The national nature reserves (NNRs) of Scotland are areas of land or water designated under the

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (c. 69) 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 ...

as containing habitats and species of national importance. National nature reserves can be owned by public, private, community or voluntary organisations but must be managed to conserve their important habitats and species, as well as providing opportunities for the public to enjoy and engage with nature. There are currently 43 NNRs in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, which cover , or less than 1.5% of the land area of Scotland. They range in size from Corrieshalloch Gorge at 7 ha to

Mar Lodge Estate Mar Lodge Estate is a highland estate in western Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which has been owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) since 1995. Its principal building, Mar Lodge, is about west of the village of Braemar. The esta ...

, which covers 29,324 ha. National nature reserve status is an accolade awarded to the best nature reserves in Scotland, and the selected sites provide examples of nationally or internationally important species and habitats. NNRs are intended to showcase Scotland's nature, and as well as being well managed for wildlife they must be managed to provide opportunities for the public to visit and enjoy them. NNRs therefore generally have facilities such as visitor centres and

trails A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

to allow visitors to explore and understand the habitats or wildlife they contain. 19 of the reserves NNRs have IUCN Category II (national park) status, including, Glen Affric,

Rùm Rùm (), a Scottish Gaelic language, Scottish Gaelic name often Anglicisation, anglicised to Rum ( ), is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland, in the district of Lochaber. For much of the 20th century the ...

Abernethy Forest Abernethy Forest is a remnant of the Caledonian Forest in Strathspey, Scotland, Strathspey, in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It lies within the Cairngorms National Park, close to the villages of Nethy Bridge, Bo ...

and the Great Trossachs Forest. There are no reserves with this status in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. This is mainly due to Scotland's natural habitats being more intact than in the rest of the UK. Most NNRs in Scotland are also designated as

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 ...

. Many also form part of the

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

network, which covers

Special Protection Area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

s and

Special Areas of Conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

. Additionally, some of the NNRs are designated as

Ramsar site A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O) *** Permanent 8 ha (P) *** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts) **

National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 ( 12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 97) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the National Parks Commission which later became the Countryside Commission and then the Count ...

. In 1996 the

public body A statutory corporation is a government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, but they are corporations owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government to the (in ...

responsible for Scotland's

natural heritage Natural heritage refers to the sum total of the elements of biodiversity, includes flora and fauna, ecosystems and geological structures. It forms part of our natural resources. Definition Definitions: * Natural heritage refers to natural feat ...

, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH – since renamed

NatureScot NatureScot () is an Scottish public bodies#Executive NDPBs, executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, especially its nature, natural, genetics, genetic and scenic diversity. ...

), undertook a review of NNR policy that took account of the availability of other designations conferring legal protection, such as

site 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 ...

special protection area A special protection area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and cer ...

and

special area of conservation A special area of conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and ap ...

. It was determined that NNR should possess four attributes: *Primacy of nature – conservation must be the primary land use within a NNR: "nature comes first". *National importance – the conservation value of the habitat, species or feature must be such that it is of national importance that the site be managed as a reserve. *Best practice management – NNRs must be well managed. *Continuity of management – a long-term view is required. Additionally, it was determined that NNRs should be managed for at least one of three purposes: *Raising public awareness. *Specialised and pro-active management. *Offering opportunities for research into the ecology and its management. Between 2000 and 2003 the existing NNRs were reviewed against these criteria. Prior to 2004 there were 73 national nature reserves in Scotland, however a number have since been de-designated. New NNRs have also been designated, such as the

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland () is a Scottish Building preservation and conservation trusts in the UK, conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organisation in Scotland and describes itself as "the charity that cares for, sha ...

