Three weeks left to give views on proposed extensions to Special Protection Area at Flamborough Head
24 Mar 2014 02:19 PM
The formal public
consultation on plans to extend the protection given to seabirds at Flamborough
Head to adjacent areas is coming to a close in three
weeks.
Natural England, the
Government’s statutory nature conservation adviser, is issuing a reminder
to ensure members of the public and organisations take the opportunity to have
their say.
The formal public consultation
on the proposal to extend the existing Special Protection Area (pSPA) at
Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs and rename it as the Flamborough and Filey
Coast SPA closes on 14 April after 12 weeks.
At the same time we are
consulting on proposals to revise the landward boundary of the existing
Flamborough Head Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Together the sites protect
internationally important species and habitats on the Yorkshire coast between
Bridlington and Scarborough.
The cliffs at Flamborough Head
support internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds. Recent counts
at Flamborough Head and further north at Filey reveal that over 215,000
individual seabirds are present during the breeding season and that the area
supports important populations of:
-
Black-legged
kittiwake
-
Northern gannet
-
Common
guillemot
-
Razorbill
-
Northern fulmar
The extension along the
coastline between Filey Brigg and Cunstone Nab will bring large bird colonies
currently outside the boundary of the SPA under protection for the first time.
The new extensions 2km out to sea from the existing SPA and from the cliffs at
Filey are important as these waters support high densities of seabirds, which
use them for a range of activities including preening and
bathing.
Natural England is also
proposing to bring the boundary of the SPA further inland to ensure the site
continues to protect the features in the face of likely coastal change in the
future. We will also be proposing revision of the landward boundary of the
Flamborough Head Special Area of Conservation which protects important
terrestrial and marine habitats of the area, again to make sure that the
interest features of this site remain protected into the
future.
The purpose of the current
consultation is to seek the views of all interested parties on the scientific
case for these proposals. Natural England also welcomes relevant information
from stakeholders to help assess the likely economic, environmental and social
impacts of the proposals.
Further information, such as the
consultation document, maps etc can be found on Natural England’s web site.
The consultation will end at
midday on Monday 14 April 2014. Afterwards, during 2014, Natural England will
report to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the
responses received during the consultation, and submit the final site
recommendation and impact assessment.
Once the Government has taken
all consultation responses into account, it will decide whether to classify the
site as a SPA. Natural England is also currently reviewing the features and the
boundaries of the Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in the
area.
ENDS
Notes to
editors:
-
Natural England is working as
the Government’s statutory nature conservation advisor to identify and
propose suitable marine areas to add to the network of Special Protection Areas.
-
Special Protection Areas are
areas classified under Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds.
Collectively these sites form a network of Special Protection Areas to protect
birds across Europe. This protection is largely in place on land and
we’re now catching up on protecting birds utilising the marine
environment. Some of these birds migrate thousands of miles and their feeding
and stop off points are therefore protected all along the
route.
-
All relevant documents can be
found on the consultation page including:
Flamborough and Filey Coast pSPA - an overview map and a series of more
detailed maps, the citation, departmental brief submitted to Defra which
contains the detailed scientific evidence supporting the pSPA, and the site
rationale.
Flamborough Head pSAC - the Selection Assessment document, an overview
map and detailed maps.
Relevant documents for the impact assessment, an online survey and a
response form which should be completed and emailed to northernnorthseaspa@naturalengland.org.uk or sent by
post.
-
Up to 215,000 individual birds
have been recorded at Flamborough during the breeding season including:
Northern gannet – a UK amber-listed bird of conservation concern.
Gannets Morus bassanus are widely distributed in English seas during winter,
but Bempton Cliffs is the only breeding colony in England. The Seabird 2000
census estimated 59% of the global population of gannets nested in the UK with
226,500 apparently occupied nests. Their typical lifespan is 17 years, but they
can live up to 37 years. For more information please see this leaflet TIN122
-
Northern fulmar - Also known as
fulmar Fulmarus glacialis northern fulmars are a regularly occurring migratory
bird in Europe. They are 40-50 cm long with a wingspan of 102 -112 cm. The
oldest reported individual was over 50 years old, and the typical lifespan may
be around 44 years. It is a UK amber-listed bird of conservation concern. The
majority of UK birds breed in north and west Scotland. The English breeding
population is estimated as 6,291 apparently occupied sites. For more
information please download this leaflet TIN126
-
Razorbill - Razorbills Alca
torda are a regularly occurring migratory bird species in Europe. They are
37– 39 cm long with a wingspan of 63-68 cm. Their typical lifespan is 13
years and the oldest reported individual was over 41 years old. Razorbills are
a UK amber-listed bird of conservation concern. In England, razorbills breed on
coasts and islands in the north and south-west. The largest English colony is
at Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire. Leaflet TIN124
-
Common guillemot - The common
guillemot Uria aalge is a regularly occurring migratory bird in Europe. It is
between 38 and 41 cm long with a wingspan of 64-70 cm. The typical lifespan is
21 years, although the oldest reported individual was over 31 years. It is an
amber-listed bird of conservation concern. Leaflet TIN123
-
Black legged kittiwake - The
black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla, is a regularly occurring migratory
bird in Europe. Also known simply as the kittiwake, it is between 38 and 40 cm
long with a wingspan of 95 – 120 cm. The typical lifespan is 20 years,
although birds have been reported to live up to 28 years. It is a UK
amber-listed bird of conservation concern. Most of the UK population breeds in
northern Scotland and along the North Sea coast south to Flamborough Head,
which holds the largest colony in the UK. Leaflet TIN128 Images of birds available
from the press office by request.
For more information please
contact: Heather Duncan, press officer, Natural England heather.duncan@naturalengland.org.uk / 0300 060 0555 / 07775 410
141/ www.naturalengland.org.uk