Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2014

Conservation

Designated Areas^[1]: 1991-2014

Area (thousand hectares)^[2]

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)^[3],[4] protect flora, fauna, geological or physiographical features of outstanding quality in terrestrial and coastal environments. In Scotland, SSSIs are designated by Scottish Natural Heritage under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 (which amended the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act). On 31^st March 1991, SSSIs covered a total of 804,000 hectares (ha) but this has steadily increased and on 31^st March 2014, there were 1,425 SSSIs in Scotland, covering a total of 1,022,260 ha (about 13% of land in Scotland).

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)^[5] are designated under the 1992 EC Habitats Directive to protect certain species and habitat types throughout the EU. Special Protection Areas (SPAs)^[6],[7] are classified under the 1979 EC Wild Birds Directive (which was codified in 2009) to safeguard the habitat of certain wild bird species. Ramsar sites are designated under the 1971 Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (commonly known as the Ramsar Convention). In 2014, there were 241 SACs, 153 SPAs and 51 Ramsar sites in Scotland.

The area of SACs in the terrestrial and inshore environment rose from 0 ha in 1995 to 963,000 ha in 2004 and has since remained broadly stable, rising to 986,705 ha in 2014. In 2010, the UK Government's nature conservation functions under the EC Birds and Habitats directives in Scottish offshore waters were devolved to Scottish Ministers. In 2014, there were 9 offshore SACs in Scottish offshore waters covering a total area of 2,912,610 ha. This is an increase of 2,082,000 ha from 2012, mainly due to the introduction of the UK's largest offshore marine SAC at Hatton Bank, which measures 1,569,000 ha in area. The area of SPAs rose from 26,000 ha in 1991 to 657,000 hectares in 2009 and then almost doubled in size to 1,297,000 ha in 2011 where the level has remained since. A site may be protected by more than one designation. For example, in 2014 around 65% of SACs, 52% of SPAs and 86% of Ramsar sites by area are also designated as SSSIs.

Source: Scottish Natural Heritage / Metadata

Scheduled Monuments^[1]: 1991-2014

Number and area of sites designated as Scheduled Monuments

Historic Scotland is responsible for safeguarding and celebrating the nation's historic environment and promoting its understanding and enjoyment. One way to achieve this is by legally protecting nationally important sites and monuments through designation as 'scheduled monuments'.

Scheduled monuments (SMs) are protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979^[8] and range from the earliest traces of settlement and human activity over 10,000 years ago to medieval castles and abbeys, and Second World War coastal batteries. Once a monument is scheduled, the prior written consent of Scottish Ministers is required for most works or activities in the scheduled area to help ensure the monument is not damaged or destroyed - this process is known as 'scheduled monument consent'.

The number of SMs and the area they account for has steadily risen every year since 1991. There was a 74% increase in the number of SMs between 1991 and 2014, and a 127% increase in the total area of SMs in this period. In 2014, there were 8,176 designated SMs in Scotland, 11 less than in 2013. However, the 2014 sites accounted for a total area of 18,157 hectares, which is an increase of 565 hectares from 2013. These changes are due to an ongoing review of Scheduled Monuments^[9],[10] which may involve the rescheduling or rationalisation of some sites. There are SMs spread across Scotland, with more added to the Schedule every year, but numbers vary across local authorities. In 2014, the largest number of SMs was in Highland Council, with 1,240 SMs covering a total area of 2,688 hectares.

Source: Historic Scotland / Metadata