What is our policy on National Nature Reserves?

Our policy statement  explains the history of the designation of National Nature Reserves, their role in nature conservation in Scotland and how they differ from other protected areas.

Our policy requires that National Nature Reserves must have certain attributes

• Primacy of nature - the land must be managed primarily for nature. Nature conservation will be the main land use although it may not be the sole purpose of management.
• National importance - the habitats, species or geological features on the reserve must be nationally important
• Continuity of management - we have to take a long term view when managing nature reserves, so National Nature Reserves must have surety of tenure to ensure continuity of management
• Best practice management - National Nature Reserves must be well managed both for nature and for people

The policy also requires that each reserve must be managed for at least one of three purposes:

• Raising national awareness - reserves must provide opportunities for everyone to appreciate and enjoy the best of Scotland's nature 
• Specialised management -  the wildlife that lives on the reserve often requires specialised management, we can demonstrate specialised management to others who manage land
• Research - reserves provide special  opportunities for long-term research in to management for nature.