Joint gull management plan launched
With summer just around the corner, East Ayrshire Council is reinforcing its approach to gull management, which has received wide recognition as an exemplar of best practise from NatureScot.
With summer just around the corner, East Ayrshire Council is reinforcing its approach to gull management, which has received wide recognition as an exemplar of best practise from NatureScot.
Last year the Environmental Crime Team launched a social media awareness campaign, reminding the public of the actions they can take to protect their properties and to help minimise the environmental risks associated with gulls.
The Team also attended a round table event in Irvine hosted by NatureScot, which explored gull-related issues around Scotland, with a focus on the regulatory position regarding gull control and the changes from NatureScot in the granting of licences to control gulls.
The three Ayrshire Councils alongside Inverclyde Council have since joined forces in a bid to tackle gull concerns locally. This new collaborative initiative has received £40,000 of funding from NatureScot to jointly develop a Gull Conservation and Management Plan.
The key objective is to set out a two-year action plan outlining recommended measures to further reduce gull-human conflicts and improve the birds’ conservation status within the four local authority areas.
This study will examine existing evidence on gull populations across the four local authority areas, identifying trends and gaps in the evidence available. It will draw on stakeholder engagement, collating information on the nature, scale and location of gull concerns across the four local authorities and it will present best practice guidance on gull management and mitigation measures, drawing on case studies from all four areas.
Councillor Graham Barton, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Planning, Property and Environment said:
“We remain committed to doing all we can to minimise gull concerns in East Ayrshire - we have a strong track record of tackling gull problems locally and by participating in this study we can share our experiences with neighbouring councils.
“The joint Gull Conservation and Management Plan will consider all aspects of gull conservation and set out clear actions to be taken to manage human-gull conflicts.
“However, our enforcement position remains unchanged – as a local authority we have no legal powers to force building owners to take action against gulls. The responsibility to take bird-proofing steps and apply for licences lies with property owners. We encourage the public to familiarise themselves with our online guidance.”