Upper Rock Nature Reserve: A Management and Action Plan

Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society - GONHS
European Wildlife Directives and the Convention on Biodiversity
Some endemics, including the plant Silene tomentosa and a number of sea slugs, were
never included in the Annexes, as the EU did not consult Gibraltar experts during the preparation
of the Directive. Gibraltar however treats these species as if they were included in the
Directive’s Annexes.
It should be noted that although the requirements of the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC)
were included in the ‘Nature Protection Ordinance, 1991’ no SPAs were ever designated, and
the proposal under the Natura 2000 system is also seen as covering this requirement for
Gibraltar.
Because of the delays in designation of the sites, no financial provision has been made
for implementing Natura 2000, nor have possible EU sources of funding been fully explored.
While GONHS has carried out inventories of a great deal of Gibraltar’s biological
resources, including vascular plants, molluscs, butterflies and moths, reptiles, birds, mammals,
and many marine groups, there are significant gaps 1 . There are no inventories for terrestrial
invertebrates (other than the mollusca and lepidoptera) or in non-vascular plants.
There are several important and specific factors that will have a bearing on the Habitats
Directive. These are listed below.
1) The ‘Nature Protection Ordinance, 1991’, reverse-lists plants, listing only those that
may be picked.
2) The Nature Reserve Regulations prohibit uprooting of all species within the Upper
Rock Nature Reserve.
3) The Ordinance prohibits the taking of all wild animals except rats and mice and feral
cats, dogs and pigeons. All wild amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals (including
cetaceans) are protected against intentional killing.
4) Members of GONHS carry out all monitoring and research on a voluntary basis.
5) The Nature Protection Ordinance allows licensed taking for similar purposes to the UK
Wildlife and Countryside Act.
6) The licensing authority is the Governor of Gibraltar, under advice from the Gibraltar
Nature Conservancy Council. In practice licences are issued by the Deputy Governor and
the advice is channelled through the Minister for the Environment.
7) Licences have been granted for research (e.g. bird ringing), and conservation (e.g. taking
plants into the botanic gardens for propagation and re-introduction).
8) Licences have also been granted for the control of the yellow-legged gull, a pest
species, and on occasions for the exportation and culling of Barbary macaques to maintain
sensible manageable levels. Culling has only been allowed in the case of macaques that
have become a nuisance in built-up areas.
Introduction of non-native species is prohibited under the Nature Protection Ordinance.
There are problems with introduced plants affecting diversity of native species (e.g.,
Chasmanthe floribunda, Senecio angulatus & Pennisetum clandestinum; see Chapter 8).
Introduced animals also cause problems. For example, feral pigeons displace lesser kestrels
Falco naumanni from nesting sites, released pet rabbits interbreed with the native form and
chickens have been found running freely on the Upper Rock in the Princess Caroline’s
Battery area, Bruce’s Farm area and recently chicken coops has been erected beside the
Cable Car top station and at St Michael’s Cave where the chickens wander amongst the
tourists. There is a danger that these chickens could pass on diseases to the Barbary
Partridge. There is, in addition, no doubt that these chickens will compete with the partridges
for food.
GONHS is attempting a captive breeding programme of lesser kestrels with a view to setting
up a second colony in Gibraltar additional to a long-established but numerically decreasing
colony on the North Face of the Rock.
GOG and MOD are funding a project to restore vegetation of stabilised dunes on the east side
of Gibraltar following the removal of corrugated iron sheets formerly used to collect rain water.
Human resources involved in Natura 2000 work at present are basically provided by
- 35 -