Dr Colin Legg has been appointed Convenor of the Advisory Committee on Sites of Special Scientific Interest (ACSSSI).

A Senior Lecturer in Plant Ecology at The University of Edinburgh, Dr C Legg will act as Convenor until the committee is dissolved later this year. His appointment, by Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham, follows five years service as a member of the ACSSSI.

Dr Legg is an expert in plant ecology and moorland management. He is a Director of The Wildlife Information Centre, a member of the Botanical Society of Scotland, the Botanical Society of the British Isles and the British Ecological Society. He holds no other Ministerial appointments and has declared no involvement in any political activity.

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The appointment will be until 3 September 2010 or until dissolution of the ACSSSI, whichever is sooner. As Convenor, Dr Legg will receive a daily attendance fee of £217.

ACSSSI is an advisory NDPB established in 1992, under the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 to advise Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in cases where there are sustained scientific objections to the notification of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Its role was amended under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004.

The Committee meets as needed, discussing with SNH and objectors, and reviewing evidence on the potential designation of areas. Dr Legg's appointment will allow ACSSSI to advise on a final case, which SNH has recently referred to the Committee, before it is dissolved.

The proposals to dissolve ACSSSI and transfer its functions to SNH were included in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill, introduced into Scottish Parliament on 28 May 2009, which received Royal Assent on 28 April 2010. The provisions of the 2010 Act dealing with the dissolution of ACSSSI and transfer of its functions are expected to come into force this summer.

(GK)