Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

Examples of evaluation criteria for species
Level of value Examples of qualifying Vertebrate Evaluation Criteria
International Populations of regularly occurring globally threatened species (e.g. IUCN red listed species)
Internationally important populations of a species (e.g. greater than 1% of a flyway population
of birds)
Nationally significant populations of an internationally important species
Regularly occurring populations of internationally important species that are rare or threatened
in the UK or of uncertain conservation status
National Nationally important populations of a species (e.g. greater than 1% of the national population of
a bird species)
Significant populations of a nationally important species (e.g. UK Red Data Book species)
UKBAP Priority Species requiring protection of all nationally important sites
Regularly occurring populations of a nationally important species that is threatened or rare in
the region or county
Regional Regionally important populations of a species
Significant populations of a regionally important species
Regularly occurring, locally significant populations of species listed as nationally scarce (i.e.
which occur in 16-100 10km squares in the UK), or Regional BAP species listed for regional
rarity or localisation
County /
Metropolitan
District /
Borough
Species populations of county importance (e.g. greater than 1% of the county population of a
bird species)
Significant populations of a county important species (e.g. species listed on a county BAP on
account of rarity or localisation)
Species populations of district importance
Significant populations of a district / borough important species (e.g. species listed on a local
BAP on account of rarity or localisation)
For a site-based evaluation for management planning, the EcIA approach is a useful first step, but
may not provide sufficient information on sites with low biodiversity value, or may give insufficient
weight to site-specific factors. For example, if a site contains little biodiversity value, the EcIA
approach may not offer sufficient distinction between features of low value. It may also undervalue
populations of common or widespread species which have local significance for reasons other than
rarity.
In these instances, other considerations could be introduced into the evaluation process, such
as flagship significance (e.g. a popular species that is valued by recreational users of the site) or
historical significance (e.g. a population of a species known to have been present on the site for
many years).
The context of the site in the surrounding landscape should also be considered. For example, a site
may contain small numbers of a nationally rare species, but larger numbers of a county rarity. It may
be more appropriate to prioritise the county rarity over the national rarity if the national rarity is also
found widespread on adjacent or nearby sites.
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