Sites Of Special Scientific Interest Research Articles

Establishing an Ecologically Coherent Network of Marine Protected Areas in English Waters: What Does the Designation of Marine Conservation Zones under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 Add to the Picture?

Establishing marine protected areas (MPAs) is a key conservation strategy to safeguard marine biodiversity from anthropogenic pressures. Designing MPAs is, however, not a simple task due to the complexity and fluidity of marine social-ecological environments. How best can we plan MPAs in such environments with no well-defined social and natural boundaries and in a way that is procedurally just? This article attempts to consider these issues, focusing on the ongoing UK legal efforts in establishing an ecologically coherent network of MPAs under section 123 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The network is to be made up of European marine sites, Ramsar sites, the marine component of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and marine conservation zones (MCZs), a new type of MPA established under section 116 of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. The designation criteria of MCZs are considered in detail and compared with those of other marine protected sites to understand what MCZs are adding to existing MPAs designated under European and international law. The article also grounds the legal discussion by critically considering the ongoing implementation of the MCZs' designation.

Echoes in the dark: Technological encounters with bats

The threatened status of many European bat species highlights the importance of effective conservation policies and the collection of reliable data regarding abundance, and distribution. In ecological practice, animals often become visible and are ‘made present’ with assistance from technological devices. These technologies are not inert, and their use is not unproblematic; it is frequently necessary for those operating them to develop additional skills and sensitivities. This paper forges an interdisciplinary alliance between a geographer and a biological scientist to consider the centrality of technologies within these practices and explore how bats are detected, tracked and accounted for in the area around Greywell Tunnel, Hampshire, an internationally important bat hibernacula and a UK Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The paper discusses the necessity of human attunement to the echolocation calls of bats and the practices through which this can be achieved, whilst demonstrating that engagement with technology does not preclude enchantment. Detailed discussion of bat swarming behaviour further highlights the need to re-tune human–technology–bat alliances, and provides an opportunity to explore nonhuman difference. We conclude by highlighting the implications of our engagement with swarming for the practices of conservation, whilst further reflecting upon the interdisciplinary experience.

Briefing: Participation, consensus and adjudication in designing the A3 Hindhead tunnel, UK

The successful development of the A3 Hindhead tunnel under the Devil's Punch Bowl in Surrey, UK has been recognised for its engineering excellence as well as through the high level of support for the project locally in recent years. The scheme was over 20 years in the making but the 10 years prior to the opening of the 6·5 km bypass and tunnel in 2011 saw an approach to design and delivery that consistently managed to overcome potential pitfalls. One of the principal determinants of the project's successful route to completion was the strength and effectiveness of the stakeholder and public involvement during the planning and design of the scheme. One of the proposed junctions for the original bypass design was removed from the scheme following consultation. Local recreation user groups were involved in influencing the design of mitigation measures that have greatly improved access and enjoyment of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a renowned natural landmark and designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. However, the participation processes were not seamless; at Public Inquiry the requests from cyclists and some local residents to retain the old A3 were resisted and effectively arbitration between the different recreational stakeholders occurred.

Contested expectations: Trump International Golf Links Scotland, polarised visions, and the making of the Menie Estate landscape as resource

In initiating the development of a large-scale golf resort in Aberdeenshire, Trump International Golf Links Scotland made a relatively unknown site central to Scottish planning debates. A stretch of land along the North Sea coast north of Aberdeen became linked to new possible futures.Part of the site developed consisted of moving sand dunes given environmental protection as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and from the onset a heated debate has concerned the transformability of these dunes. The land was simultaneously seen as perfect for a golf resort of a scale previously unseen in the UK and as sensitive land threatened by the development. Proponents asserted that future economic benefits would outweigh any environmental impact. Opponents in turn contested such expectations through asserting other variables to be counted, or questioning the possibility to control the dunes altogether. Hence, the resort’s eventual relation to sand dunes, migrating pink-footed geese and fog along the coast became political arguments.In this article I utilise this case to illustrate how the ways futures are expressed produces both political subjects and objects in the present. I argue that a process where social struggle is conducted as the production of future scenarios posits important opportunities for public engagement while also leading to new problems. This I shed light on by bringing together Callon’s notion of performative theories with the literature on post-politics, offering a critique of expert-led environmental governance.

