Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2014

Conservation - Footnotes

1) Figures as at 31^st March each year.

2) Area figures are rounded to the nearest thousand hectares and percentages to the nearest whole number. Area figures exclude the area in England of cross-border sites. Figures for SACs and SPAs include both terrestrial and marine areas. Figures for SSSIs include intertidal habitats.

3) Some SSSIs overlap, and where this occurs the area of overlapping land will be counted more than once. In 2014 this accounted for 2,716 hectares, so the net area of SSSI sites at 31st March 2014 is approximately 1,019,544 hectares.

4) The area of an SSSI is based on the documented area stated on each citation at the time the site was notified or reviewed. Where an SSSI has been reviewed under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and the citation area figure has been changed to a more accurate GIS measurement, SSSI area totals will reflect the revised area from the date of SSSI review, but retrospective SSSI area totals have not been adjusted. As a result of this it is possible for the overall SSSI area figure to change from one year to the next without there being any actual change in SSSI site boundaries on the ground.

5) Some SACs overlap, and where this occurs the area of overlapping land will be counted more than once. In 2014 this accounted for around 5,500 hectares, so the net area of terrestrial/inshore SAC and candidate SAC sites at 31st March 2014 is approximately 981,200 hectares.

6) In 2009, Scottish Ministers classified 31 marine extensions to existing seabird breeding colony SPAs around Scotland's coasts. In 2010, six new SPAs were classified for golden eagle. These designations contributed to the large increase in SPA area from 657,456 hectares in 2009 to 1,296,843 hectares in 2011.

7) Some SPAs overlap, and where this occurs the area of overlapping land will be counted more than once. In 2014 this accounted for around 58,500 hectares, so the net area of SPA sites at 31st March 2014 is approximately 1,238,400 hectares.

8) UK Parliament (1979). Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

9) The Scheduling, Marine and Battlefields Team within Historic Scotland compiles and maintains the 'Schedule' of monuments of national importance on behalf of Scottish Ministers. Work is currently focused on improving the quality of the Schedule across Scotland. This includes a rolling programme of area-based fieldwork reviewing the boundaries of scheduled areas. Where necessary, sites may be rescheduled to update the maps and documentation to provide clarity for owners, occupiers and the Local Authority; in a few cases, it can lead to a monument being de-scheduled.

10) Further information about SMs, including maps, is available on Historic Scotland's data website: http://data.historic-scotland.gov.uk.