SCOTTISH NATURAL ANNUAL HERITAGE REPORT 1993 - 94 SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE ANNUAL REPORT 1993-94 working with Scotland's people to care for our natural heritage Ag obhair comhla ri muinntir na h-Alba airson math ar dualchas nadair SCOTTISH Magnus Magnusson KBE 12 Hope Terrace NATURAL Chairman Edinburgh HERITAGE EH9 2AS Telephone: 031 447 4784 Fax: 031 446 2278 To the Right Honourable Ian Lang 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 1993 to 31 March 1994. I am, Sir, your obedient servant, Magnus Magnusson KBE Chairman Scottish Natural Heritage 12 Hope Terrace Edinburgh EH9 2AS December 1994 Laid before Parliament under Section 10 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 Chairman: Magnus Magnusson KBE Chief Executive: Roger Crofts Working with Scotland's people to care for our natural heritage Contents Chief Executive's Review I Facts and Figures 27 Understanding and The Natural Heritage Awareness 3 Designated Areas as at 31 March 1994 Nature Conservation Designations To develop SNH's understanding and influence National Nature Reserves 28 the policies of others to secure the sustainable Sites of Special Scientific Interest - use, management and enjoyment of the natural Sites designated 1/4/93 - 31/3/94 28 heritage. Summary 30 An International Framework 3 Damage 31 Sustainability - A New Ethic 3 Nature Conservation Orders 31 Environmental Education 6 Management Agreements 32 Access II International Designations Designated Ramsar Sites 35 Care of the Designated Special Protection Areas 35 Natural Heritage 13 SPAs/Ramsar Sites submitted to Government awaiting designation 35 To influence the management and care of Other International Landscape and Scotland's natural heritage to ensure its Recreation Designations 35 conservation, enhancement and continuing Other Designations enjoyment. Local Nature Reserves 36 The Protection of Key Sites 13 SNH key targets 37 The Integrated Approach 16 Responses to consultations 38 The Wider Countryside 17 Grants awarded 40 Sustainability in Practice 18 Loan repayments 62 Access 20 Research contracts 64 Scotland's Marine Heritage 20 Licences issued 72 Working with Others Scottish Natural Heritage Managing SNH 23 Board members 74 Staff in post 75 To ensure efficient and effective management of Publications 81 SNH in the pursuit and achievement of its Public access to environmental objectives. information - a statement 83 Building an Effective Organisation 23 Statement of account 84 Developing a Management Strategy 23 Statement of Chief Executive and Communications and Information Board responsibilities 87 Systems 24 Auditor's certificate 88 Office Management 24 Income and expenditure account 89 Natural Standards 25 Notes to the accounts 92 Chief Executive's Review Our second year has proved to be a year of consolidation and progress. We have pressed ahead with the development of our policies and procedures; we presented sound arguments to influence the policies of others and took forward many exciting initiatives at the local level while continuing to develop an efficient and effective organisation. We received very considerable support from Government; in particular, we welcomed the increase in our grant- in-aid from the Secretary of State in order to take on a number of important additional programmes. We played our part in return and achieved all of our key targets agreed with The Scottish Office - indeed, we exceeded them in most cases. The Government policy framework within which we operate evolved further during the year. We were gratified to have opportunities to contribute to the Roger Crofts development of UK policy on sustainability and 1 sustainable development, and we had a direct input into the more precisely targeted Biodiversity Action arable regimes. We made substantial advances, in Programme. Our own contribution, reflecting a great consultation with a wide range of other interests, in deal of intellectual energy and forward thinking, was developing policy and action plans on red deer and on in the form of the publication Sustainable access. We put into action practical schemes on Development and the Natural Heritage: the SNH goose management. We completed our internal Approach. This seminal document provides our own reviews of the natural heritage of the marine framework in tune with the international agenda and environment, and progressed our overview of puts us firmly in the arena for future action on natural Scotland's natural heritage. At the local level we heritage issues. We were particularly pleased to see began the long, painstaking but, we hope, ultimately recognition by Government of many of our initiatives, fruitful work of collaboration with other interests in both in the terrestrial and marine environments, as the Moray Firth, the Firth of Forth and the Solway, reflected in the targets of Biodiversity: The UK brigading all of these into our Firths Initiative - Focus Action Plan. on Firths. We also began collaborative work on the Minch Project. We worked hard on the formulation of policy and action programmes which will come to