An economic assessment of the ecosystem service benefits derived from the SSSI biodiversity conservation policy in England and Wales

Despite significant conservation efforts, global biodiversity continues to decline. A key contributing factor has been a failure to fully recognise the range of ecosystem service benefits provided by biodiversity. In this paper, we use a case study relating to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in England and Wales to demonstrate the potential ecosystem service benefits that can be derived from biodiversity conservation policies. Our approach involved three stages: (1) a choice experiment to assess the economic value of ecosystem services delivered by SSSI sites; (2) a ‘weighting matrix’ to (a) assign ecosystem services to the different SSSI habitats and (b) identify the contribution that conservation management on SSSIs has on the delivery of these services; (3) estimation of the aggregated economic value of ecosystem services directly attributable to conservation management on SSSI sites.The public are willing to pay £956m annually to secure the levels of services and benefits currently delivered by SSSI conservation activities, and a further £769 million to secure the benefits that would be delivered if SSSIs were all in favourable condition. These benefit estimates significantly exceed the annual £111 million costs of managing SSSIs, demonstrating that investing in biodiversity conservation can be cost effective.

Our rich and varied geoconservation portfolio: the foundation for the future

Abstract Geodiversity, the natural range of geological, geomorphological and soil features and processes, is an integral part of the natural environment, as geoconservation is an integral part of nature conservation. Over the last sixty years, and especially since 1990, a substantial portfolio of geoconservation sites, legislation, partnerships and initiatives has developed within the UK and internationally. This includes local, national and international geoconservation audits, suites of protected sites such as Local Geological Sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Global Geoparks and World Heritage Sites, geoconservation legislation, policies, frameworks and guidance, partnerships, groups, societies and associations, periodicals and magazines, regular conferences and examples of success in securing funding for a range of geoconservation activities. This portfolio is an extremely valuable resource for science and society, creating opportunities for research, education, training, and recreation and providing ‘windows’ through which to study and understand past environmental change and thus inform planning to accommodate future change. The current social, economic and environmental context means that the approach to geoconservation must evolve to embrace new challenges and opportunities including the ecosystem approach, adapting to climate change, increasing the relevance of geodiversity to local communities and operating in a financially constrained environment. The future of geoconservation will depend upon innovation and full engagement with new opportunities, but in so doing, it is essential to maintain and build upon, rather than cast aside, the existing hard-won portfolio of sites, legislation, partnerships and initiatives as it provides the foundation from which to build the future of geoconservation.

The influence of model grid resolution on estimation of national scale nitrogen deposition and exceedance of critical loads

Abstract. The Fine Resolution Atmospheric Multi-pollutant Exchange model (FRAME) was applied to model the spatial distribution of reactive nitrogen deposition and air concentration over the United Kingdom at a 1 km spatial resolution. The modelled deposition and concentration data were gridded at resolutions of 1 km, 5 km and 50 km to test the sensitivity of calculations of the exceedance of critical loads for nitrogen deposition to the deposition data resolution. The modelled concentrations of NO2 were validated by comparison with measurements from the rural sites in the national monitoring network and were found to achieve better agreement with the high resolution 1 km data. High resolution plots were found to represent a more physically realistic distribution of reactive nitrogen air concentrations and deposition resulting from use of 1 km resolution precipitation and emissions data as compared to 5 km resolution data. Summary statistics for national scale exceedance of the critical load for nitrogen deposition were not highly sensitive to the grid resolution of the deposition data but did show greater area exceedance with coarser grid resolution due to spatial averaging of high nitrogen deposition hot spots. Local scale deposition at individual Sites of Special Scientific Interest and high precipitation upland sites was sensitive to choice of grid resolution of deposition data. Use of high resolution data tended to generate lower deposition values in sink areas for nitrogen dry deposition (Sites of Scientific Interest) and higher values in high precipitation upland areas. In areas with generally low exceedance (Scotland) and for certain vegetation types (montane), the exceedance statistics were more sensitive to model data resolution.

R. Wynn Jones 2011. Applications of Palaeontology: Techniques and case studies. xiv + 406 pp. Cambridge University Press. Price £80.00, US$130. (HB). ISBN 9781107005235.

