The status of UK SPAs in the 2000s: the Third Network Review 2016

Abstract

The third Review of the United Kingdom’s network of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) classified under the EU Birds Directive comprises three parts (Phases). This report summarises the outcomes of Phase 1 – a gap analysis.

It builds on the previous network assessments published by the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) in 1989/1990 and by JNCC in 2001, and places its findings in the wider context of supporting policies and activity to deliver the objectives of Article 4 of the EU Directive on the conservation of wild birds (2009/147/EC; the Birds Directive).

The report is structured as follows:

• Chapter 1 introduces the Birds Directive and gives a historical perspective on its transposition and implementation in the UK, with particular emphasis on Article 4.
• Chapter 2 summarises the development of the SPA network since the second Review published in 2001, especially with respect to new (or extended) SPA classifications and the work of the UK SPA and Ramsar Scientific Working Group (SPAR SWG; Appendix 1).
• Chapter 3 presents the approach adopted by this third Review and explains how this relates to supporting activities.
• Chapters 4 and 5 detail the methods adopted by the Review. Chapter 5 presents an innovative method used to assess the sufficiency of population provision for individual bird species.
• Chapter 6 presents the SPAR SWG’s advice to governments in the UK relating to the future development of the SPA network (it identifies potential gaps in meeting the responsibilities of the Birds Directive, especially to ensure it remains resilient to the environmental consequences of climate change).
• Appendices 1 to 10 present supporting data and information.

Please note, this report was produced in 2016, prior to the launch of JNCC's new website, and is provided on our new website as one document, consisting of over 1,000 pages. It was previously also available in sections, along with individual species accounts. This material is still available through The National Archives version of our old website.

Please also note that whilst every effort to redirect links from our old website to our new website, some of the links within the document may no longer work.