Scotland's Wildlife – an assessment of biodiversity in 20

11.3 Site condition monitoring outcomes
Site-based conservation of nationally and internationally important habitats, species and
geological features is undertaken through a network of 1,451 protected areas (Sites of
Special Scientific Interest, Ramsar, and Special Areas of Conservation). The extent of
protected areas exceeds one million hectares, or about 12% of Scotland.
Some 2,370 habitat and 601 geological features assessed for condition include blanket
bogs of the Flow Country; montane habitats of the Cairngorm mountains, and ancient
rock formations at Knockan Crag. Their condition by October 2010 9 was as follows:
- 55% of habitat features were in favourable condition; 17% were in unfavourable
recovering; and 27% were unfavourable.
- 99% of marine and 83% of coastal features were favourable/unfavourable
recovering.
- 78% of freshwater and 76% of wetland features were favourable/unfavourable
recovering.
- 66% of upland, 65% of woodland, 81% of lowland heathland and 65% of
lowland grassland features were favourable/unfavourable recovering.
- 96% of geological features were favourable/unfavourable recovering.
Approximately 370 species are notified on protected areas in Scotland. Species are
notified for reasons such as rarity (e.g. the great crested newt, which has declined
across Europe), or international importance (e.g. lichens of the west coast of Scotland,
which are unrivalled elsewhere in Europe). Their condition was assessed from 2,093
monitoring observations of individual species or species assemblages. By October 2010
their condition was as follows:
- 70% of species populations were recorded as favourable and 6% were
unfavourable recovering; 24% of species populations were in an unfavourable
condition.
- The percentage of species that were favourable/unfavourable recovering in the
different categories was: 98% of land mammals; 100% of amphibians, 97% of
dragonflies; 93% of marine mammals; 85% of fish; 84% of invertebrates; 74% of
birds; 96% of butterflies; 81% of non-vascular plants and 57% of vascular plants.
- Conversely, 43% of vascular plants; 19% of non vascular plants; 16% of birds;
16% of invertebrates; 15% of fish; 7% of marine mammals and 4% of dragonflies
were in an unfavourable condition.
A summary of condition assessments of habitats and species within protected areas for
the five ecosystems by October 2010 is as follows:
- Coastal and marine – 426 assessments; 86% favourable or recovering.
- Lowland and farmland – 160 assessments; 68% favourable or recovering.
- Fresh water and wetland – 553 assessments; 77% favourable or recovering.
- Woodland – 464 assessments; 66% favourable or recovering.
- Upland – 767 assessments; 66% favourable or recovering.
9 Indicators S10 (notified species) and S11 (notified habitats) on the SNH website are updated in March
and so may not match exactly with the latest updated figures here.
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