R. Wynn Jones 2011. Applications of Palaeontology: Techniques and case studies . xiv + 406 pp. Cambridge University Press. Price £80.00, US$130. (HB). ISBN 9781107005235. This is a well-prepared, well-written and well-produced book with a wealth of information about palaeontology and its applications. One could have a philosophical debate about whether it should be palaeontology or micropalaeontology in the title, as the applications are mostly those that would be encountered by micropalaeontologists using the normal range of microfossil groups. The cover suggests that this is a ‘comprehensive and thematic treatment of applied palaeontology’ and, in general, it ticks many of the appropriate boxes. In the area of sample collection there is (correctly) a mention of the UK system of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) but no meaningful discussion of policies in other parts of the world where permits may be required in order to collect samples and, as fossils are often classified (alongside archaeological finds) as part of the national heritage, export can be a legal minefield. I found that there certainly could have been more on sampling strategies (especially for the macrofossils) and …

Long-term variations in waterfowl populations in Loch Leven: identifying discontinuities between local and national trends

Loch Leven has been designated as a UK Ramsar Site (1976), a Site of Special Scientific Interest (1985) and a Special Protection Area (2000) due to its importance as a site for overwintering waterfowl. However, no comprehensive assessment of trends in waterfowl at the local versus national scale has been conducted at the site. Coherence between trends in 5-year mean species abundance for Loch Leven and Underhill Indexing Method values for Scotland (or GB in the case of geese) were assessed using principal components analysis for ten study species between 1968 and 2006. Five species showed trends at Loch Leven that were coherent with those at the Scottish scale (Eurasian Teal, Mute Swan, Great Cormorant, Pink-footed and Greylag geese). These species may not respond positively to local scale management. However, the other five species (Mallard, Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Tufted Duck and Pochard) showed distinct differences between local and national trends. A study of the feeding ecology for these species, the re-establishment of ringing effort and an assessment of waterfowl–wetland relationships are recommended to determine how changes in local food resources and habitat quality interact with macro-scale population dynamics to influence local and regional patterns of abundance.

The geological history of the Isle of Wight: an overview of the ‘diamond in Britain's geological crown’

The geology of the Isle of Wight has attracted both the amateur and professional geologist alike for well over two centuries. It presents a cornucopia of things geological and offers a window into the fascinating story of the geological history and landscape development of southern England, as well as an important teaching resource for all levels of study from primary education through to academic research. This paper provides a geological framework and a summary of the history of research as context for the papers in this issue can be placed. Inevitably, it can only offer a précis of the huge amount of information available, but it is hoped will also give added impetus to further investigation of the literature or, indeed, new research. The island offers a field workshop for topics such as lithostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, tectonics and climate change; studies that are becoming ever more international in their influence. There are 15 Sites of Special Scientific Interest designated because of their geological importance and a number of these are internationally significant. After a brief discussion on the concealed geology, this paper concentrates on an outline of the near-surface geology on the coast and inland, and introduces a different view on the structure of the Cretaceous and Palaeogene strata. The enigmatic Quaternary deposits are discussed particularly with reference to the development of the Solent River, human occupation and climate change.

The Geological Conservation Review (GCR) in Great Britain—Rationale and methods

Geoconservation – protecting, managing and enhancing natural geological features and materials, and geomorphological landforms and processes – is especially important in Great Britain, a place sometimes described as the ‘cradle’ of the science of geology. For such a small area of land, Britain has an unusually diverse geological make-up, with rocks from every geological period present. Many stratigraphical terms used internationally were devised here, and British sites provide key study areas where important new geological theories were developed in the pioneering era of the Earth sciences. Therefore, with such a wealth of geology, and Britain's seminal place in the science itself, it is particularly important to conserve and protect key localities here for future generations. A first step in that process is the auditing of the geology and geomorphology of Britain, by carrying out a scientific evaluation exercise according to standard criteria, and creating an inventory of the most important sites for science. In the mid-1970s, the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) began an ambitious programme for assessment and documentation of the most important sites for the scientific study of geology and geomorphology in Great Britain, building on previous statutory site conservation activity that had already been started in 1949 by the former Nature Conservancy. As a result, the ‘Geological Conservation Review’ (GCR) was formally launched in 1977. The GCR was a world-first project of its type in the systematic assessment of the whole geological heritage of a country, from first principles. Widespread consultation with geologists and geomorphologists across Great Britain was co-ordinated; their guidance and involvement was a key component of the site selection process. Almost 3000 nationally or internationally important sites had been selected for around 100 site-selection categories for the GCR register by 1990. Almost all the GCR sites are now conserved under British law as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), the GCR information providing the scientific evidence-base that underpins that designation. As part of the site-selection process – which is still active – a considerable archive of information about geological sites was amassed. A major publication exercise detailing all the GCR sites in what was to become the GCR Series of books was devised early on in the GCR programme. Thirty-six volumes of the GCR Series have been seen to completion by NCC and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, and many GCR site reports have been many made freely available on the World Wide Web. As a new venture, the remaining nine volumes will now be published by Elsevier Science Publishers as Special Issues of the Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association. Each GCR volume includes an overview of the subject and outlines the history of study of the relevant branch of the Earth sciences, but most importantly contains detailed accounts of the features of geological importance in the sites described. A scientific interpretation is provided for each site account, which includes supportive illustrations, tables and photographs and an extensive reference list. The GCR rationale, methods and information resource have been invaluable in almost every aspect of geoconservation carried out in Britain, including World Heritage Site nominations, protection of stratotypes, justifying the scientific conservation value of sites at Public Inquiries, in stimulating geological research and in providing a readily available information resource for local, regional, national and international geoconservation activities.

