Rum National Nature Reserve

Have your say on future of Rum national nature reserve

Local people and visitors are being asked to comment on Scottish Natural
Heritage’s proposals for the management of Rum national nature reserve.

A public consultation exercise will run from this Friday (24 July) to 11
October 2009 aimed at finding out peoples’ thoughts on management over the
next six years.

Working closely with the community on Rum, SNH is looking to develop a range of
high quality visitor facilities which will improve people’s enjoyment and
understanding of the reserve.

Susan Davies, SNH North Operations Director, said: “This consultation is
important because it allows people to tell us what they think about the reserve
and its management. Rum holds a special interest for many people and we’d be
delighted to hear their views during this consultation.

“This is a chance for anyone with an interest in Rum to have a say on what
they think its future management should include. I am also particularly keen to
get feedback from visitors who travel across to Rum and stay on the island
during their visit to the national nature reserve.

“Rum is one of our oldest NNRs having been declared in 1957 and SNH has
management responsibilities for the designated site along with conservation,
study and research work, which we are working towards. It is our hope that this
consultation will allow us to plan the way forward together with the people of
Scotland.”

Rum has mountain-top colony of Manx shearwaters, around a third of the
world’s population of this seabird. The reserve was the base for the first
sea eagle reintroduction programme in 1975 and has a golden eagles and a
thriving population of otters. It attracts around 10,000 visitors a year.

To find out more about the proposals and make your views known go onto
www.snh.org.uk/nnr-scotland/reserve.asp?NNRId=22 or contact SNH at The
Governor’s House, The Parade, Fort William, PH33 6BA. Phone 01397 704716
or e-mail: RUM_NNR@snh.gov.uk. Leaflets and posters about the proposals and
the consultation will also be available on Rum.