Use of monitoring results

How the results are used

Where features aren’t in favourable condition, site condition monitoring results inform our discussions with land managers about possible remedial actions.

The results also allow us to detect trends in the condition of threatened habitats and species within a series of national and international designations.

We can then report on these trends to the Scottish Government and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). In turn, JNCC can report on how the UK is meeting international nature conservation duties such as those imposed by the European directives.

Our monitoring results form the baseline against which the Scottish Government measures progress towards the condition target for National Indicator 44.

The results also help policymakers to work out if current legal measures and incentives are sufficient to protect the natural features on designated sites.