§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is now able to list the areas referred to in his answer of 25 July, Official Report, column 555–56, under the Ramsar convention on the EEC directive in the conservation of wild birds.
§ Mr. WaldegraveLoch Eye and Loch Skene have been listed under both the EEC directive and the Ramsar convention. Priest Island has been listed under the directive. No decisions have yet been reached on the remaining sites.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) which areas have been listed to date as
Type Scotland Loch Druidibeg, a Machair Western Isles R/SPA Lock Leven Tayside R Rhum Highland SPA Lock Lomond Strathclyde and Central R Loch Eye Highland R/SPA Cairngorm Lochs Grampian and Highland R Loch of Skene Grampian R/SPA Claish Moss Highland R Priest Island Highland (Summer Isles) SPA Loch Lintrathen Tayside R Silver Flowe Dumfries and Galloway R Rannoch More Tayside R England Bridgewater Bay Somerset R Bure Marshes Norfolk R Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere Norfolk R Lindisfarne Northumberland R Minsmere—Walberswick Suffolk R North Norfolk Coast Norfolk R Ouse Washes Cambridgeshire and Norfolk R Abberton Reservoir Essex R Rostherne Mere Cheshire R Chesil Beach and The Fleet Dorset R/SPA The Dee Estuary Merseyside, Cheshire R/SPA Derwent Ings North Yorkshire and Humberside R/SPA Holburn Moss Northumberland R/SPA Irthinghead Mires Cumbria and Northumberland R The Swale Kent R/SPA Alt Estuary Merseyside R/SPA Leighton Moss Lancashire R/SPA Martin Mere Lancashire R/SPA Rockcliffe Marshes Cumbria R/SPA Farne Islands Northumberland SPA Coquet Island Northumberland SPA Chew Valley Lake Avon SPA Ribble Estuary Lancashire SPA Orfordness—Havergate Suffolk SPA Moor House Cumbria SPA Wales Skomer Dyfed SPA Grassholm Dyfed SPA The Dee Clywd R/SPA Cors Fochno and Fyfi Dyfed, Cwyneed and Powys R Note:
R=Ramsar.
SPA=Birds Directive.
In addition, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg in Northern Ireland has been designated as a Ramsar site.
Details of the sites which in the opinion of the Nature Conservancy Council would be suitable for consideration as special protection areas or Ramsar sites were given by
672Wspecial protection areas under the EEC Directive 79/409 in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively; and which southern areas have been identified by the Nature Conservancy Council as meeting the criteria for listing under that directive;
(2) which areas have been listed to date under the Ramsar convention in England, Scotland and Wales, respectively, and in respect of each country; and which further areas have been identified by the Nature Conservancy Council as meeting the criteria for listing under that convention.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe following areas have been designated under the EC directive on wild birds and the Ramsar convention:
my right hon. Friend the Member for Wanstead and Woodford (Mr. Jenkins) on 18 July 1985 at columns 241–42.
§ Mr. Sternasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will name those of the British wetlands 673W identified at the Groningen conference in 1984 of the Ramsar convention as eligible for listing under the convention which have so far been listed; and when he expects designation of the remaining wetlands to be completed.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe United Kingdom has so far designated the following sites under the Ramsar convention:
- Bridgwater Bay
- Bure Marshes
- Cors Fochno and Dyfi
- Hickling Broad and Horsey Mere
- Lindisfarne
- Loch Druidibeg, loch a 'Machair and Loch Stilligary
- Loch Leven
- Loch Lomond
- Lough Neagh and Lough Beg
- Minsmere—Walberswick
- North Norfolk Coast
- Ouse Washes
- Rannock Moor
- Abberton Reservoir
- Cairngorm Lochs
- Claish Moss
- Loch Lintrathen
- Rostherne Mere
- Silver Flowe
- Chesil Beach and the Fleet
- The Dee Estuary
- Derwent Ings
- Holburn Moss
- Irthinghead Mires
- The Swale
- Alt Estuary
- Leighton Moss
- Martin Mere
- Loch Eye
- Loch Skene
- Rochliffe Marshes
Sites to be considered for designation must first be notified as sites of special scientific interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. We consider such sites on their merits as and when they are recommended by the Nature Conservancy Council.
§ Mr. Sternasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made with the designation of the Severn Estuary as a special protection area under article 4(2) of EEC directive 79/409 on the conservation of wild birds; and when he expects the designation to be completed.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe first requirement for designation as a special protection area is that the area should have been notified as a site (or sites) of special scientific interest under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The Nature Conservancy Council has not yet completed all the necessary preparation work for notification under the Act. Any subsequent proposal for designation as a special protection area will be considered on its merits.