Protected areas

SEPA has established, and will continue to maintain, a register of protected areas.

The register will help to ensure that water bodies in these designated areas are managed and that they achieve the objectives required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Water Environment (Register of Protected Areas) (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Areas designated as requiring special protection and/or conservation include:

• Areas designated to protect economically significant species
  These protected areas were established under earlier European directives aimed at protecting shellfish (79/923/EEC) and freshwater fish (78/659/EEC).
  
  
• Bathing waters
  Previously designated under the Bathing Water Directive (76/160/EEC), these waters are now covered by the revised Bathing Water Directive (2006/7/EC) which will be enacted in the UK by regulations in 2008.
  
  
• Nutrient sensitive areas
  These comprise nitrate vulnerable zones and polluted waters designated under the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) and areas designated as sensitive areas under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC).
  
  
  Information on how we monitor nitrates
  
  
• Areas designated for the protection of habitats or species
  These are areas previously designated for the protection of habitats or species where maintaining or improving the status of water is important for their protection. They comprise the aquatic part of Natura 2000 sites designated under the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) and the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).
  
  
• Waters used for the abstraction of drinking water
  These are protected areas designated under the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) that were previously protected by the Surface Water Abstraction Directive (75/440/EEC) (which was repealed on 22/12/2007).

The register consists of a list of sites and a set of maps showing the relevant protected areas in the Scotland and Solway Tweed river basin districts.

• List of sites in Scotland  (300k)

Maps are listed in the table below.

Description	Scotland river basin district	Solway Tweed river basin district
Nutrient sensitive areas	(175k)	(238k)
Economically significant species and bathing waters	(643k)	(677k)
Water dependent conservation areas	(656k)	(401k)