The
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 includes a
number of plants in Schedule 8. All of these designations are
also available in the
Species
Designations Database. It is an offence to pick, uproot,
trade in, or possess for the purpose of trade, any of the
designated species. The exception to this is the bluebell,
for which it is only an offence to trade in the species or to
possess it for the purpose of trade.
Plants are included in Annexes II,
IV and V of the
EC Habitats Directive. These designations
are available in the
Species Designations Database. Annex
II includes those plant species of community interest for which
special areas of conservation shall be set up under the title
Natura 2000. This network, shall enable the species' habitats
to be maintained or, where appropriate, restored at a favourable
conservation status in their natural range. Annex IV includes
those plant species which have strict protection, prohibiting the
deliberate picking, collecting, cutting, uprooting or destruction
of such plants in their natural range in the wild; and the keeping,
transport and sale or exchange and offering for sale or exchange of
specimens of such species taken in the wild. Annex V includes
those plant species of community interest whose taking in the wild
and exploitation may be subject to management measures. The
UK is required to conduct surveillance of the conservation status
of all of these species, and is further required to report on the
conservation status every six years.
Information about the inclusion of
plants on CITES can be obtained from the
Royal Botanic
Gardens Kew. Kew acts as the UK CITES Scientific
Authority for Plants.