The Proportion of Scotland's Protected Sites in Favourable Condition 2022

An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland

The diversity of Scotland’s biological and geological natural features is a particularly rich and valued natural resource. A series of nature conservation designations aim to protect the best examples nationally and internationally of the nation’s wildlife populations, habitats and earth science features:

• National: Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI);
• European: Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA);
• International: Ramsar

In total these designations cover 1,880 sites protecting nature across Scotland, although some of their boundaries overlap. They host 5,590 designated natural features^*.

^*Figures at 31^st March 2022. Figures exclude offshore marine sites and features in Scotland beyond 12 nautical miles (NM). All candidate SACs are also excluded from these figures.

Assessment

The proportion of natural features in favourable condition on protected sites at 31^st March 2022 was 77.9%. This figure comprises:

• Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) Condition Assessment – Favourable 65.0%                  
• SCM Condition Assessment – Unfavourable Recovering i.e. monitoring has detected signs of recovery but favourable condition has not been reached. 6.5%.
• Unfavourable Recovering Due to Management Change. i.e positive management is in place that is expected to improve the condition of the site but this has not yet been assessed on the ground. 6.4%

Change (2021 – 22)	Stable*
Long term trend (2005 - 22)	Increase

^*A difference of less than +/-1 percentage point from last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change.

Key points

• The proportion of features in favourable condition as measured by the indicator has decreased by 0.4 percentage point in the last year from 78.3% to 77.9%.
• The proportion of features in favourable condition as measured by the indicator has increased by 6.5 percentage points between 2005 and 2022 from 71.4% to 77.9% and by 1.9 percentage points between 2007 and 2022.
• The proportion of features in favourable condition has decreased by 2.5 percentage points since 2016 when it peaked at 80.4%.

Evidence

The condition of the features on protected sites in Scotland is assessed by NatureScot’s^*Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) programme. SCM is a rolling programme of monitoring which aims to assess the condition of a sample of designated natural features each year and acts as a trigger mechanism for follow-up work when an unfavourable assessment is concluded.

^*NatureScot became the operating name of Scottish Natural Heritage with effect from August 2020.

Commentary

SCM is a rolling programme of monitoring and the proportion of natural features in favourable condition is dynamic. This movement reflects new condition assessments being completed, and unfavourable natural features benefitting from remedial management so that they are considered to be ‘unfavourable recovering due to management change’ (URDTM).  The figures presented here are, therefore, a snapshot of the position at 31^st March in the given year.

By 31^st March 2022, of the 5,590 designated natural features on protected sites, the condition of 5,301 had been assessed and thus form the Official Statistic.  As new SCM assessments are completed (either first or repeat assessments), they are used to update the proportion of features in favourable condition.

There is considerable variation in the proportion of natural features in favourable condition across the different natural feature categories, as can be seen in Table 1.  A more detailed breakdown of the proportion of individual natural feature types in favourable condition within these categories is in Annex 1.

Table 1. Proportion of Natural Features in Favourable Condition by Feature Type at 31st March 2022

Feature Category	Number of Features 2021	Proportion Favourable 2021	Number of Features 2022	Proportion Favourable 2022	Change in percentage points from 2021 to 2022
Habitats	2,444	78.3%	2,444	77.6%	-0.7
Species	2,191	72.5%	2,191	72.3%	-0.2
Earth sciences*	666	97.3%	666	96.8%	-0.5
All Feature Types	5,301	78.3%	5,301	77.9%	-0.4

^*Earth sciences includes geological outcrops and landforms, fossil beds and caves

60 SCM feature assessments were completed in 2021/22. As in 2020/21, site visits to assess features were limited due to Covid-19 lockdown restrictions and staff absences with the result that there were limited new field visits. Almost a third were the completion of assessment reports from previous years.

As a result of these 60 completed assessments in 2021/22, the condition of 7 natural features improved to favourable or recovering condition (however only 3 of those had an impact on the indicator, see below). These are made up of:

• 3 natural features, which were previously in unfavourable condition, were assessed as favourable through new SCM assessment. Natural feature types impacted: upland (1), freshwater (1) and heath (1).
• 4 natural features which were previously URDTM but have now been assessed as favourable through new SCM assessment.  These have had no impact on the headline ‘Proportion of Features in Favourable Condition’ as both categories are considered to be in favourable condition for this purpose.  However, they demonstrate that the remedial management at these sites have worked and the condition has improved.  Natural feature types impacted: woodland (2), grassland (1) and heath (1).
• No natural features moved from unfavourable to URDTM.  There are still 339 natural features considered to be URDTM.

A further 3 natural features were assessed for the first time and were found to be in favourable condition. Natural feature types impacted: birds (2) and uplands (1).

During the same period, the condition of 26 natural features deteriorated to unfavourable condition, made up of:

• 14 natural features which were previously in favourable condition but were assessed as unfavourable through new SCM assessment. Natural feature types impacted: woodlands (5), birds (3), earth sciences (2), marine (2), coastal (1) and wetlands (1).
• 12 natural features which were previously in URDTM but it was concluded that the remedial management in place was not sufficient to address all the negative pressures and move the natural feature into favourable condition.  Natural feature types impacted: wetland (4), heath (3), grasslands (2), woodlands (2) and earth sciences (1).

The net effect is a 0.4 percentage point decrease in the proportion of natural features in favourable condition during the last year from 78.3% to 77.9%.

