New guide for farmers managing nature conservation sites

Farmers managing protected nature conservation areas can now access a new online guide to their responsibilities and funding sources
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) produced the guide, entitled 'Farming, SSSIs and Natura sites', in collaboration with the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland (NFUS). It is now available on both the SNH and NFUS websites.
The guide is for farmers in Scotland who own, tenant or manage land that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection Area (SPA) or Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
It summarises the requirements of farmers in relation to protected areas as well as sources of funding for conservation management.
Stewart Pritchard, policy and advice manager with SNH, said: “Many farmers across Scotland are keenly involved and take pride in managing important nature conservation sites. It is important that they have access to the right information and that the right help is available to them to do this effectively. That is what this new guide is there for. We hope many farmers will find it useful in making them aware of the expectations associated with managing these sites. Equally it lets them know about funding that may be available to help cover the costs of any additional conservation management.”
The new guide is available here:

www.snh.gov.uk/docs/C280938.pdf
and
www..nfus.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Campaigns/SNH.pdf