This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Protected area for rare sea bird
16/02/2004
The Firth of Forth Islands Special Protection Area has
been extended to increase the protection of the very rare
roseate tern.
The island of Long Craig - a small rocky island off
North Queensferry under the Forth Road Bridge - has been
included in the 106 hectare site.
The island, just
over two hectares in area, has been classified under
the EC Birds Directive as it regularly supports some
13 per cent of the British breeding population of
roseate tern.
Deputy Environment Minister, Allan Wilson said:
"This island is one of only six breeding colonies in
Britain and is vital for the survival of this
internationally rare species.
"The protection of breeding sites is central to ensuring
the survival of this endangered species and in ensuring
they can be enjoyed for generations to come."
Under the EC Birds Directive, Member States are required
to take special measures to conserve the habitats of
certain rare species of birds and regularly occurring
migratory birds.
As part of these obligations Member States must classify
the most suitable territories of a number of species listed
in the Directive as Special Protection Areas (SPAs)
There are 138 Special Protection Areas in Scotland
covering an area of approximately 625,000 hectares. These
sites have been selected to protect a variety of species
ranging from upland and forest birds such as golden eagle
and capercaillie to seabirds such as puffin and many tern
species.
The Firth of Forth Islands are located in or near the
Firth of Forth. The Special Protection Area comprises a
number of separate islands or island groups, principally
Inchmarckery off Edinburgh, Fidra, Lamb and Craigleith
together with the Bass Rock off North Berwick and the much
larger Isle of May in the outer part of the Firth.
The site qualifies for classification under the EC Birds
Directive by supporting internationally important
populations of roseate tern, arctic tern, common tern, and
sandwich tern. The site also qualifies by supporting
internationally important populations of migratory species
such as gannets and puffins.
The roseate tern is a small attractive seabird with a
distinctive forked swallow-like tail with white plumage and
a sharp red and black bill. There is an estimated 660 pairs
in Europe, all of which are found within the British Isles
during the breeding season.
In the winter period the terns make a treacherous and
exhausting migration to the Gulf of Guinea off west coast
of Africa. With the classification of this site 100 per
cent of the British breeding population will be protected
within Special Protection Areas.