Guidance on Establishing and Managing Local Nature Conservation Site Systems in Scotland

• Purpose and Scope
• Legislative and Policy Context
• The Purpose of LNCS
• Operating a LNCS System
• Approaches to Policy and Management
• Annex

This document was prepared by the Local Nature Conservation Site Working Group, comprising the following organisations:

4. Operating a LNCS System

Nomenclature

4.1 There are over 20 names currently in use for LNCS, and many of these names are long-established and have widespread recognition within a local area. It will be for each local area to decide whether to continue to use established names. However, the name chosen should reflect the new purpose, and so may need to be changed. Throughout this Guidance the terms ‘local biodiversity site’ and ‘local geodiversity site’ have been used to refer to each type of LNCS, and it is suggested that these could be used where a new name is needed.

4.2Where there has been a review in accordance with the Guidance, the new set of sites should be referred to as belonging to the ‘Local Nature Conservation Site System’. This will allow differentiation between site systems which conform with the Guidance, and those which do not, whilst still allowing for the use of a locally recognised name for sites within the system.

Establishing a partnership

4.3 Responsibility for introducing, reviewing and managing local biodiversity sites and local geodiversity sites should be taken by the local authority, although this may be delegated. Either way, the work should be carried out with the help of a panel of advisors comprising relevant interests and expertise. The involvement of the following groups should be considered:

• Local expert naturalists or Earth scientists
• Local representatives of voluntary and statutory nature conservation organisations
• Land owners and managers
• Farmers and crofters
• Forestry managers
• Water resource managers
• Development planners
• Businesses
• Local communities
• For geodiversity sites, aggregates industry and educationalists

4.4 An LBAP partnership, or local RIGS group/Local Geodiversity Action Plan partnership, is likely to be well placed to form the panel of advisors to the local authority. The local authority may choose to delegate to this panel responsibility for introducing or reviewing the LNCS system.

The Dumfries & Galloway Local Wildlife Sites Team

Dumfries and Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan Partnership provides an example of how local sites can form an integral part of an LBAP, and can be managed through a genuine partnership approach. The Partnership recognised at an early stage in the preparation of their LBAP that LNCS have a role in helping to prioritise and focus action for biodiversity. The plan states:

…”This LBAP recommends the identification of more local sites in order to give recognition to the wealth of wildlife which can be found in our region. Action can then be taken in partnership with landowners and communities to maintain their biodiversity value”.

Priorities for detailed survey, management advice and habitat enhancement on LNCS are linked to the priorities identified in the LBAP’s habitat action plans. A separate sub group of the LBAP has been convened to oversee the LNCS system, and to secure additional funding for site management. Partners in the LBAP have offered assistance according to their professional capacity, including the local authority, statutory and non statutory conservation and countryside agencies, local fisheries trusts, and business interests.

Selecting LNCS

4.5 There are many long-established LNCS systems, each developed under local circumstances, and it will be for the local authority to decide whether or not a review of existing sites is required. It will also need to decide whether the existing system is complete.

4.6 It is important that sites are selected according to a standard procedure in order to provide a consistent approach across the country. However, it is not intended that LNCS should be seen as another layer of ‘designation’, with complex procedural requirements. These should not be necessary, because LNCS have no legal status and therefore no powers or duties associated with them. This Guidance looks to encourage a spirit of co-operation and consensus towards the creation and use of a LNCS system. This will be founded on a partnership approach to selecting and managing sites, and on publishing information about sites through the Local Development Plan.

4.7 The following are proposed as being the key stages for selecting new sites :

• A provisional site is identified, and the landowner or manager is contacted with information about why it has been identified, the LNCS selection process, and the potential for the site to benefit from positive management for its geodiversity or biodiversity interest.
• Existing information about the site is reviewed, and a decision made as to whether further information is needed. If so, permission for access to the site is sought from the landowner or manager, to allow the site to be surveyed to sufficient level of detail to assess its importance.
• The importance of the site is assessed according to locally set criteria, as detailed below (para 4.8). A formal record of the reasons for selection is made.
• A Site Statement is prepared, as detailed in paragraphs 4.15 – 4.16.
• The landowner or manager is provided with information on the survey and assessment, and with the Site Statement.

Criteria for selecting local geodiversity sites

4.8 Local geodiversity sites are selected for their importance to the available geodiversity resource, meaning those geodiversity features which are visible and accessible. For this reason, accessibility of the site and its value for both education and research are of greater importance than for local biodiversity sites, though the site must also represent a significant geodiversity feature. If access to a site is not available, it may still be selected for its geodiversity value. Assessments should be based on the following factors, which are drawn from the RIGS Handbook:

• Geodiversity value in the local context
• Site access and safety criteria
• Value for education and research
• Cultural, heritage and economic value

Further information on each of these factors may be found in the RIGS Handbook.