Glen Coe Glen Coe ( ) is a glen of glacial origins, that cuts though volcanic rocks in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the north of the shires of Scotland, county of Argyll, close to the border with the history of local governm ...

and

Mar Lodge Mar Lodge is a sporting lodge to the west of Braemar and the principal building on the Mar Lodge Estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was built in 1895, replacing an earlier building, by Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife. Location Mar Lodge is a ...

properties, which were both designated NNRs in 2017. Since 2012 governance of the NNR designation in Scotland has been through a partnership group, comprising representatives of existing reserve management organisations and community land groups, chaired by NatureScot. NatureScot remains responsible for the statutory declaration of national nature reserves.

Maintenance and management

is responsible for designating NNRs in Scotland and for overseeing the maintenance and management of each reserve. The majority of NNRs are directly managed by NatureScot; however, some are managed by, or in co-operation with other bodies. The NNR partnership consists of nine bodies: *

Community Land Scotland Community Land Scotland is a charity and membership organisation for community landowners and aspiring community landowners. It was founded in 2010 to represent the interests of community landowners, promote legislation which empowers communities ...

Forestry and Land Scotland Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) () is an executive agency responsible for managing and promoting Scotland's national forest estate: land, predominantly covered in forest, owned by the Scottish Government on behalf of the nation. It was formed o ...

(FLS) *

(NTS) * RSPB Scotland *

Scottish Land and Estates Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Scottish Wildlife Trust The Scottish Wildlife Trust () is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland. Description The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well over 46,000 members. The Scottish Wildlife Trust acquired its fi ...

(SWT) * South Lanarkshire Council * Woodland Trust Scotland Details on the management of each reserve are shown in the table below.

List of national nature reserves in Scotland

Former NNRs, de-declared since 2004

* Braehead Moss, de-declared on 9 December 2011 * Ben Lui, de-declared on 18 May 2018 * Caenlochan, de-declared in 2005, although Corrie Fee remains a national nature reserve * Claish Moss, de-declared on 1 March 2012 * Cragbank Woods, de-declared on 20 December 2012 * Den of Airlie, de-declared on 20 December 2012 * Eilean Na Muice Duibhe,

Islay Islay ( ; , ) is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides", it lies in Argyll and Bute just south west of Jura, Scotland, Jura and around north of the Northern Irish coast. The island's cap ...

* Glencripesdale, de-declared on 1 March 2012 * Inchnadamph, delisted as a national nature reserve in 2009 * Inverpolly, de-declared in 2004, although Knockan Crag remains a national nature reserve * Keen of Hamar, de-declared on 13 July 2012 * Kirkconnell Flow, de-declared on 18 May 2018 * Loch a' Mhuilinn * Loch Druidibeg, de-declared on 1 March 2012 * Mealdarroch, de-declared on 9 December 2011 * Monach Islands, de-declared on 18 May 2018 * Morrone Birkwood * Morton Lochs, now part of Tentsmuir NNR * Nigg and Udale Bays, de-declared on 9 December 2011 *

Rannoch Moor Rannoch Moor (; ) is an expanse of around of boggy moorland to the west of Loch Rannoch in Scotland, from where it extends into westerly Perth and Kinross, northerly Lochaber (in Scottish Highlands, Highland), and the area of Highland Scotland ...

, de-declared on 1 March 2012 * Rassal Ashwood, de-declared on 31 March 2014 * Rona and

Sula Sgeir Sula Sgeir is a small, uninhabited Scotland, Scottish islet in the North Atlantic, west of North Rona, Rona. One of the most remote islands of the British Isles, it lies approximately north of Isle of Lewis, Lewis and is best known for its ...

, de-declared on 18 May 2018 * Silver Flowe, de-declared on 18 May 2018 * Tynron Juniper Wood * Whitlaw Mosses, de-declared on 18 May 2018

References

External links

Scotland's National Nature Reserves
– Official Site
Interactive map of designations in Scotland, including National Nature Reserves boundaries (select 'Nature Reserves' in UK Map Layers).
{{Tourism in Scotland * Lists of protected areas of Scotland

Maintenance and management

List of national nature reserves in Scotland

Former NNRs, de-declared since 2004

See also

References

External links