§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the increase in the ringing of dotterels.
§ Mr. Moynihan[holding answer 21 April 1988]: The increase in ringing results from a study commenced in May 1987 by the Nature Conservancy Council to assess the impact of tourism, grazing and other factors on the dotterel's mountain habitats, with the aim of determining the vulnerability of the breeding population to these pressures and the species lifespan and breeding behaviour.
Ringing is carried out by harmless and well-tested techniques, under licences granted by the NCC under the provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
§ Mrs. Ray MichieTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his Department's policy with regard to the ringing of dotterels and their chicks by professional ringers.
§ Mr. Moynihan[holding answer 21 April 1988]: The dotterel appears on annex 1 of the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds as a species requiring special conservation measures concerning its habitat. The colour-ringing of a small proportion of birds is a vital part of a study by the Nature Conservancy Council, commencing in May last year, to provide a sound scientific basis for the implementation of our obligations under the directive.