MCS recommended sites in West Scotland

West Scotland

While only about 300km from top to bottom as the crow flies, the enthralling maze of sea lochs, sounds, inlets and islands on the west coast of Scotland is actually thousands of kilometres long. This region offers some of the most dramatic and diverse scenery in the UK and is home to stunning wildlife. The ancient glacier-carved sea lochs shelter reefs and seabeds blooming with life, including fascinating deep sea creatures unusually close to shore. The sheer variety of life and habitats make this region an undeniable treasure of our seas. Due to the enormous length of this coast, much of it has not been surveyed by Seasearch. An obvious gap is the western isles because, whilst we have Seasearch data for these islands, there is not sufficient at present to confidently make MPA recommendations. There will almost certainly be sites that merit designation as nature conservation MPAs under the Marine (Scotland) Act in the western isles, but at present we do not have sufficient Seasearch data to make recommendations.

Views from the region