The Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 or WANE Act is an

Act of the Scottish Parliament An Act of the Scottish Parliament ( gd, Achd Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) is primary legislation made by the Scottish Parliament. The power to create Acts was conferred to the Parliament by section 28 of the Scotland Act 1998 following the success ...

which introduced legislation to that country, affecting the way land and the environment is managed. The Act also amended earlier environmental legislation, including the

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom implemented to comply with European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds. In short, the act gives protection to native species (especia ...

and the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.

Principal elements

The Act affected game-shooting, species protection, and introduced new wildlife offences into Scotland such as

vicarious liability Vicarious liability is a form of a strict, secondary liability that arises under the common law doctrine of agency, '' respondeat superior'', the responsibility of the superior for the acts of their subordinate or, in a broader sense, the re ...

. Amongst other things it: *abolished the designation of areas of special protection for wild birds; *increased regulation of snaring practices; *introduced a closed season for the killing of

mountain hare The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. Evolution The mount ...

s; *introduced a new regime for controlling invasive non-native species; *changed arrangements for

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

management and

deer stalking Deer stalking, or simply stalking, is a British term for the stealthy pursuit of deer on foot with the intention of hunting for meat, for leisure/trophy, or to control their numbers. As part of wildlife management, just as with rabbiting an ...

; *strengthened

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

protection; *required Scottish Ministers to present an annual report to Parliament of offences relating to

wildlife crime Environmental crime is an illegal act which directly harms the environment. These illegal activities involve the environment, wildlife, biodiversity and natural resources. International bodies such as, G8, Interpol, European Union, United Nati ...

; *changed the legislation relating to the burning of moorland (muirburn), previously prescribed in the Hill Farming Act 1946; *made operational changes to how

Sites of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

are managed; *required three-yearly reports to be published by public bodies on compliance with the Biodiversity Duty.

References

{{reflist Nature conservation in Scotland Environmental law in the United Kingdom Acts of the Scottish Parliament 2011 2011 in the environment

Principal elements

See also

References