|
|
|
|
Managing the sea for birds – Fair Isle and adjacent waters
Fair Isle is a small island that lies between Orkney and Shetland (Figure 1). This report is an illustrative management plan for a marine protected area in its surrounding waters with conservation objectives for seabirds. The aims of the report are to:
There is a strong case for better management of Fair Isle's surrounding marine environment. In recognition of this, a detailed resource description is given in Appendix 1 and the case for a marine protected area is presented in Appendix 2. The focus of the main report is on deriving recommendations for illustrative management measures to show how the proposed marine protected area could be managed. As such, the report does not aim to be a comprehensive management plan for Fair Isle waters.
The methodology used to do this follows that developed by the RSPB (1997). The flow diagram below illustrates this process:
The emphasis in the report is on management of a marine SPA and an adjacent protected site beyond territorial limits. To enable this, the report proposes illustrative boundaries for the marine protected area and assumes that the site qualifies for protection as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EC Wild Birds Directive (79/409/EEC), and for equivalent protection in that sector beyond territorial waters. The report does not provide the scientific case for this, partly to avoid lengthy analyses of marine bird data and partly because there are only limited data available in any case. The illustrative boundaries should therefore be viewed as one of a number of options rather than a definitive proposal. In reality, a robust scientific case would have to be made for the site's protection and boundaries. The illustrative boundaries of the proposed protected area are shown in Figure 3. The site has been sub-divided into four different ecological zones. The zones are based on the sensitivity of the marine communities to damage resulting from human activity. This is the approach recommended in the most recent guidance issued by the UK statutory agencies on the management of marine SACs and SPAs (SNH et al, 1997). The zones comprise: Zone 1 demarcates the main foraging area for most breeding seabird species (especially those feeding mainly on sandeels). Zone 2 roughly defines the outer border of the sand/fine gravel substrate which is important to sandeels for breeding and shelter. Zone 3 constitutes the area which has been suggested as a possible haddock nursery box by the Shetland Fishermen's Association in the past (J. Goodlad, in litt). Zone 4 represents an illustrative buffer zone, with the boundaries drawn to link with specific lines of longitude. This enables the extent of the protected area's outer waters to be clearly defined and understood. Management measures in each zone would need to account for its ecological sensitivity. Zones 1 and 2 are within territorial waters and are therefore suitable for SPA designation. Zones 3 and 4 are largely outwith territorial waters, but would benefit from appropriate management measures derived from protected status. Management of the two inner zones would be adequately covered by the administrative framework proposed in this report, whereas Zones 3 and 4 are clearly also relevant to a much wider constituency.
|
|
Send mail to
dave.wheeler@fairisle.org.uk with questions or comments about
this web site.
|
