Helping Protect
Fife's Wildlife Sites
What are
Wildlife
Sites?
Wildlife
Sites are
specific areas of land, of any size,
that
have significant local conservation importance. They are non-statutory
and so, unlike Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), have no
direct legal protection.
The Wildlife
Sites
system is used widely by many local
authorities and is promoted by all of the 47 Wildlife Trusts throughout
Britain as a means of protecting local biodiversity.
What is
happening
in Scotland?
Initially the
Scottish Wildlife Trust set up a specially
funded Scottish Wildlife Action Programme (SWAP) to advance the
Wildlife Sites system throughout the country. Up till now SWAP has been
able to offer expert management advice to owners of Wildlife Sites,
through a team of Wildlife Advisors.
In summary,
the
Wildlife Sites programme works in four
ways:
Active
survey: To
survey new Wildlife Sites through the
employment of contract surveyors, creating a vast network of recognised
Wildlife Sites.
Countryside
management: Practical management and
monitoring
work on Wildlife Sites will be encouraged, by the SWT working with
their owners.
Working
Partnerships: With statutory and non-statutory
bodies
to ensure recognition of the value of Wildlife Sites, and to maximise
information exchange, particularly to assist in biodiversity planning
and implementation.
Involving
Local
People: Through the development and
training
of the voluntary Wildlife Site Teams from among Scottish Wildlife Trust
members, to create a sustainable future for the monitoring and
protection of Wildlife Sites.
Why are
volunteers
needed?
The Wildlife
Site
Teams covering Scotland are vital to
run the
Wildlife Sites system at the local level.
Our aim is to
give
the Teams the training and confidence
they
need to complement their enthusiasm to do the work needed. The Teams
provide invaluable help by calling on their local knowledge to judge
whether all surveyed sites in their area make the Wildlife Site grade.
Additionally,
the
Teams help by looking after all
information
on local sites, making it readily available for local use. By liaising
with Fife Council's Planning Department and Fife Nature with
this information, the Teams
play an
important role in protecting sites against adverse development.
To see where
Wildlife Sites have already been identified
in
Fife have a look at the MAP
originally published by FERN. (Now reverted to
Fife Nature)
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