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Advice provided by the
statutory nature conservation agencies
The aims of the advice to
relevant authorities
The network of European marine sites is an important
element for achieving the objectives of the Habitats and Birds
Directives.
The purpose of managment schemes for European
marine sites is to ensure that the necessary conservation measures
are put in place to avoid deterioration of habitats or the habitats
of species, or disturbance to species listed in the Habitats
and Birds Directives.
Under the terms of the Habitats Regulations, the
statutory nature conservation agencies have a duty to provide
to other relevant authorities advice as to the conservation
objectives for a site and to the operations that may cause deterioration
of habitats or the habitats of species, or disturbance to species,
for which the site has been designated.
Drawing from the aims of the Directive and the
requirements of the Regulations, the key elements of the advice
from country agencies on conservation objectives and operations
will be:
- to form the basis for developing a management
scheme and for helping to determine what management measures
need to be taken to ensure the ecological requirements of
the site’s interest features are met;
- to set the standard against which the
condition of the site’s interest features can be compared
to determine whether they are in favourable condition and
whether the management measures taken on the site have been
successful; and
- to inform the scope and nature of the
‘appropriate assessment’ required in relation to plans and
projects [Article 6(3) of the Directive; Regulations 20, 24,
48 and 50 (GB) and Regulations 17, 28 [2(b)], 43 (NI).
To achieve these aims in the clearest and most
appropriate and consistent manner possible, all advice relating
to conservation objectives will conform to the ‘UK common standards
for monitoring designated sites’ (JNCC, 1997). In relation to
setting conservation objectives, these standards ensure that:
"Conservation objectives will be prepared
for interest features on all sites. These objectives will define
what constitutes favourable condition of each feature by describing
broad targets which should be met if the feature is to be judged
favourable.
Each interest feature of a site will have one
or more attributes that can be used to help define favourable
condition. For each species these may include population size,
structure, habitat requirements and distribution. Attributes
of habitats may include area covered, key species, composition,
structure and supporting processes.
Broad targets will be identified for those
attributes that most economically define favourable condition
of the interest feature. Because all features are subject to
some degree of change the targets may express how much change
would be accepted while still considering the feature to be
in favourable condition. If a feature changes to the extent
that it falls outside the thresholds expressed then this acts
as a trigger for remedial action or further investigation.
In some cases relatively little may be known
about the interest feature so it may be difficult to define
favourable condition. In such circumstances the use of current
condition will be considered as the definition of favourable
condition, in the absence of any evidence that the current condition
was unfavourable".
Conservation objectives for
European Marine Sites
Advice on operations which
may cause deterioration or disturbance
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