Cortes welcomes new legal protections for swifts in Scotland

The Minister for the Environment, Dr John Cortes, has welcomed the Scottish Parliament’s decision to require swift boxes to be installed in all new buildings, a move that mirrors long-standing planning policy on the Rock.

Until now, Gibraltar has been the only place where swift nest sites have been required as part of planning policy, a measure aimed at protecting nesting sites for the species.

Dr Cortes has been actively involved in promoting the requirement for swift boxes in Westminster, working with campaigners including Hannah Bourne-Taylor and Lord Goldsmith to advocate for increased protections for swifts and other endangered birds.

He addressed MPs, Peers and representatives of environmental NGOs at an event at the House of Lords in May last year, sharing Gibraltar’s experience and best practices in this area.

As quoted in The Guardian, Dr Cortes said: “Scotland’s decision on swift bricks is a significant step in ensuring the survival of this species, which has come to depend so much on us.”

“On the ‘Rock’ we have had this policy for several decades and we have seen a declining population of swifts first stabilise and then increase.”