Environmental Conservation

The natural resources of the Western Isles are accepted as being of international importance and this is recognised by the number and extent of conservation designations that have been applied to parts of the Islands. The presence and quality of natural resources have been supported over the years by sensitive land use practiced by the people living and working on the land and sea - the low intensity systems practiced on the Machair being a prime example.

Without appropriate and sensitive land use, some of the most important natural resources would probably fall into a phase of rapid decline. There is clearly a need to look forward to integrated sustainable development.

As the Western Isles contain such an important natural resource base and varying landscape, there are several different types of environmental designations to protect them, these include:

• 1 World Heritage Site (dual status of both natural and cultural significance) The islands of St Kilda.

• 53 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) – the total area of Western Isles covered is 37,350.6ha or 12.9%;

• 4 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) - total area of the Western Isles covered is 3,237ha or 1.1%;

• 15 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) - total area of Western Isles covered is 31,538.5ha or 10.9%;

• 11 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) - total area of Western Isles covered is 32,958.9ha or 11.4%;

• 3 National Scenic Areas (NSAs) - total area of Western Isles is covered 116,600 ha or 40.3%

Designations are not independent and certain sites overlap.

One of the most common and widespread designations in the Western Isles is the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). SSSIs can be designated - Biological, Geological or Joint Biological / Geological. 12.9% of the total land area in the Western Isles is designated as SSSI. The true percentage is slightly lower as the SSSI areas include inland waters and intertidal areas, which the overall total does not. There are 53 SSSIs in the Western Isles, of which 31.5 are in Lewis & Harris and 21.5 in the Southern Isles (the Small Seal Islands are split between the two). The Lewis and Harris SSSI cover 18,252.1ha or 8.54% of Lewis and Harris, the Southern Isles SSSIs cover 19,098.5ha or 25.12% of the Southern Isles. Individual SSSIs vary in size between North Harris SSSI which covers 12,920.6ha to Cnoc a' Chapuill which covers just 0.2 ha.

Whilst sustainable land use is of prime importance to support and protect the natural resources of the Western Isles, opportunities also exist to use these resources for the benefit of residents and visitors, including:

• Use of environment as a marketing tool;
• Development of tourism industry;
• Education and training;
• Environmental research;
• Public health - recreation and access; and
• Environmental management - e.g. control of introduced alien species.