Freedom of Information Request - Deer or non-native species damage to protected areas
Date: 24 January 2025
Our ref: SIR178332/A4965477
Information Request – Deer or non-native species damage to protected areas
Your Request
Your Original Request – 13 December 2024
Please provide details of damage caused by deer or non-native species to any protected areas, including the current condition. Please state the location in each case.
Clarified Request – 23 December 2023
I'd be happy to proceed as per your guidance – narrowing down the search to sites where deer are one of the herbivores present, and whether invasive non-native species are recorded as a pressure sounds ideal.
Our Response
The spreadsheet attached with this response contains information on pressures that NatureScot staff have recorded against special feature on protected areas. The ‘deer’ tab lists pressures from grazing and trampling where the pressure key words mention ‘deer’. The other lists pressure from invasive non-native species, and the invasive species are listed in the key word column.
Recording a pressure against a special feature on a protected area does not necessarily mean that the pressure is causing the feature to be in unfavourable condition. Only a proportion of these features will have failed condition targets due to impacts by deer or invasive non-native species.
How We Handled Your Request
We believe you have asked for environmental information as defined in the Environmental Information (Scotland Regulations 2004 (‘the EIRs’), so we are dealing with your request under those regulations. To be able to use the EIRs, we must apply an exemption under section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (‘FOISA’). The Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance recommends that public authorities apply this exemption to environmental information and handle request under the EIRs.
If you would like to find out more about the access to information legislation, there is a guidance booklet available on the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website.
Review and Appeal
I hope this information meets your requirements, but if you are dissatisfied with how we have responded to your information request, please write to us within 40 working days explaining your concerns. You can contact us at Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW or email us at [email protected]. We will carry out a review of our response and contact you with our findings within 20 working days.
If you are not satisfied following this, you can make an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner within 6 months. The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Scottish Information Commissioner
Kinburn Castle
Doubledykes Road
St Andrews
Fife
KY16 9DS
Telephone: 01334 464610
Yours sincerely
FOI Officer,
NatureScot
Document downloads
Due to accessibility issues the attached information, referenced above, is available on request by contacting the FOI team at [email protected]. Please reference the case number (starting with SIR).
