Natural Heritage Futures Update

NATIONAL PROSPECTUSES & UPDATE DOCUMENTS

1. Coasts & Seas / update 2009
2. Farmland / update 2009
3. Forests & Woodlands / update 2009
4. Fresh Waters / update 2009
5. Hills & Moors / update 2009
6. Settlements / update 2009

LOCAL PROSPECTUSES & UPDATE DOCUMENTS

1. Shetland / update 2009
2. Orkney & Northern Caithness / update 2009
3. Coll, Tiree and the Western Isles / update 2009
4. North Western seaboard / update 2009
5. The Peatlands of Caithness & Sutherland / update 2009
6. Western Seaboard / update 2009
7. Northern Highlands / update 2009
8. Western Highlands / update 2009
9. North East Coastal Plain / update 2009
10. Central Highlands / update 2009
11. Cairngorms Massif / update 2009
12. North East Glens / update 2009
13. East Lochaber / update 2009
14. Argyll West & Islands / update 2009
15. Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Breadalbane / update 2009
16. Eastern Lowlands / update 2009
17. West Central Belt / update 2009
18. Wigtown Machars & Outer Solway Coast / update 2009
19. Western Southern Uplands & Inner Solway / update 2009
20. Border Hills / update 2009
21. Moray Firth / update 2009

SNH has set out a vision of what Scotland could be like based on sustainable use of the natural heritage. Natural Heritage Futures guides the management of Scotland's nature and landscapes towards 2025. It’s made up of six national prospectuses covering farmland, coasts and seas, hills and moors, settlements, fresh waters, and forests and woodlands. There are also local prospectuses for 21 different parts of Scotland with distinctive character.

SNH recently undertook a public consultation on a series of updates to our Natural Heritage Futures documents (first published in 2002). This consultation has now closed, and the review and consultation have proved valuable in helping to ensure the Update reflects significant changes in policy drivers or legislative context, new mechanisms or changed priorities since 2002 and the implications these have for the objectives and actions for the natural heritage. You can download an analysis of the responses here.

The final Update is now published. For each Prospectus there is a supplement which should be read along with the original documents. These are available electronically here (list on right hand side) or as hard copies (on request) if you wish to insert them into your existing 2002 prospectus. We plan to develop more interactive pages to make the Objectives and Actions in Natural Heritage Futures more accessible for users, particularly local authorities. These should be available in the autumn.

In accordance with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, SNH undertook a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on the potential environmental effects of the proposed Update. This included the development of an Environmental Report, which we consulted on alongside the Update. The SEA Adoption Statement sets out the changes we have made following this consultation. We have also updated the Environmental Report to take account of amendments made in finalising the Update.

If you have any queries, please contact Emma Jordan on 01738 458652 or at Emma.Jordan@snh.gov.uk

For publication requests, please contact our publications unit on 01738 444177 or at pubs@snh.gov.uk