NatureScot Commissioned Report 764: Upper Loch Fyne and Loch Goil pMPA and Wester Ross pMPA - the identification of conservation management areas to support protected feature recovery

SNH Research Report 764 - front cover

This report concerns two areas currently under consideration by the Scottish Government as members of the suite of 33 possible Nature Conservation Marine Protected Areas (pMPAs): Upper Loch Fyne and Loch Goil pMPA and Wester Ross pMPA. MPA designation will aim to protect a number of seabed features (termed Proposed Protected Features or PPFs) including flame shell beds at both locations and Wester Ross maerl beds. These beds are considered to be in poor condition and have been assigned 'recover' conservation objectives by NatureScot.

The study aims to inform the development of appropriate management options for these PPFs within the two sites by improving understanding of the distribution of the features through the analysis of relevant historical records, and by the identification of possible sources of anthropogenic influence. Areas were identified which, based on current knowledge, appear to offer the most suitable targets for possible conservation management action to support future feature recovery.

Pages: 43
Published: 2014

NatureScot Commissioned Report 764

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