# Www Nature Scot > NatureScot Access Skill - Skill: `antins-labs/www-nature-scot` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 4 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add antins-labs/www-nature-scot` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/antins-labs/www-nature-scot/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: antins-labs (https://skillmd.com/u/antins-labs) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/antins-labs/www-nature-scot --- # NatureScot Access Skill ## Overview This skill provides programmatic access to NatureScot (www.nature.scot), the Scottish government's nature conservation agency website. It retrieves protected area designations, commissioned reports, and environmental research publications. ## Important Notes ### Cloudflare Protection NatureScot uses **Cloudflare protection** that blocks automated access from: - Bots and web scrapers - Automated HTTP clients - Headless browsers without proper configuration This is a **known limitation** and the skill is designed to: 1. Attempt access with multiple user agents 2. Detect and report Cloudflare blocks 3. Provide diagnostic information 4. Fall back to browser-based access if Playwright is available ## Available Functions ### 1. `fetch_page` Fetches a single page from NatureScot. **Parameters:** - `url` (required): Full URL of the page to fetch - `use_browser` (optional): Boolean, whether to use browser-based access (default: false) - `timeout` (optional): Timeout in seconds (default: 30) **Example:** ```json { "function": "fetch_page", "url": "https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/national-scenic-areas" } ``` **Returns:** ```json { "success": true, "url": "...", "title": "Page Title", "html": "...", "body_text": "...", "headings": [...], "links": [...], "tables": [...], "metadata": {...} } ``` ### 2. `check_access_health` Checks the current accessibility status of the NatureScot website. **Parameters:** - `timeout` (optional): Timeout in seconds (default: 30) **Example:** ```json { "function": "check_access_health" } ``` **Returns:** ```json { "timestamp": 1234567890.123, "site_accessible": false, "simple_http": {"success": false, "status": 403}, "browser_access": {"success": false, "error": "..."}, "cloudflare_active": true, "recommendations": [...] } ``` ## Content Types Available When access is successful, the following content can be retrieved: ### Protected Areas - National Scenic Areas (NSAs) - Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) - Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) - Special Protection Areas (SPAs) - National Nature Reserves (NNRs) ### Publications - Commissioned Reports - Research publications - Guidance documents - Policy papers ### Professional Advice - Protected species guidance - Development planning advice - Licensing information - Management guidance ## Troubleshooting ### If you get a Cloudflare block: 1. **Wait and retry**: The block may be temporary 2. **Use browser mode**: Set `use_browser: true` (requires Playwright) 3. **Check health**: Run `check_access_health` first 4. **Manual access**: The site works normally in a regular browser ### Alternative data sources: If automated access continues to fail, consider: - Scottish Government Open Data Portal - UK Government data services - Direct contact with NatureScot for data requests ## Technical Details ### Dependencies - **aiohttp**: For HTTP requests (required) - **playwright**: For browser-based access (optional) ### Rate Limiting The skill implements rate limiting (1 request/second minimum) to be respectful to the server. ### User Agents The skill tries multiple user agents in order: 1. Google bot 2. Bing bot 3. Standard Chrome browser 4. Firefox browser ## Known URLs ### Test URLs - National Scenic Areas: `/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/national-designations/national-scenic-areas` - Commissioned Report 374: `/doc/naturescot-commissioned-report-374-special-qualities-national-scenic-areas` ### Common Paths - `/professional-advice/` - Professional advice and guidance - `/doc/` - Documents and commissioned reports - `/protected-areas/` - Protected area information - `/species/` - Species guidance ## Limitations 1. **Cloudflare blocks most automated access** - This is the primary limitation 2. **No API access** - NatureScot does not provide a public API 3. **Rate limiting** - Even when access works, requests must be limited 4. **Content variability** - Site structure may change over time ## Future Improvements Potential enhancements if access becomes reliable: - Search functionality - Publication listing and filtering - Protected area database queries - Species information retrieval - Document download handling