Geoconservation for science and society: challenges and opportunities

Well managed and accessible geological and geomorphological sites are important to both science and society, for research, education, and, in some cases, for recreation. In this viewpoint paper we celebrate achievements in the field of geoconservation over the last 60 years since the first geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest were designated in the UK following the passing of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act in 1949. With a range of new political, social, economic and environmental challenges and opportunities coming to the fore, geoconservation now needs to innovate and adapt in order to sustain and enhance its influence and effectiveness. In advance of the 2011 Geologists’ Association Annual Meeting, Geoconservation for Science and Society: An Agenda for the 21st Century, we give our view on the challenges and opportunities facing geoconservation and the areas in which new approaches and partnerships are required to secure the long-term conservation of our geological and geomorphological heritage.

Conservation of pond systems: a case study of intractability, Brown Moss, UK

Brown Moss is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in north-west England, of significance because of the occurrence, at least in the past, of the rare plant Luronium natans (Linnaeus) on the one hand, and its public popularity on the other. It is also a part of Ramsar site that comprises several other water bodies, the Meres, collectively valued for their water birds. It includes several fishless pools, in an area of semi-natural vegetation, that differ in character. Such features are favoured in pond conservation. The surrounding terrestrial vegetation reflects nutrient enrichment in the past century and the pools at Brown Moss are now hypereutrophic from intensive agriculture on the margins of the site and guanotrophication of the main, central pool. Feral Canada geese (Branta canadensis (Linnaeus)) and resident waterfowl, encouraged by feeding by the public, have had major effects. Lower total phosphorus concentrations but higher nitrate concentrations were found in marginal pools, too small for bird flighting. Sedimentary studies suggest that nutrients and productivity in the pools have increased. Raised phosphorus in sediments was significantly correlated with numbers of sedimentary diatoms. Ponds are potentially of major importance in freshwater conservation in the UK, as they contain a high proportion of the country’s freshwater biodiversity, but many have been filled in or severely polluted by farm wastes. Their situation in intensively used agricultural land means that, as in this case study, solution of their problems may often be intractable. The intractability is amplified at Brown Moss by the difficulty of removing aggressive alien species, a common problem in UK pond systems, and by bird-feeding, again a widespread problem particularly in urban ponds. The difficulties at Brown Moss thus typify the problems of pond conservation in the UK and indeed throughout lowland Europe. Current legislation appears impotent to remedy the situation.

Wildlife Reforms in Scotland

The Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament in 2010. The Bill proposes a number of significant changes to the law in Scotland, replacing most of the existing law on game and poaching and introducing new controls on the use of snares. Further provisions will ban the release of non-native species and introduce new control measures for those that are in the wild. Other measures adjust the law on deer, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, wildlife licensing and muirburn. Although making many welcome changes, the Bill is a miscellany of assorted reforms rather than the expression of a single vision for the future of wildlife law, aspects of which will remain in a fragmented state.

Newton Wallis: The Evolution of a Landscape

Newton Wallis was a small medieval settlement on the north bank of the river Aire in the parish of Ledsham, which may have become deserted from the fourteenth century and was never more than a hamlet until the early nineteenth century when coal mining transformed the settlement. With the ending of mining in the mid-twentieth century the houses were demolished and the site became part of a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest known as Fairburn Ings.

