Natural features in favourable condition - Scottish Government targets

As a mark of the importance which habitat, species and earth science natural features on designated sites have for nature conservation and biodiversity, the Scottish Government has set specific targets for the proportion of natural features in favourable condition. The National Indicator is to:

Increase to 95% the proportion of protected nature sites in favourable condition

For the purposes of the Condition Targets, ' favourable condition' includes natural features which are in favourable condition, or are recovering, with the necessary management measures in place, so that in Scottish Natural Heritage's expert judgment the land will, given time, reach favourable condition.

Favourable condition for the purposes of the Condition Target includes:

• features assessed as favourable maintained, favourable recovered and unfavourable recovering from Site Condition Monitoring assessments,
• plus, as an interim measure, natural features where remedial management had been put in place to address all the causes of unfavourable condition, but where there has been no subsequent Site Condition Monitoring assessment.

Progress Towards the Condition Target Since 2005

The condition of natural features on designated sites is monitored through Scottish Natural Heritage's Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) programme. The results of the condition assessments made during SCM between 1999 and 2005 sets the baseline against which progress towards the Condition Target is measured. In 2005, the proportion of features in favourable condition was 71.4%.

Since 2005, there has been a huge amount of work carried out by public bodies, non-Government nature conservation organisations and private individuals/companies to put in place changes in management to improve the condition of unfavourable natural features.

This has meant that by March 2010, 478 unfavourable natural features across Scotland had benefited from a change to more sympathetic management and are now recovering towards favourable condition. The result of all the work is that the proportion of natural features in favourable condition was 78.0% in March 2010.

View case study examples    of work which has been done to improve the condition of unfavourable features.

Further information on SCM and the Condition target:

• Summary of the Results of SCM and the Progress made towards the Condition Target  by March 2010. 
• Condition of Designated Sites  detailed report focusing on individual feature types (eg. birds, woodland, geology) and influences on them. For ease of download, this is a lower resolution, compressed file which has compromised the quality of some images.  A higher resolution copy of this report can be accessed by visiting our Condition of Designated Sites web page.