Loch Fleet Site of f Special Scientific In Interest and National - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Loch Fleet Site of f Special Scientific In Interest and National Nature Reserve

Habitat Damage

About Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve

• Owned by Sutherland Estates
• Managed in partnership between Scottish Natural

Heritage (SNH), Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) and Sutherland Estates

• Approximately 12,000 visitors per year, but increasing.
• No permanent staff on the reserve
• Site management carried out by SNH, SWT and team
• f volunteers

Internationally and Nationally Important Wildlife and Habitats

• Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet Special Protection Area

(SPA) (European designation)

• Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet RAMSAR
• Loch Fleet Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
• Loch Fleet National Nature Reserve (NNR)
• Seal Haul-out Site - Section 117 of the Marine

(Scotland) Act 2010

• Loch Fleet and Dornoch Firth and Cuthill Sands

Nature Conservation Order (NCO)

So what does that mean?

• Site of Special Scientific Interest Operations Requiring

Consent (ORCs)

– Certain activities require consent from SNH before they can take place; AND requires landowner or occupiers permission.

• Special Protection Area (SPA)

– SNH required to consider impacts on SPA before SSSI consent it can be granted.

Drones Fly tipping and dumping Off road vehicles

Main Issues at Loch Fleet

Breaches of Nature Conservation Order

Drones

• Increasing frequency of use within site;
• Poor practice often reported, although probable

under reporting;

• Typically relating to seal haul-outs, over wader and

waterfowl roosts and osprey nests also reported;

• Challenges
• Frequently reported after the event, lack of witnesses or

being able to identify individuals

• Increasing popularity of Loch Fleet due to NC500
• Currently no code for drone use on NNRs

Drones Disturbance over Seal haul-out

Action taken

• Considered ‘reckless disturbance’ by WCO.
• Owner of the video traced by Police Scotland and

WCO visited individual

• Video removed from YouTube

Off-road vehicles

• Regular occurrence of unauthorised motor vehicle

access to site

• Use of vehicles requires SSSI consent
• Reckless damage and occasional deliberate damage
• Typical damage

– Vehicle ruts, skidding, wheel spinning, do-nuts – Damage to NNR infrastructure

Signs and control measures are not are always effective deterrent

Free running dogs

• Disturbance to waders, waterfowl and seals at

haul out locations.

• Not compliant with Scottish Outdoor Access

Code;

• Can be difficult to manage and identify

individuals responsible;

Loch Fleet Nature Conservation Order

• Prohibits marine invertebrate and shellfish collection

and use of vehicle and craft to collect

• Signs erected to warn of Nature Conservation Order

around reserve

– mitigate against ignorance claims – recklessness

• Active police support and generally rapid response

from local police and occasionally road traffic officers

• Typically caution given and told to leave site by police
• Residents encouraged to report breaches to Police
• n 101

Fly-tipping and dumping

• Typically household, garden and building waste

– Phantom Leylandi dumper!

• Potential release of invasive species onto site
• Increasing problem of campervan waste disposal
• Vigilance around ‘hotspots’
• Signs – promoting responsible behaviour and nearest

licenced recycling centre (6 miles away)

What can be done and what works?

• Balancing act between promoting outdoor and

restricting outdoor access

• Don’t delay reporting it!

– Encourage reporting of any crime to Police Scotland at the time of the incident

• Importance of local community engagement and

involvement in sites

• Good relationship with Police Scotland, particularly

with local officers

– Local knowledge is often key!

What can be done and what works?

• Education!
• Increasing social awareness of wildlife crime
• Signs

– Temporary signs can be very effective if targeted; – Permanent signs seldom effective eventually ignored. – Help to raise awareness. – Can be required mitigate against ignorance claims – Are occasionally vandalised or simply ‘go-missing’

• Physical barriers

– Vehicle bollards – Gates and fencing

Any Questions