Nature30 - How to nominate

What Kind of Data We Collect and why

Personal Data

• Name and primary email address - to ensure we have a point of contact for correspondence regarding the nomination of a site

Other data we collect

• Site name: to ensure the recognised site is identifiable in assessment and recognition
• Site boundary (including size): A Nature30 site must have a site boundary to qualify
• Other site details: Additional evidence, such as land management plan, may be provided to ensure the site meets the Nature30 criteria

How we obtain your personal data  

The personal data is gathered directly from you during one or more of the methods below:

• You submit the information via the nomination form
• You submit the information as supporting evidence as part of the nomination process

How we use your personal data 

NatureScot uses the data submitted by you to:

• To determine whether the site meets, and continue to meets, the criteria to be recognised as a Nature30 site and contribute to the 30 by 30 target.

When and why, we share your personal information 

• We may share personal data with individuals for the purpose of assisting us in assessment such as assessment panel members.
• Site name, boundary, biodiversity value, governance type and summary of the site will be shared publicly on the national database for protected areas. This will also be publicly available through NatureScot data downloads (spatial data hub) and NatureScot’s SiteLink.
• Recognised sites contribute to the UK target for 30 by 30 and therefore the international target for 30 by 30. Therefore, the above data will be shared with the JNCC for UK level reporting, and publicly available on, the World Database for OECMs; site name, boundary, governance type, and year of recognition.

Our legal basis for using your personal data

We must process your personal data so we can carry out our duties for natural heritage and the 30 by 30 target   and as a result we are processing your data for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest.

This means you have the right to: 

• Ask for copies of information about you and be told why we’re using it.
• Have incorrect information about you corrected.
• Object to your information being used by NatureScot because of your specific situation.
• Restrict our use of information about you where:
  • we are using incorrect information
  • our use of your information is unlawful and you want us to restrict its use rather than delete it
  • NatureScot doesn’t need your information any more but you need it for legal action
  • you have the right to object to information and you are using that right 

Your Personal Data Rights

• Ask for copies of information about you and be told why we’re using it;
• Have incorrect information about you corrected;
• Object to your information being used by NatureScot because of your specific situation;
• Restrict our use of information about you where:
  • we are using incorrect information;
  • our use of your information is unlawful and you want us to restrict its use rather than delete it;
  • NatureScot doesn’t need your information any more but you need it for legal action;
  • you have the right to object to information, and you are using that right. 

More information on your rights is available on the Your Personal Data Rights page.  

The UK Information Commissioner also has more information about your rights on their website.

Subject Access Requests

To make a request please write/email the Data Protection Officer, NatureScot, Battleby, Redgorton, Perth, PH1 3EW [email protected]  giving us your name and contact details and a description of the data you want to see. We will respond as soon as we can and by 30 days after your request at the latest. We might ask you to provide some form of identification so we don't give data about you to the wrong person by mistake. 

How long we keep your data

We will keep your data for the duration of the nomination process until a decision has been made on recognition.

If the site is successful in recognition, we will keep your data for the duration the site is recognised. Recognition may be stopped on the request of NatureScot or the site owner.

If the site is not successful in recognition, we will keep the data until the applicant makes it clear they are no longer interested in being recognised.

If NatureScot is unsure on the landowners intention (eg. We have not received communications for 6 months). We will delete data after 2 years from the last saved communication.

How we are keeping your data secure

NatureScot aims to protect your personal information through a system of organisational and technical security measures. NatureScot will ensure that: 

• All personal individual contact data is only used for the purposes specified.
• Data is stored securely within the platform which has been penetration tested and meets the criteria specified within the National Cyber Security Centre 14 Cloud Security Principles assessment.
• Data is stored in a secure manner with the required safety tests carried out and is processed and stored in an accurate and reliable manner. This means that data will be recorded as provided by users. Once entered into the system, safeguards will be in place to prevent loss, corruption, or unauthorised modification of data.
• Regular backups will be maintained to ensure data can be restored in the event of system failure or data loss. Data accuracy is maintained through secure storage practices, periodic system reviews, and compliance with relevant data protection and environmental monitoring standards.
• All NatureScot laptops are managed and encrypted.
• Users require a Corporate account and a valid username and password to access the laptop and network resources.
• User-based access control are implemented to ensure staff have the correct levels of access to the data.
• The database that houses the results of assessments, user data and user authentication is currently hosted in the UK. 

***Where you do not have access to mapping software or expertise NatureScot are able to help, please just let us know.***

As the spatial dataset showing the boundary of your area will, for transparency reasons, be made publicly available it must be free from any licensing restrictions that could prevent publication. 

If you are able to provide your own spatial boundary data then the information below outlines how/when we are able to use this. 

If you are not able to provide a digital boundary then NatureScot are able to support and digitise drawn boundaries. 

1. File formats we accept

• Preferred formats:
  • ESRI Shapefile (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj – all files together in a zipped folder)
  • GeoPackage (.gpkg)
  • GeoJSON (.geojson)
• The data must be vector polygon(s) representing the boundary.
• Include the correct coordinate reference system (CRS) – we recommend British National Grid (EPSG:27700) or WGS84 (EPSG:4326).

2. Licensing requirements

Your submitted data must be legally publishable as open data.
That means:

• It must not be directly copied or digitised from mapping products or datasets that have restrictive licenses (e.g., Ordnance Survey MasterMap, OS OpenData with attribution but not allowing relicensing, aerial photography under restrictive licence).
• If it is based on licensed data, you must:
  • Have explicit permission from the rights holder to release the derived data under an open licence.
  • Provide proof of that permission (e.g., a copy of the licence or written confirmation).
• Wherever possible, use only open-source or public-domain base maps for creating your boundaries (e.g., OpenStreetMap, aerial imagery released under an open licence, your own GPS survey).

3. Open licence declaration

• You must agree that the boundary data you submit will be published under the Open Government Licence (OGL).
• Your submission should include the statement:

“I confirm that this dataset is free from third-party rights and may be published under the Open Government Licence.”

4. How to create compliant boundary data

If you are drawing the boundary yourself:

• Use open data as a background (e.g., OpenStreetMap layers, satellite imagery from providers like ESRI World Imagery if licence permits open publication).
• Use GPS survey data collected by you or your contractor.
• Avoid using restricted datasets like Ordnance Survey MasterMap unless you have confirmed rights to publish.

5. Submitting your data

• Email your zipped shapefile/GeoPackage/GeoJSON to [email protected]
• Include the licence declaration and (if applicable) permission evidence.

6. What happens next

• We will check the data for format, quality, and licensing compliance.
• If your dataset does not meet these guidelines, we will return it for correction.
• Approved datasets will be published on NatureScot’s open data portal / sitelink.

Example statement for applicants to include:

I, [name], confirm that the attached spatial dataset, “[Site Name] boundary”, is free from third-party rights, is not derived from restricted-licence mapping data, and may be published by NatureScot under the Open Government Licence.