Publication - Impact assessment
Sound of Gigha Special Protection Area: business and regulatory impact assessment
An assessment of the business and regulatory impacts of classifying the Sound of Gigha SPA.
Appendix A - Ecosystem Services Benefits, Sound of Gigha
| Summary of Ecosystem Services Benefits arising from Classification of the Site as an SPA | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services | Relevance to Site |
Baseline Level | Estimated Impacts of Classification | Value Weighting | Scale of Benefits | Confidence | ||
| Lower | Intermediate | Upper | ||||||
| Fish for human consumption | Moderate, contributes to the food web. | Stocks not at MSY | Nil | Low, recovery of fish stocks possible in medium to long term from protection of benthic features | Moderate, recovery of fish stocks possible in medium to long term due to extent of protection of benthic features | Low | Minimal - Low | Moderate |
| Fish for non-human consumption | Stocks reduced from potential maximum | |||||||
| Gas and climate regulation | Minimal | Minimal | Nil | Low | Nil | High | ||
| Non-use value of natural environment | Moderate, bird species, and contribution of the site to SPA network, have non-use value. | Non-use value of the site may decline | Minimal | Low, maintain features of site | Moderate, protection of features of site from decline, possibly allowing some recovery | Low - Moderate, range of features contributes to maintaining marine biodiversity | Low | Moderate, extent of features, responses to management measures, and value to society all uncertain. |
| Recreation | Moderate, features have recreational value, but there are substitutes. | Value of site may decline | Minimal, protection of features of site | Low - Moderate, protection of features of site that contribute to recreation, possibly allowing some recovery | Low, for individual features. Moderate for opportunity to understand response of range of features to management. | Low | Low – Moderate, extent to which research uses site in future uncertain. | |
| Research and Education | Moderate, features have research value, but there are substitutes | Value of site may decline | Minimal, protection of features of site | Low, protection of key characteristics of site from decline, improving future research opportunities. Classification may play role in communicating management needs. | Low | Low | Low – Moderate, extent to which research uses site in future uncertain. | |
| Total value of changes in ecosystem services | Minimal - low for lower and intermediate scenarios, Low – moderate for upper scenario. | Low | Moderate | |||||
Contact
Email: marine_conservation@gov.scot
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