2016-17 Marine bird proposed Special Protection Areas consultation

This public consultation on all of the proposals to designate a suite of proposed Special Protection Areas (pSPAs) is now closed..

The aim is to protect some of Britain's most important coastal and offshore waters for marine birds. 

NatureScot, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Natural England (NE) carried out the consultation on behalf of Scottish and UK Governments.

The consultation for the following five pSPAs closed at midnight on Tuesday 17th January 2017:

• Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex
• Pentland Firth
• Seas off Foula
• Seas off St Kilda
• Solway Firth

The consultation for the following ten sites closed at midnight on Monday 3rd October 2016:

• ​Bluemull and Colgrave Sounds
• Coll and Tiree
• East Mainland Coast
• Moray Firth
• North Orkney
• Rum
• Scapa Flow
• Sound of Gigha
• West Coast of the Outer Hebrides
• Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch.

NatureScot, JNCC and NE have now completed a Consultation Report on a network of proposed Special Protection Areas which combines both consultations on the 15 proposed marine SPAs in Scottish inshore (including Solway Firth pSPA) and offshore waters. Final advice to the Scottish Government on the proposed marine pSPAs has also been published.   

Marine SPAs

Management of Natura sites

Identification of important marine bird sites

pSPA supporting data and boundaries dataset

Marine Bird SPA Consultation Overview

SPAs in the marine environment - questions and answers

SPA Stakeholder Workshop Report - 8th/9th March 2016

Scottish proposed SPA Network Assessment