SNH Area
SEN/HIEN Area | Shetland
Shetland Enterprise (SE) |
Designations (areas) - Natura | Marine SAC (2,076ha)
SPA (Papa Stour SSSI) (629ha) |
Designations - other | None |
Consultees | SNH (Shetland)
LIFE Marine SAC Project Officer (Shetland Islands Council)
SE |
Broad habitat type(s) | Rocky reefs, sea caves, inlets, forests of Laminaria kelp, littoral zone with exposed algae, lichen-rich maritime heathland |
Natural heritage values | - some of the most exposed reef communities in the UK, rich and unusual sea cave communities (seaweeds, associated sub-flora, corals and other invertebrates)
- one of the best assemblages of rock coast landforms in Britain (cliffs, caves, geos, stacks, blowholes, storm beaches, wave-stripped bedrock), fossil fish remains
- Breeding and feeding Grey Seal and feeding Common Seal
- Largest breeding colony of Arctic Tern in Shetland, other breeding seabirds
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Socio-economic activities A: - direct conservation management (includes maintenance of traditional/sustainable management practices) | - Crofting (many crofters in ESA scheme)
- LIFE funded UK Marine SACs Project (information gathering, consultation, establishment of an agreed management scheme and monitoring)
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Socio-economic activities B: - other land or water use (production), industry, tourism/recreation/education, rural development projects | - Crofting (see A, above)
- Two creel boats for brown/edible crabs, occasional lobsters; other fisheries (herring, mackerel) outside SAC itself, all small-scale, part-time (individual creels also set on non-commercial basis by residents of Papa Stour)
- Scallop dredging (usually away from reefs) - previous harvest of scallops also by divers, now stopped
- Tourism and recreation (1 B&B on Papa Stour, self-catering accommodation on mainland part of SAC (Sandness); recreation includes sports diving (including popular wreck sites), sea kayaking, walking and birdwatching
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Socio-economic activities C: - ecological services | - Various - terrestrial, marine - hydrological, landscape, functions
- Sewage, effluent discharge
- Conservation of genetic potential
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Socio-economic activities D: - marketing/branding | |
Potential/Constraints/Notes | - LIFE project organising workshops to investigate potential for local benefit to be derived from tourism promotion and other uses of SAC, also looking at peoples' attitudes to designation
- Figures for fisheries and information on effluent discharge, marine operations, recreational use available from LIFE project ('Review of current activities, Papa Stour marine SAC')
- Visitor numbers are limited by difficult access (especially to the island's rocky shores) and weather conditions
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