4.9 Geodiversity data may be drawn from a range of sources, including national data sets and the records or collections of local experts. Given the range of data already available, new survey may not be needed. Ideally, data should be reviewed and supplemented as part of a wider audit for the Local Geodiversity Action Plan (see box, para 3.2). Such a review may have already been done by the local RIGS Group. Site selection should be informed by the knowledge and judgement of the panel of advisors (see para 4.3), which will include local experts. Use of a scoring system will help to clarify discussion and to assess the contribution of each of the factors to the overall importance of the site.

Criteria for selecting local biodiversity sites

4.10 All sites proposed as local biodiversity sites should be assessed according to each of these six factors:

• Species diversity. This factor refers to the number of different species found on a site. A comparative assessment should be made of the number of species recorded against what might be expected to occur within the habitats present in that area.
• Species rarity. This factor refers to the species recorded on the site that are considered to be rare, endangered or vulnerable, in a national or local context, including those on the Scottish Biodiversity List and those listed as priorities in the LBAP.
• Habitat rarity. This factor refers to the rarity of a habitat within the national and local context.
• Habitat naturalness. This factor refers to the degree of current and historic human intervention in natural processes for each habitat type. For example, semi-natural woodland and unimproved grassland are more natural than plantation woodland and improved grassland.
• Habitat extent. This factor refers to the amount of a particular habitat found on a site relative to the total found in the local area.
• Connectivity. This factor is a measure of the physical links between broadly similar habitats found on a site and in the surrounding countryside, and of the potential for new links to be created.

4.11 These factors are based on those used to assess sites of national and international importance to nature conservation. Assessments require both good data and the local knowledge and expertise of the panel of advisors (see para 4.3), which must include local expert naturalists. Use of a scoring system will help to maintain consistency between sites and ensure that each factor makes a contribution to calculating the overall importance of the site.

4.12 Data may be drawn from a range of sources, for example national datasets, LBAP audits, and the records of local naturalists and societies. If good quality data are already available, then new surveys may well not be needed. Some local authorities will have areas where survey information is limited, for example extensive upland areas, alongside other areas with good information. In these cases introducing a local biodiversity site system in those areas with good information need not be delayed, but the system should be extended when more data become available.

4.13 LNCS may also provide direct benefits to local communities, particularly in urban areas, where a site has been used by local people to enjoy, learn about or become involved in nature. These benefits may contribute to the site selection process, but in order to fulfil the LNCS purpose, all sites must first and foremost be judged to be of substantive local importance to biodiversity, according to the six factors given in para 4.10. Direct benefits to local communities should be taken into account when selecting from amongst a number of sites that are considered to be on the threshold for biodiversity importance, and which might otherwise not be selected.

4.14 The reasoning behind the setting of local criteria and the selection of a site, must be objective and transparent, and the method and outcome should be recorded and made available.

 

Information management for LNCS

4.15 For each site, a record of key information should be prepared, to be known as a Site Statement. At the minimum, this should include the following:

• A map of the boundary of the site
• A record of the reasons for selection as a LNCS
• A note of outcomes sought for biodiversity or geodiversity and, where relevant, for access, community involvement and environmental education.

4.16 The following could also be provided if resources allow:

• A map of the site showing habitats or geodiversity interest, and any other special features of interest
• A species list.
• Management recommendations for achieving biodiversity or geodiversity outcomes, or where appropriate, for improving the capacity of the site to provide for access, community involvement or environmental education.

4.17 Data on LNCS should be held either within a Local Record Centre, where one exists, or under the auspices of the LBAP or LGAP. Where possible, data should be held in digital form, and data management standards should be in accordance with those set out by the National Biodiversity Network, and by GeoConservation, the database supported by UKRIGS.

NBN and Fife Environmental Recording Network (FERN)

The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) aims to provide easy access to the information people need in making decisions which affect biodiversity. The NBN Trust oversees the NBN Gateway, which provides an online database with mapping facilities. It holds around 19 million biodiversity records that have been contributed by individual wildlife enthusiasts, national agencies, charities and many others. The Gateway covers the UK, including some information on areas where there is no local records centre. For further information see www.nbn.org.uk

FERN provides an example of a records centre which acts a focus for monitoring the Local Biodiversity Action Plan, and for involving local recorders and the wider community in survey and management of local wildlife and RIGS. It operates within Fife Council and acts as a one stop shop for all environmental information, from designated sites to individual species records. The centre holds a database on LNCS including site information and boundary data. FERN works closely with SNH through a service level agreement, and also provides information for a number of statutory stakeholders, consultants and the general public. Local authority planners have direct access to data for use in planning casework.