Habitat management - best practice guidance

Bat leaflet
This leaflet provides guidance for how to protect and enhance for bats when undertaking works affecting watercourses.
Managing River Habitats for Fisheries
This handbook provides guidance to those planning and advising on the management of river habitats for fisheries.
Ponds, Pools and Lochans
Guidance on good practice in the management and creation of small waterbodies in Scotland.
Watercourses in the Community
A Guide to Sustainable Watercourse Management in the Urban Environment.
Farming and Watercourse Management
A Good Practice Handbook
Wetlands and wildlife management in Dumfries and Galloway
Good practice guide for land managers (2mb)

Bat leaflet

Bats are one group of animals that SEPA’s work can have a major positive effect on – particularly through the new Controlled Activities Regulations (CAR), which focuses on sustainable waterbody management and good ecological status for the water environment. This gives SEPA influence over some of the places bats can roost (bridges, water-side trees), the features bats use to navigate around the environment (they tend to use linear, vegetated features such as riparian woodland) and a major food source for many bats (the water environment).

Bat leaflet (1.27mb)

Managing River Habitats for Fisheries handbook

This handbook, produced in collaboration with the Scottish Executive, the Fisheries Research Services and Scottish Natural Heritage, provides guidance to those planning and advising on the management of river habitats for fisheries. It helps to assess whether intervention is required. If, after careful consideration, it is decided that it is required, the handbook encourages best practice in the planning, design and implementation of river habitat management schemes. The handbook emphasises a number of key issues that need to be recognised and appraised in order to ensure that rivers are managed sustainably.

Contents:

Introduction.
Managing river habitats for fisheries: the changing context.
Scotland’s rivers.
River channels and management issues.
Intervening in river systems: key principles for best practice.
Consultation: statutory and regulatory requirements.
Channel management practices for fisheries:
- Restoration of spawning habitat:
- Increasing fish cover:
- Removal of artificial barriers to migration:
- Bank stabilisation:
- Pool management:
- Management of bankside and channel vegetation:
- Construction of fishing platforms.
Summary and conclusions.

Managing River Habitats (5.80mb)

Ponds, Pools and Lochans

This collaborative handbook provides guidance on good practice in the protection, management and creation of ponds, pools and lochans in Scotland. The guide covers both man-made and natural waterbodies and provides advice for incorporating ecological design principles into Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).

Contents:

Introduction.
General Information about ponds.
Assessing pond ecological quality.
Management of ponds.
Pond creation.
Safety.
Maximising the ecological of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS).
References.

Ponds, Pools and Lochans - main document (3.82mb)
Ponds, Pools and Lochans - summary leaflet (298k)

Watercourses in the Community

This handbook, produced in collaboration with other key organisations, provides guidance on the sustainable management of urban watercourses. It illustrates how watercourses can be managed to increase biodiversity and enhance urban areas, outlining current techniques, philosophy and legislation regarding the sustainable management and engineering of watercourses. Overall, it aims to highlight the importance of urban watercourses and to enable the restoration, protection and appreciation of Scotland's urban burns and rivers.

Contents:

Introduction.
The importance of urban watercourses.
Opportunities with urban watercourses.
Some ideas on applying the techniques.
Working with water.
Make things happen.
Actions.
Information and advice.
Glossary.

Watercourses in the Community - main document (4.76mb)
Watercourses in the Community - summary leaflet (294k)

Farming and Watercourse Management

The handbook provides guidance on designing farming practices to minimise damage to the biodiversity of watercourses, while benefiting the farming operation. It provides examples of ways in which farmers can readily enhance the environmental value of watercourses and river corridors without significantly affecting their farming operations. There is information on the direct financial consequences of the practices recommended, the availability of grants or other managerial/financial assistance, and relevant legislation affecting watercourse management.

Farming and watercourse management handbook (1.37mb)

Copies of this document are available from WWF-Scotland, and by post from SNH Publications, Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW