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Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan. Habitats Regulations Appraisal Record.
Habitats Regulations Appraisal Record.
Annex 1: Sites screened for the likelihood of a significant effect in the HRA [13] , [14]
| Special Protection Areas (SPAs) | |
|---|---|
| Relevant sites | Auskerry SPA, Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands SPA and Ramsar, Caithness Lochs SPA and Ramsar, Calf of Eday SPA, Cape Wrath SPA, Copinsay SPA, East Caithness Cliffs SPA, East Sanday Coast SPA, Fionaven SPA, Hoy SPA, Marwick Head SPA, North Caithness Cliffs SPA, North Orkney dSPA, North Sutherland Coastal Islands SPA, Orkney Mainland Moors SPA, Orkney Mainland Moors SPA, Papa Westray (North Hill and Holm) SPA, Pentland Firth and Scapa Flow Orkney dSPA, Pentland Firth Islands SPA, Rousay SPA, Sule Skerry and Sule Stack SPA, Switha SPA, West Westray SPA |
| Species | Arctic skua ( Stercorarius parasiticus), breeding; Arctic tern ( Sterna paradisaea), breeding; Black-throated diver ( Gavia arctica), breeding; Breeding bird assemblage; Common eider ( Somateria mollissima); Common goldeneye ( Bucephala clangula); Common scoter ( Melanitta nigra), breeding; Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax carbo), breeding; Dunlin ( Calidris alpina schinzii), breeding; Fulmar ( Fulmarus glacialis), breeding; Gannet ( Morus bassanus), breeding; Golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos), breeding; Golden plover ( Pluvialis apricaria), breeding; Great black-backed gull ( Larus marinus), breeding; Great northern diver ( Gavia immer); Great skua ( Stercorarius skua), breeding; Greenland Barnacle goose ( Branta leucopsis), non-breeding; Greenland white-fronted goose ( Anser albifrons flavirostris), non-breeding; Greenshank ( Tringa nebularia), breeding; Greylag goose ( Anser anser), non-breeding; Guillemot ( Uria aalge), breeding; Hen harrier ( Circus cyaneus), breeding and non-breeding; Herring gull ( Larus argentatus), breeding; Kittiwake ( Rissa tridactyla), breeding; Leach's petrel ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa), breeding; Long-tailed duck ( Clangula hyemalis); Merlin ( Falco columbarius), breeding; Peregrine ( Falco peregrinus), breeding; Puffin ( Fratercula arctica), breeding; Razorbill ( Alca torda), breeding; Red-breasted merganser ( Mergus serrator); Red-throated diver ( Gavia stellata), breeding; Seabird assemblage, breeding; Shag ( Phalacrocorax aristotelis), breeding; Short-eared owl ( Asio flammeus), breeding; Slavonian grebe ( Podiceps auritus); Storm petrel ( Hydrobates pelagicus), breeding; Velvet Scoter ( Melanitta fusca); Whooper swan ( Cygnus cygnus), non-breeding; Wigeon ( Anas penelope), breeding; Wood sandpiper ( Tringa glareola), breeding |
| Conservation objectives for all qualifying interests and sites | To avoid deterioration of the habitats of the qualifying species or significant disturbance to the qualifying species, thus ensuring that the integrity of the site is maintained; and To ensure for the qualifying species that the following are maintained in the long term:
|
| Additional Information | The sites and species listed above have been included based upon geographical relevance, alongside the consideration of previous HRA work undertaken by Marine Scotland including the Sectoral Plans for Offshore Renewables and the Marine Renewables Infrastructure Plan ( MRIP). However, in addition to the sites and species listed above, it was noted that many seabird species can travel long distances to reach foraging or feeding grounds. As a consequence, while not listed above, the potential for LSE on mobile bird species that are features of SPAs out with the PFOW area that may travel to or through the PFOW area to forage or for migration was also identified as an important consideration of the HRA Screening process. |
| Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Ramsar sites | |
|---|---|
| Relevant Sites | Berriedale and Langwell Waters SAC, Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands SAC and Ramsar, Cape Wrath SAC, Durness SAC, Faray and Holm of Faray SAC, Hoy SAC, Invernaver SAC, Loch of Isbister SAC, Loch of Stenness SAC, River Borgie SAC, River Naver SAC, River Thurso SAC, Sanday SAC, Strathy Point SAC, Stromness Heaths and Coast SAC, Moray Firth SAC. |
| Habitats | Acid peat-stained lakes and ponds, Alpine and subalpine calcareous grasslands, Alpine and subalpine heaths, Base-rich fens, Blanket bog, Calcium-rich nutrient-poor lakes, lochs and pools, Clear-water lakes or lochs with aquatic vegetation and poor to moderate nutrient levels, Coastal dune heathland, Depressions on peat substrates, Dry heaths, Dune grassland, Dunes with creeping willow, Dunes with juniper thickets, Hard-water springs depositing lime, Humid dune slacks, Intertidal mudflats and sandflats, Lagoons, Limestone pavements, Naturally nutrient-rich lakes or lochs which are often dominated by pondweed, Plants in crevices on base-rich rocks, Shifting dunes with marram, Subtidal sandbanks, Tall herb communities, Vegetated sea cliffs, Very wet mires often identified by an unstable 'quaking' surface, Wet heathland with cross-leaved heath. |
| Species | Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar), Freshwater pearl mussel ( Margaritifera margaritifera), Grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus), Harbour seal ( Phoca vitulina), Marsh saxifrage ( Saxifraga hirculus), Otter ( Lutra lutra), Bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncates), Harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena). |
| Conservation objectives for all qualifying interests and sites | To avoid deterioration of the qualifying habitats thus ensuring that the integrity of the site is maintained and the site makes an appropriate contribution to achieving favourable conservation status for each of the qualifying features; andTo ensure for the qualifying habitats that the following are maintained in the long term:
To avoid deterioration of the habitats of the qualifying species or significant disturbance to the qualifying species, thus ensuring that the integrity of the site is maintained; and To ensure for the qualifying species that the following are maintained in the long term:
|
| Additional Comments | The sites listed above have been included based upon geographical relevance, and with the consideration of previous HRA work undertaken by Marine Scotland including the Sectoral Plans for Offshore Renewables and MRIP. Coastal habitats and mobile species, particularly Grey and Harbour seals, bottlenose dolphins and Atlantic salmon, were noted to be of particular relevance amongst SACs to the Pilot Plan and its HRA. In addition to places used regularly for feeding, breeding, raising calves and socialising, locations where associated and supporting activities such as hunting, courtship, singing, calving, nursing, resting, playing and communication take place were identified as being important considerations. However, it is noted that many migratory species and marine mammals have extensive ranges and cover very large distances to forage in the pelagic environment. For example, cetaceans such as the Bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncates) recognised in the Moray Firth SAC are known to travel significantly along the Scottish coastline, and are likely to frequent the PFOW area. Similarly, other species including Harbour and Grey seals and other cetaceans such as Harbour porpoise out with the PFOW area are also known to frequent the Pilot Plan area, and as such, were identified as important considerations of the HRA process. As a consequence, while not listed above, the potential for LSE on mobile species that are features of SACs out with the PFOW area that may travel to or through the PFOW area, or for migration, was also identified as an important consideration of the HRA process. |
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