
Nature conservation order
Nature conservation orders (NCOs) are a means to protect the natural features of specific areas of land from damage.
Nature conservation orders (NCOs) are a means to protect the natural features of specific areas of land from damage.
Scottish Ministers may issue NCOs when there’s no other adequate means to protect such areas.
NCOs are made for:
Breaching an NCO is an offence.
NCOs are used to make it illegal to carry out specific activities in specific areas and/or at specific times.
An NCO may apply to land:
As of August 2019, there are six NCOs in force in Scotland.
NatureScot must report to Scottish Ministers on NCOs in force, and we do this as part of our annual report.
The most recent NCO made was on 1st August 2019 to prevent damage to, and removal of, Jurassic vertebrate fossils on Skye.
Read the Scottish Government consultation notice regarding this Skye NCO.
Read our latest news item on Skye Dinosaurs.