Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011

Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011

Act of Parliament
Scottish Parliament
Long title	An Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision in connection with wildlife and the natural environment; and for connected purposes.
Citation	asp 6
Territorial extent	Scotland
Dates
Commencement	7 April 2011
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Game (Scotland) Act 1772 Night Poaching Act 1828 Game (Scotland) Act 1832 Night Poaching Act 1844 Hares (Scotland) Act 1848 Game Licences Act 1860 Poaching Prevention Act 1862 Game Laws Amendment (Scotland) Act 1877 Customs and Inland Revenue Act 1883 Hares Preservation Act 1892 Finance Act 1924 Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932 Game Act 1970 Import of Live Fish (Scotland) Act 1978
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (asp 6) or WANE Act is an Act of the Scottish Parliament which introduced legislation to that country, affecting the way land and the environment is managed. The act also amended earlier environmental legislation, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.

Principal elements

The Act affected game-shooting, species protection, and introduced new wildlife offences into Scotland such as vicarious liability. Amongst other things it: ^{[1] [2] [3]}

• abolished the designation of areas of special protection for wild birds;
• increased regulation of snaring practices; ^[4]
• introduced a closed season for the killing of mountain hares; ^[5]
• introduced a new regime for controlling invasive non-native species; ^[3]
• changed arrangements for deer management and deer stalking;
• strengthened badger protection;
• required Scottish Ministers to present an annual report to Parliament of offences relating to wildlife crime;
• changed the legislation relating to the burning of moorland (muirburn), previously prescribed in the Hill Farming Act 1946;
• made operational changes to how Sites of Special Scientific Interest are managed; ^[6]
• required three-yearly reports to be published by public bodies on compliance with the Biodiversity Duty.

See also

• Environment (Wales) Act 2016
• Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006

References

1. "Wildlife & Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011". www.scottishlandandestates.co.uk. Scottish Land and Estates. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
2. "Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011". www.legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
3. Reid, Colin T. (1 July 2012). "Towards a Biodiversity Law: The Changing Nature of Wildlife Law in Scotland" . Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy. 15 (3–4): 202–227. doi:10.1080/13880292.2012.724326. ISSN   1388-0292.
4. Dunn, Jennifer (14 November 2016). "Snares: Hidden cruelty in the Scottish countryside". Holyrood Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
5. "Mass lobby at Scottish Parliament to protect mountain hares". The Scotsman. 15 November 2016. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
6. Reid, Colin T. (1 November 2010). "Wildlife Reforms in Scotland" . Environmental Law Review. 12 (4): 256–265. doi:10.1350/enlr.2010.12.4.100. ISSN   1461-4529.