No On-Site Remedy

Amongst the unfavourable natural features there is a group where there are no pressures on the protected area itself, or nearby, and yet the feature remains unfavourable.  There are, therefore, factors outwith local management control which are influencing condition.  The majority of the 428 natural features which fall into this category are birds (399).

Sea bird populations (253) make up the largest proportion of these unfavourable bird natural features with no on-site remedy. The reasons for sea bird declining populations are thought to be due to changes in prey distribution and abundance rather than issues within the protected area itself.  These changes in the distribution and abundance of prey are likely to be brought about by a combination of factors, including climate change and interactions with fisheries. The main other bird groups with no on-site remedy recorded are ducks, geese and swans (78); seaduck, divers and grebes (18); and waders (17).

There is no immediate action that can be taken to relieve these wider pressures on the protected area which are appropriate to support the natural feature concerned. Consequently, to align with United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan reporting, these natural features are considered favourable (albeit in many instances it is the habitat supporting a species population which is favourable rather than the species population itself) for the separate purpose of Biodiversity reporting.  Working on this basis, the overall proportion of natural features in favourable condition rises from 77.9% to 85.9%.

Negative Influences

The most common negative influences (known as pressures) on natural features on protected sites that can affect condition can be seen in Figure 2.  Individual natural features on a site may be adversely affected by one or more pressures.

Invasive species is the single biggest negative pressure on natural feature condition. The proportion is 21.2% of all negative pressures in 2021/22 and has remained almost constant at this level (within 1 percentage point) for a number of years. The species can be both native (e.g. bracken) and non-native (e.g. Rhododendron) species.  Different natural feature types appear to be affected by different types of invasive species.  For example, woodland and freshwater habitats are mainly adversely affected by non-native species such as Rhododendron or Japanese knotweed.  Conversely, lowland grassland and coastal habitats are affected by the spread of invasive native species such as gorse, bracken and nettles.

Whether native or non-native, invasive species can have a detrimental effect on important habitats and the flora and fauna they support by competing for nutrients and light and ultimately changing the ecology of the habitat.

Source data and updates

To measure progress towards the Scottish Government target of maintaining the proportion of natural features in favourable condition, the following are taken into account:

• the results of SCM,
• actions that have been taken to put in place remedial management to improve the condition of the natural feature.

Where remedial management can be put in place on, or near the site, NatureScot staff and partner organisations engage with land managers and statutory bodies to identify and implement the appropriate measures to promote recovery.  Such measures to date have included Forestry Grant Schemes, individual management agreements negotiated by NatureScot, and Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) funding.  Voluntary Control Agreements under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 have also been widely used to facilitate recovery of unfavourable features in upland areas.

For the purposes of the Official Statistic, ‘favourable condition’ includes natural features that are assessed through SCM as being in favourable or unfavourable recovering condition.  It also includes previously unfavourable natural features where necessary management measures have been put in place since the last SCM assessment, so that in NatureScot’s expert judgment the natural feature will in due course reach favourable condition.  This means that, as an interim measure, natural features where remedial management has been put in place to address all the known causes of unfavourable condition are counted as favourable.  This is until such time as a subsequent SCM assessment verifies the condition, or identifies further work which may be required to further improve condition.  Such natural features are categorised as ‘unfavourable recovering due to management change’.  Where a feature has been partially destroyed (e.g. through a housing development) the rest of the feature is assessed in its own right.

The 2005 SCM results set the baseline against which progress being made under the Protected Areas National Performance Indicator is measured.

The framework for making an SCM assessment is the Common Standards Monitoring Guidance, published by Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).  This Guidance provides a common approach to the monitoring of natural features across the whole of the United Kingdom.

The SCM condition assessments are stored on a corporate database held by NatureScot and are combined with data on remedial management through the Remedies database to produce the overall Condition Target results.  Access condition data for individual sites and features from the Sitelink website.

The proportion of protected sites in favourable condition will next be updated in 2023 Official Statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Annex 1:  The Proportion of Natural Features in Favourable Condition by Broad Type at 31st March 2022

Habitats Natural Feature Type	Number of Natural Features	Proportion Favourable (%)	Change in Percentage Points from 2021
Coastal	335	86.6	-0.3
Freshwater	223	74.9	+0.8
Grasslands	222	72.1	-0.9
Heath	380	78.7	-0.5
Marine	103	96.1	-2
Upland	352	83.0	+0.4
Wetland	345	82.9	-1.4
Woodlands	484	62.8	-1.5
Habitats Total	2,444	77.6	-0.7

 

Species Natural Feature Type	Number of Natural Features	Proportion Favourable (%)	Change in Percentage Points from 2021
Amphibians	12	83.3	no change
Birds	1,510	66.7	-0.2
Butterflies	31	87.1	no change
Dragonflies	26	100.0	no change
Fish	46	80.4	no change
Invertebrates	183	85.1	no change
Marine Mammals	29	58.6	no change
Non-vascular Plants	147	77.6	no change
Terrestrial Mammals	51	88.2	no change
Vascular Plants	158	93.7	no change
Species Total	2,193	72.3	-0.2

 

Earth Science Natural Feature Type	Number of Natural Features	Proportion Favourable (%)	Change in Percentage Points from 2021
Earth Science	666	96.8	-0.5
Earth Science Total	666	96.8	-0.5

 

Total Natural Feature Type	Number of Natural Features	Proportion Favourable (%)	Change in Percentage Points from 2021
Total	5,301	77.9	-0.4

 

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