In these Regulations—

• “the 1949 Act” means the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 194914;

• “the 2010 Regulations” means the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 201015;

• “the Offshore Marine Conservation Regulations” means the Conservation of Offshore Marine Habitats and Species Regulations 201716;

• “the appropriate authority” means the Secretary of State in relation to England and the Welsh Ministers in relation to Wales (but see modifications of the meaning of that term in regulations 9(4) and 10(12)(a), and modifications of references to that term in regulations 69(1)(b), (3)(c), (5) and (8)(b), 97(6), 110(3)(b) and 112(3)(c)), and any person exercising any function of the Secretary of State or the Welsh Ministers;

• “competent authority” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 7 (competent authorities);

• “conservation” has the meaning given by Article 1(a) of the Habitats Directive (definitions);

• “conservation status” and “favourable conservation status” have the meanings given by paragraphs (e) (in relation to habitats) and (i) (in relation to species) of Article 1 of the Habitats Directive;

• “destroy”, in relation to an egg, includes doing anything to the egg which is calculated to prevent it from hatching, and “destruction” is to be construed accordingly;

• “the devolved administrations” means the Welsh Ministers, the Scottish Ministers, and, in Northern Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs;

• “the Directives” means the Habitats Directive and the new Wild Birds Directive;

• “enactment” includes a local enactment and an enactment contained in subordinate legislation, and “subordinate legislation” has the same meaning as in the Interpretation Act 197817;

• “English inshore region” means the area of sea within the seaward limits of the territorial sea adjacent to England;

• “European marine site” has the meaning given by regulation 8(3) (European sites and European marine sites);

• “European offshore marine site” means a European offshore marine site within the meaning of regulation 18 of the Offshore Marine Conservation Regulations (meaning of European offshore marine site);

• “European site” has the meaning given by regulation 8;

• “functions” includes powers and duties;

• “the Habitats Directive” means Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora18;

• “land” includes land covered by water;

• “local planning authority” means, except as otherwise provided, any authority having any function as a local planning authority or mineral planning authority under the TCPA 1990;

• “management agreement” means an agreement made, or having effect as if made, under regulation 20 (management agreements);

• “the Marine Act” means the Marine and Coastal Access Act 200919;

• “marine area” means (subject to regulations 9(5) and 10(12)(b)) the English inshore region and the Welsh inshore region;

• “Natura 2000” means the European network of special areas of conservation, and special protection areas under the old Wild Birds Directive or the new Wild Birds Directive, provided for by Article 3(1) of the Habitats Directive (network of special areas of conservation: Natura 2000);

• “natural habitats” has the meaning given by Article 1(b) of the Habitats Directive;

• “nature conservation body” and “appropriate nature conservation body” have the meaning given by regulation 5 (nature conservation bodies);

• “the new Wild Birds Directive” means Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the conservation of wild birds20;

• “Northern Ireland inshore region” means the area of sea within the seaward limits of the territorial sea adjacent to Northern Ireland;

• “officer”—

  1. a

     in relation to a body corporate, means a director, member of the committee of management, chief executive, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body, and

  2. b

     in relation to an unincorporated body, means any member of its governing body or a chief executive, manager or other similar officer of the body;

• “the old Wild Birds Directive” means Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds21;

• “priority natural habitat types” has the meaning given by Article 1(d) of the Habitats Directive;

• “priority species” has the meaning given by Article 1(h) of the Habitats Directive;

• “relevant authorities”, in relation to marine areas and European marine sites, is to be construed in accordance with regulation 6 (relevant authorities in relation to marine areas and European marine sites);

• “relevant licensing body” has the meaning given by regulation 58 (relevant licensing body);

• “research” includes inquiries and investigations;

• “sample” means a sample of blood, tissue or other biological material;

• “Scottish inshore region” means the area of sea within the seaward limits of the territorial sea adjacent to Scotland;

• “sea” includes—

  1. a

     any area submerged at mean high water spring tide, and

  2. b

     the waters of every estuary, river or channel, so far as the tide flows at mean high water spring tide,

  and any reference to an area of sea includes the bed and subsoil of the sea within that area;

• “ship” means any vessel (including hovercraft, submersible craft and other floating craft) other than one which permanently rests on, or is permanently attached to, the seabed;

• “site” has the meaning given by Article 1(j) of the Habitats Directive;

• “site of Community importance” has the meaning given by Article 1(k) of the Habitats Directive;

• “special area of conservation” has the meaning given by Article 1(l) of the Habitats Directive;

• “specimen”—

  1. a

     for the purposes of Part 7 (enforcement), means any animal or plant, or any part of, or anything derived from, an animal or plant; and

  2. b

     for all other purposes has the meaning given by Article 1(m) of the Habitats Directive;

• “statutory undertaker” means a person who is, or is deemed to be, a statutory undertaker for the purposes of any provision of Part 11 of the TCPA 1990 (statutory undertakers);

• “the TCPA 1990” means the Town and Country Planning Act 199022;

• “the WCA 1981” means the Wildlife and Countryside Act 198123;

• “Welsh inshore region” means the area of sea within the seaward limits of the territorial sea adjacent to Wales;

• “wild bird” means a bird which is—

  1. a

     a member of a species referred to in Article 1 of the new Wild Birds Directive (scope of the Directive); and

  2. b

     wild.

Terms not defined in paragraph (1) which are used in these Regulations and also in the Habitats Directive have the meaning they bear in that Directive.

In these Regulations, any reference to an Annex to the Habitats Directive is a reference to that Annex to that Directive as amended from time to time.

Subject to regulation 86(1) (which relates to the construction of provisions of Chapter 2 of Part 6 as one with the TCPA 1990), these Regulations apply to the Isles of Scilly as if the Isles were a county and the Council of the Isles were a county council.

Nothing in these Regulations is to be construed as excluding the application of the provisions of Part 1 of the WCA 1981 (wildlife) in relation to animals or plants also protected under Part 3, 4 or 5 of these Regulations.