fruition and be We raised our international profile by hosting a major made public during our third year. Particular progress conference on protected areas in Europe. Our was made on agriculture (both intensive and colleagues tell us that this marked a major step extensive systems), with new thinking being forward in integrating thinking on the protection of translated into active development especially under special places and working with local and other our TIBRE (Targeted Inputs for a Better Rural communities of interest. These special places - Sites Environment) initiative for exploiting technology to of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), National Scenic achieve more environmentally sensitive intensive Areas (NSAs) and other related protected areas - continued to be the focus of a great deal of our managerial level. We have also changed the basis of attention. Taking forward, at an enhanced pace, work our operation for the major projects, including those on the European Commission's Wild Birds Directive given to us by the Secretary of State such as the and preparing for the major new initiatives under the European Directives and the tasks arising from his EC Habitats and Species Directive were major tasks. three Working Parties, as well as major infrastructure We also made a substantial input into the work of the and procedural development projects. Secretary of State's Working Parties on the Cairngorms and on Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, We continued to invest a significant amount of time in whose conclusions and recommendations we broadly cultivating good relationships with organisations supported. When the Secretary of State's decisions which have a stake in the environment. The are known we look forward to contributing further experience of our second year has reinforced our through practical action on the ground. firmly-held belief that only through partnership and consensus will changes of benefit to the natural The source of our greatest pleasure and pride lies in heritage take place. We are already seeing positive the many and varied local initiatives which we have results in terms of changes in public attitudes and established, either on our own or in partnership with perceptions towards the natural heritage and towards others. This annual report gives an admirable flavour SNH. Discussions have been held with key client of these but cannot possibly list all of them. Nothing groups such as farmers, landowners, crofters and is more directly effective than involving others in foresters, which have proved fruitful and of mutual action programmes, particularly around their homes. benefit. Perhaps more than any other activity, this is at the 2 forefront of our work on environmental education: not We could not have achieved all this without the a subject to be put in a separate compartment but a energy and commitment of staff. We continued, and theme to pervade all the activity and actions of SNH. developed, the major programme of internal training We were pleased, therefore, to contribute to the designed to improve the skill and knowledge base of production of 'Learning for Life' by the Secretary of our staff so that they can best meet the challenges of State's Working Party on Environmental Education, the present and the future. Notable also was the and we await with interest his decisions in this contribution made by our main Board members and crucial area. those on our Regional and Research Boards. Nor could we have achieved what we have without the To cope with the increased calls on our time and willingness of our many partners, national and local, effort for these new priority activities (which to work constructively with us. outstretched the addition to our resources), we put in hand a range of measures which will improve our Truly 1993/94 was a year of consolidation and efficiency and ultimately reduce our running costs: a progress which will provide a firm platform for major organisational target. Internally, we continued delivering new programmes and initiatives in our our programme of organisational development by third year. reviewing our systems and procedures to ensure proper utilisation of the public funds granted to us, and by developing our computer-based networking well ahead of schedule. The workload of the organisation and of our staff continues to get heavier. To help cope with these pressures we have put in Roger Crofts hand, with the help of consultants, a management Chief Executive strategy for the organisation which involves staff at Understanding and Awareness Aim One: To develop SNH's understanding and influence the policies of others to secure the sustainable use, management and enjoyment of the natural heritage AN INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK woodlands in Scotland and have begun to develop a The last decade has seen many changes in attitudes, national woodlands database. We have also more broadly based policies and new national and commissioned research on the monitoring of below international policies towards the natural heritage.