Written Question · S4W-29273 · Session 4
How it selected the list of vulnerable priority species in the Conservation of Vulnerable Priority Species section of the Environmental Co-…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government how it selected the list of vulnerable priority species in the Conservation of Vulnerable Priority Species section of the Environmental Co-operation Action Fund; what (a) mechanisms and (b) plans there are to review the list, and how species other than those on it can be protected through the Scotland Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
The answer
The list of vulnerable priority species was compiled through a three-step approach:
Step 1: identifying species of international importance: those listed on the annexes of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives or, in the case of curlew, listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as "Near Threatened".
Step 2: identifying species of national importance, having suffered greater than 25 per cent decline in population in Scotland over a 25-year period.
Step 3: reviewing if there was evidence that applying the management options available under the Scottish Rural Development Programme in a coordinated way, at an appropriate scale, could effectively address the decline.
The list was produced by Scottish Natural Heritage using data compiled to inform decisions on spatial targeting of Agri-Environment Climate Scheme management options that benefit species. The spatial targeting exercise used a much longer list of Scottish Biodiversity List species, to identify which parts of Scotland would benefit the most from particular management options. The list of vulnerable priority species focusses limited resources on those species that are in most urgent need of help, and which require appropriate management to be coordinated across a considerably larger area than individual landholdings.
The Environmental Cooperation Action Fund and Agri-Environment Climate Scheme will be reviewed on an on-going basis to ensure they achieve their stated outcomes within budget commitments. The Scottish Government has the option to make changes to these schemes by submitting annual proposals for modifications to the European Commission for approval. Scottish Natural Heritage recommends that the current vulnerable priority species list is trialled for several years to assess its effectiveness as a targeting mechanism.
There are many management options and capital items available through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme which benefit a wide variety of species, in addition to those recognised as vulnerable priority species. For example, land managed under the habitat mosaics option can provide habitat for invertebrates, small mammals, nesting and feeding birds, and also help to preserve and increase floristic diversity.
Step 1: identifying species of international importance: those listed on the annexes of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives or, in the case of curlew, listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list as "Near Threatened".
Step 2: identifying species of national importance, having suffered greater than 25 per cent decline in population in Scotland over a 25-year period.
Step 3: reviewing if there was evidence that applying the management options available under the Scottish Rural Development Programme in a coordinated way, at an appropriate scale, could effectively address the decline.
The list was produced by Scottish Natural Heritage using data compiled to inform decisions on spatial targeting of Agri-Environment Climate Scheme management options that benefit species. The spatial targeting exercise used a much longer list of Scottish Biodiversity List species, to identify which parts of Scotland would benefit the most from particular management options. The list of vulnerable priority species focusses limited resources on those species that are in most urgent need of help, and which require appropriate management to be coordinated across a considerably larger area than individual landholdings.
The Environmental Cooperation Action Fund and Agri-Environment Climate Scheme will be reviewed on an on-going basis to ensure they achieve their stated outcomes within budget commitments. The Scottish Government has the option to make changes to these schemes by submitting annual proposals for modifications to the European Commission for approval. Scottish Natural Heritage recommends that the current vulnerable priority species list is trialled for several years to assess its effectiveness as a targeting mechanism.
There are many management options and capital items available through the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme which benefit a wide variety of species, in addition to those recognised as vulnerable priority species. For example, land managed under the habitat mosaics option can provide habitat for invertebrates, small mammals, nesting and feeding birds, and also help to preserve and increase floristic diversity.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S4W-29273 by reference.