation on and advice for the management notification consultation with individuals of areas of special natural heritage significance: vi sites for classification under European Directives as well as SSSIs and NSAs. Despite the difficulties Category Within Standards Natural Standards of this work and the lack of user friendliness of Information & some of the underlying statutes, we were Advice 63,943 97% nevertheless able to make substantial progress Consultations 1,683 94% particularly in delivering Government’s obligations under European Directives. This is a Grants 428 90% great tribute to our staff, with support of our Publications 5,261 97% Areas Board Members and owners and managers Licences 641 96% in sites, in fostering good working relationships. The opportunity to comment publicly for the Permits 262 64% first time on the need for fundamental changes Management in these systems for the benefit of people and for Agreements 49 87% nature marked a watershed which we hope will Objections to SSSI be translated into policy and legislative changes notification 8 100% in due course. A substantial volume of case work was undertaken by staff during the year and, as has been the case since the establishment of SNH, we were able to consent the vast majority of requests for change on SSSIs, objecting to only 5% and with damage to only 0.015% (139 reorganised into a more co-ordinated and hectares) of SSSIs recorded.