Help safeguard Scotland's sea life!

Scotland is a country proud of its rich natural heritage; it is home to iconic terrestrial species, wonderful birds, amazing marine life and is one of the most important places in the world for seabirds.

Many are shocked to learn that some of Scotland’s seabird colonies are on a trajectory toward extinction. That is why we need you to step up and act now by emailing Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment, demanding that the Scottish Government create Marine Protected Areas that protect seabirds at sea.

The Marine (Scotland) Act (2010) gives the Scottish Government powers to designate Marine Protected Areas for “Scottish Specialities”. It is staggering that the Government has chosen not to include seabirds in its selection criteria.

The plight of several Scottish seabird colonies is grave – kittiwakes have declined 82% since 2000 on the Orkney mainland and are now extinct as a breeding species at Mull Head; the Arctic skua population decreased 73% between 1986 and 2011 and the guillemot colony at Troup Head has declined by 66% in the past decade.

Despite this evidence that populations are declining, the Government has been taken little action to stop it. This must change now.

We need to ensure this opportunity to protect seabirds is not missed; we need the network of MPAs to be selected based on the best scientific evidence available; we need MPAs have a positive effect on Scotland’s wildlife and coastal communities and we need you to help make it happen.

Please email the Cabinet Secretary demanding that Scotland’s Marine Protected Area network protects Scotland’s iconic seabird species.

Your E-mail

We have prepared a template e-mail for you to send to Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment. The e-mail is displayed below. We encourage you to personalise it to increase its impact.

Mr Richard Lochhead MSP
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs & the Environment

Subject

Dear Richard Lochhead MSP

I urge you to protect seabirds at sea with an ambitious network of Marine Protected Areas.

Scotland is one of the most important places in the world for seabirds. It is essential that these iconic species are protected by the powers the Scottish Government attained from our pioneering Marine (Scotland) Act.

Marine Protected Areas provide the opportunity to protect a wide-ranging suite of Scotland’s marine wildlife. Allowing seabirds – some of Scotland’s most distinct and iconic wildlife – to be ignored from this process will see populations continue to decline and the MPA process undermined by this missed opportunity.

We need action now to stop seabird decline in Scotland - kittiwakes have declined 82% since 2000 on the Orkney mainland and are now extinct as a breeding species at Mull Head; the Arctic skua population decreased 73% between 1986 and 2011, and the guillemot colony at Troup Head has declined by 66% in the past decade.

It is important that the best sites for marine species and habitats are selected using the best available scientific evidence. This should deliver a network of protected areas that we can be proud of, protecting the finest examples of Scotland’s incredible marine life.

We need the MPA network to be ambitious – the Government’s own assessment of the state of Scotland’s seas indicates that they are in a degraded state, with many important species and habitats in poor shape. This means that MPAs should be designated to allow the recovery of marine species and habitats already suffering from the impacts of climate change and unsustainable exploitation.

Designating Marine Protect Areas is an opportunity for the Scottish Government to create something that the whole nation can be proud of; a lasting legacy this and future generations will benefit from.

It is important that you act now to ensure that the network of MPAs protects all marine wildlife, including Scotland’s world-renowned seabirds.

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