{"access":"The Isle of May is available for use by other research organisations, usually in collaboration with UKCEH: initial enquiries via UKCEH Edinburgh (Francis Daunt). Such projects are subject to permissions provided by the landowners, NatureScot, and any other relevant research licence-awarding bodies.  IMLOTS data are available via the UKCEH Environmental Information Data Centre (EIDC).","capabilities":"The Isle of May is about 1.5 kilometres (0.9 miles) long and 0.5 kilometres (0.3 miles) wide, owned and managed by NatureScot as a national nature reserve, with no permanent residents.  IMLOTS is run by UKCEH to provide the most comprehensive study of seabird populations in the UK from a series of study locations on the island.  IMLOTS sites are used to study seabird population ecology,  trophic interactions, ecotoxicology, disease ecology, behavioural ecology and physiology - to assess the effects of key drivers and causes of seabird population change, such as climate change, fishing, offshore renewable developments, contaminants and parasites. IMLOTS is a key site in the BTO/JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP), an ongoing programme of annual monitoring and periodic surveys of 25 species of seabird that breed regularly in Britain and Ireland. SMP provides data on breeding numbers and breeding success of seabirds, both regionally and nationally, to enable their conservation status to be assessed.  ","description":"The purpose of the Isle of May Long-Term Study (IMLOTS) is to study the drivers and causes of change in seabird populations - including demography, diet and behaviour.  This research informs marine spatial planning for the NE Atlantic Ocean, including: hemispheric scale seabird conservation; and the issuing of consent licences for offshore wind farms.  IMLOTS contributes to the Seabird Monitoring Programme for Britain and Ireland, and to UKCEH monitoring of environmental change.","fundingSources":"Funding for IMLOTS is provided by: UKRI-NERC National Capability UK-SCaPE programme; JNCC; research project grants; and by the offshore wind farm industry.","geometry":{"geometryString":"{\"type\":\"Feature\",\"properties\":{},\"geometry\":{\"type\":\"Point\",\"coordinates\":[-2.55666,56.18651]}}","wkt":"POINT(-2.55666 56.18651)"},"id":"533dc921-6162-469b-8d52-98787a67e2f9","infrastructureCategory":{"value":"fieldPlatforms","description":"Field research platforms","infrastructureClass":"Environmental experiment platforms","uri":"http://vocabs.ceh.ac.uk/ri/controlledPlatforms"},"infrastructureChallenge":[{"value":"Sustainable ecosystems: biodiversity net gain"},{"value":"Pollution","uri":"http://vocab.ceh.ac.uk/ri#Pollution"}],"infrastructureScale":"Area, city, farm, habitat","lifecycle":"IMLOTS commenced in 1973 and has been ongoing annually since then.","locationText":"The Isle of May is located in the outer Firth of Forth, approximately 8 km (5.0 miles) off the east coast of mainland Scotland.","metadataDate":"2025-04-09T09:24:56","onlineResources":[{"url":"https://www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/projects/isle-may-long-term-study","name":"IMLOTS","function":"website","type":"OTHER"},{"url":"https://www.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/styles/gallery/public/razorbill%20with%20ring%20250px.jpg","name":"Razorbill","function":"image","type":"OTHER"}],"owners":[{"displayName":"Francis Daunt","organisationName":"UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology","organisationIdentifier":"https://ror.org/00pggkr55","role":"owner","fullName":"Francis Daunt"}],"partners":"IMLOTS is operated by UKCEH, liaising closely with NatureScot who own and manage the island and its seabird populations, and who licence all research and monitoring work. IMLOTS is partly funded by the JNCC as part of the BTO/JNCC UK Seabird Monitoring Programme.  IMLOTS collaborates with universities on grants, in particular U Aberdeen, NTNU, U Edinburgh, U Liverpool, U York. IMLOTS has close associations with the offshore renewable developers in the region (EDF R, Seagreen, Berwick Bank and Inch Cape) and the RSPB on strategic monitoring of offshore wind farm effects. ","resourceIdentifiers":[{"code":"https://catalogue-staging.ceh.ac.uk/id/7b31c402-3ffd-425f-a3bb-da5eda438d49"},{"code":"https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/533dc921-6162-469b-8d52-98787a67e2f9"}],"scienceArea":"Biodiversity","title":"Isle of May Long-Term Study (IMLOTS)","type":"infrastructureRecord","uniqueness":"IMLOTS is the most comprehensive survey site in the Seabird Monitoring Programme for Britain and Ireland, and makes important contributions to the evidence base for marine spatial planning.","uri":"https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/533dc921-6162-469b-8d52-98787a67e2f9","users":["IMLOTS is currently used by UKCEH researchers and collaborating partners."]}