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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what types of birds and what size of population are supported in the bird reserve in Seaforth Docks; and if she will make a statement. [116610] Mr. Morley: Seaforth Nature Reserve, owned by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, and managed by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, is of national, European and international importance for the numbers of redshank (1,590 individuals) and turnstone (760 individuals) it supports in winter, and of national and European importance for its population of breeding common tern (124 pairs), a species listed in Annex I to the EC Birds Directive (79/409/EEC). The aforementioned population numbers are average counts from the period 1994-95 1998-99 for the two wintering species, and the period 1996 -2000 for breeding common terns. These were the most recently available data used to justify the inclusion of part of Seaforth Docks within the Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore potential Special Protection Area (in accordance with the EC Birds Directive 79/409/EEC) and Ramsar site (in accordance with the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat 1971).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

116610; 406 c417-8W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Birds Nature conservation Wildlife Special protection areas Ramsar Convention Nature reserves Seaforth Docks

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk