Land around Marine Drive could qualify to be designated an Area of Special Scientific Interest, according to Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot, but it is not a priority.

Mr Boot said his department tried to prioritise areas of land that were vulnerable and needed protection measures more urgently.

In Tynwald last week, he said the Department for Environment, Food and Agriculture was aware of the ’high ecological importance’ of Marine Drive.

’I can confirm the site would meet the criteria for designation as an Area of Special Scientific Interest,’ he said.

A large variety of birds, including choughs and peregrine falcons visited the area, while butterflies and lizards could be found in the coast heathland and flower-rich grass. Dolphins, basking sharks and porpoises had been seen off the coastline.

He added: ’A future designation of the area from Douglas Head to Port Soderick may well be able to include Port Soderick Glen, provided the glen meets specific designation criteria set out in the guidelines published in 2008.

’The glen is species-diverse and is a particularly good site for butterflies, with over 12 species known to occur there.’

Although the department ’strongly’ believed Marine Drive was of high scientific interest, ’as it is not currently vulnerable, we have not viewed it as a high priority site for designation at present’.

He was responding to a question from Bill Henderson MLC, who said that given the high volume of use of the area ’including some damaging activities that are reported from time to time, and farming activities to the landward side which may not be aware of the high wildlife significance of the area’, it should be moved up the priority ladder.

Mr Henderson argued it would not be difficult to go ahead with the designation.

’It would not take a huge amount of resources - hardly any - because a lot of survey work has already been done,’ he said.

The Minister said he was willing to talk to his officers about it, but it was ’never as simple as it seems’.

The DEFA recently had to promise to reinstate a wet meadow area of Port Soderick Glen after important butterfly habitat was destroyed by improvements to access and footpaths in the glen.

In response to a separate question, Mr Boot said that semi-natural habitats for wildlife, as well as qualifying for protection by ASSI designation, received a ’higher level of scrutiny’ in the planning process and were a key component of the government’s biodiversity strategy.