Scottish wildcat - law & licensing Sally Blyth Species - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish wildcat - law & licensing Sally Blyth Species legislation adviser

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Objectives • Understand how the law protects the wildcat • Outline licensing approach • Implications

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish wildcat & the law Habitats Directive given legal effect through Habitats Regulations 1994 (as amended) European protected species - Annex IVa animals whose natural range includes GB  listed on Schedule 2 to the Regulations  Many offences  Some exceptions (e.g. licensed work)

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Offences To deliberately or recklessly: capture, injure, kill, harass, disturb in specific circumstances*, obstruct access to or deny use of breeding site or resting place To damage or destroy a breeding site or resting place (wildcat den), even accidentally

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage * Disturbance offences An offence to deliberately or recklessly disturb: • whilst occupying shelter/place of protection • whilst rearing/caring for young • so likely to significantly affect distribution or abundance • so likely to impair ability to survive or breed

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage The guilty mind Deliberate actions – intentional Reckless actions:  if you’re aware of the likelihood of causing disturbance, injury etc. & you carry on regardless; or  if you act in a way that a reasonable person could have foreseen what would happen & you carry on regardless

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Forestry/development operations might • damage/destroy a den site - directly [e.g. when frequent high impact activities (noise or vibration) occur close to den sites] - indirectly if landscape surrounding a den is altered • cause disturbance by altering their habitat to make it less viable

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Licensing (SNH is licensing authority) • Three licensing tests must be passed • Proportionate approach is applied • Licence is the last resort Licensing helpline: 01463 725 364 Email: licensing@snh.gov.uk

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Test 1 legal purposes – limited reasons • Survey • Preserving public health or safety or other imperative reasons of overriding public interest

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Test 2 – No satisfactory alternative What alternatives are there to the granting of a licence? [ or can the work be done differently to avoid committing an offence? ] • consider a range of alternatives • robust & strong arguments required

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Test 3 – Impact on maintenance of Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) FCS – population, range, habitat Conservation status of wildcat is ‘Bad (declining)’  licensing tests applied more strictly  Net impact of licensed work must be neutral or positive

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage ‘Regard’ to the Habitats Directive Regulation 3(3) ‘a competent authority, in exercising their functions, must have regard to the requirements of the Habitats Directive so far as they may be affected by the exercise of those functions’ . • Is a wildcat present? • If so, how will animal(s) be affected? • Can an offence be avoided? • Will licensing tests be met?

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage

Dualchas Nàdair na h-Alba Scottish Natural Heritage Thank you