Birds as eutrophicating agents: a nutrient budget for a small lake in a protected area

Sources of nitrogen and phosphorus were measured for a small pool, Brown Moss, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in the UK. The site is designated for its macrophyte and bird interest and comprises several pools flanked by heath and woodland. Currently the largest pool has high mean concentrations of total N and P (4 ± 2.4 mg N l−1 and 389 ± 254 μg P l−1), and also suffers from water table fluctuation and recreational impact. There are no point sources of nutrients but potential diffuse sources include direct rainfall, drainage from surrounding heathland and potentially from distal agricultural land, some septic tank drainage and bird excreta. Nutrients are also released from the sediments. Amongst external sources of phosphorus, birds contributed 234 mg m−2 yr−1 (73%), land drainage 63 mg m−2 yr−1 (20%), and rainfall 24 mg m−2 yr−1 (7%). Major bird species were dabbling ducks and geese. For external sources of nitrogen, the most important was land drainage (2,860 mg m−2 yr−1 and 64%), followed by rainfall (870 mg m−2 yr−1 and 19%) and birds (741 mg m−2 yr−1 and 11%) There was substantial internal loading of phosphorus (1670 mg m−2 yr−1) so that internal loading dominated the overall phosphorus budget (84%). The nitrogen budget was dominated by land drainage, though for short periods, geese made a major contribution. Restoration of the site to the status required by European legislation will be very difficult, if not impossible in the medium-term.

J. R. Mendum, A. J. Barber, R. W. H. Butler, D. Flinn, K. M. Goodenough, M. Krabbendam, R. G. Park & A. D. Stewart 2009. Lewisian, Torridonian and Moine Rocks of Scotland. Geological Convervation Review Series no. 34. xviii + 721 pp. Peterborough: JNCC; distributed in the UK by NHBS Ltd. Price £62.50 (hard covers). ISBN 978 1 86107 483

The book forms part of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee's Geological Conservation Review (GCR) series, which aims to record the ‘current state of knowledge of key earth science sites in Great Britain and [to provide] a firm basis upon which site conservation can be founded in years to come’. This volume describes a number of geological sites in the Northern Highlands that have either been notified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), or have been proposed as SSSIs. These sites include localities …

Weetwood Bridge stabilisation, UK

This paper describes the design and construction processes involved in the stabilisation of Weetwood Bridge, Wooler, Northumberland. The bridge is a scheduled ancient monument and is located in a setting of high landscape value, especially when seen from the adjacent B6348 road with a back-drop of the Cheviot Hills. The bridge had severe structural problems apparent in the cracking of the arch barrel and tilting of the approach walls. The parameters that affected the design and construction of the stabilisation works are presented together with the issues encountered when working on an ancient monument in a site of special scientific interest with roosting bats present. The expertise of the in-house design team and specialist bridge workers delivered an innovative solution that resulted in the structure being repaired, conserved and subsequently removed from the ‘at risk’ register of English Heritage. The external appearance of the bridge remained unaltered but importantly the scheme took account of the principles of historic conservation in disturbing as little as possible of the historic fabric.

Public understanding of protected area designation

Protected areas have a central role to play in educating people about biodiversity and nature conservation. However, there is little evidence regarding how effective public education efforts related to protected areas have been. We used on-site questionnaires at Sites of Special Scientific Interest to determine whether visitors to sites were aware of their protected status. Less than one-third of visitors knew the site they were visiting was a SSSI. However, there was substantial variation in understanding across sites (8–43%). When we compared this variation to five possible predictor variables, only membership of conservation organisations was retained in all models in the 95% confidence set, with members of these groups being better informed about protected area designations. However, the predictive power of all models was low. These results represent a challenge for those aiming to reengage people with conservation and the countryside, and to educate them about its value and contribution.

Management planning guidance for protected sites in the UK; a comparison of decision-making processes in nine guides

The processes for making decisions on objectives and management actions were identified in nine easily available management planning guides, all aimed at UK protected sites (Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Natura 2000, Ramsar, etc), and compared. They varied considerably between guides, to the extent that no two guides recommend identical processes. Processes were sometimes entirely absent, and usually incomplete. Poor guidance on decision-making may result in plans that are ineffective or damaging to the conservation of sites. The reasons for inconsistency are explored, suggestions are made for improving and testing of management planning guidance, and questions are raised about best practice and the value of a standard approach in planning the management of sites.