Nature30 - Recognised sites
Explore Scotland's first Nature30 recognised sites.
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Number of Nature30 sites
3730
Coverage (ha)
Nature30 looks to recognise a wide breath of areas in Scotland contributing to the safeguarding of nature.
Here you will find examples of some of the areas recognised as Nature30 sites across Scotland.
Scotland’s first Nature30 sites
Our pioneering, and first Nature30 sites in Scotland include;
- Loch Arkaig Pine Forest - The Woodland Trust and Arkaig Community Forest
- Findhorn Hinterland - Findhorn Hinterland Trust
- Loch Wood – Blackwood Estate Community Association
- Knapdale - Forestry and Land Scotland
Loch Arkaig Pine Forest
The Loch Arkaig Pine Forest consists of two separate woodland areas known as Glen Mallie and the Gusach, extending over 1065.11 ha on the south side of Loch Arkaig in Lochaber.
The ancient Caledonian pine forest is considered one of the most genuinely native and semi-natural pine wood sites in Scotland. They contain temperate rainforest supporting a range of nationally important lichen flora including a particularly rare fire-dependent species known from only three other locations.
The Woodland Trust in partnership with Arkaig Community Forest are working to restore the site through the removal of non-native conifer plantations, enabling native pine and oak natural regeneration through deer management, and peatland restoration.
Visit Lock Arkaig Pine Forest website from the Woodland Trust
Findhorn Hinterland
Findhorn Hinterland managed by the Findhorn Hinterland Trust (FHT) is approximately 48.08 ha of coastal sand dune habitats along the Moray Firth between the Findhorn and Burghead Bays in Morayshire.
Findhorn sand dunes contain rare habitats and are nationally significant for lichen assemblages, invertebrates and fungi. The wider dune system retains a high level of ecological integrity and the FHT are working to restore the site to the contribute further resilience to these unique and threatened ecosystems.
FHT has been working to restore the dune habitats through the process of targeted scrub and non-native tree seedling removal to reestablish bare sand and dune heath to allow a return to the natural ecological processes of the dunes.
Loch Wood
Loch Wood on the upper reaches of the Cander Water, a tributary of the River Clyde, is a 26.98 ha riparian woodland site. It contains a mix of native broadleaf woodland along with diverse associated flora. Along with legacy plantation forestry, Loch Wood is managed for natural regeneration.
Owned and managed by Blackwood Estate Community Association (BECA) the site was purchased in 2021 to both conserve the natural environment of the woodland and to provide access and outdoor learning opportunities for local groups.
Targeted management over the long term will achieve restructuring and diversifying of the age and species composition in the woodland while also addressing invasive non-native species and herbivore impact to ensure the woodland continues to support crucial ecosystem processes.
Knapdale
Knapdale in Argyll is 2590.45 ha site of public land managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) both for conservation of the priority Atlantic rainforest habitats and for sustainable timber production.
The site includes richly diverse compartments of native broadleaf trees and the important lichen assemblages they support. Resident beaver populations have begun to expand out of near by protected areas, making this site a key example of how Nature30 sites can buffer, connect and extend existing 30 by 30 sites.
As part of the Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest (ASR), FLS are working in partnership with neighbouring landholdings to address landscape scale pressures including grazing pressure.
All recognised Nature30 sites will be available on Scotland’s official Protected Areas and Nature30 database, Sitelink and NatureScot Data Hub.
All of Scotland's recognised Nature30 sites will also be reported on the World Database for OECMs and contribute to the global 30 by 30 target.
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