Meeting Favourable Condition Targets

It can take a long time to see improvements in the condition of natural habitats and species. Hence these targets will be considered and met where the necessary management measures are in place that will lead to favourable condition in due course.

The management measures should address the reasons for the initial unfavourable assessment and should safeguard the feature across the majority (95%) of the site. In the case of grazing issues on extensive upland sites, this may include several ownerships.

There are a number of ways to address grazing management but some form of written assurance is required before a feature can be considered to be ‘recovering’ and therefore contribute to the Scottish Government’s target. This could take the form of:

• A private owner, public body or conservation organisation agreeing to carry out the necessary management as part of an agreed management plan, concordat or memorandum of understanding
• A Rural Development Contract (RDC) (or other agri-environment schemes)
• Actions supported by an SNH Management agreement / grant or FCS grant
• Regulatory provisions – such as S7 Deer Control Agreements or actions required by GAEC cross-compliance