Where can I find SPAs in Scotland?
There are 153 classified Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in Scotland, including Upper Solway Flats and Marshes, part of which lies in England. Together they cover an area of well over a million hectares, or just under 4000 square miles.
The smaller sites cover just a few hectares but these cliffs and lochs are critical for nesting seabirds and roosting geese. The smallest SPA of all is Imperial Dock Lock in the heart of Edinburgh's Leith district. The site covers only around 1,000 square metres, but despite its size and rather surprising location, it is home to one of the biggest common tern colonies in the UK. At the other end of the scale, the vast peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland and the Isle of Lewis provide a haven for important populations of many different species including birds of prey and waders.
- Search for an SPA in Scotland using Sitelink's interactive map
or locate SPAs using the simple map below. The figures shown in red circles indicate the number of sites concentrated in one area - zoom in for more detail
- Search for an SPA in Scotland by site name or local authority
- Find out more about the species for which SPAs are selected in the UK (based on the situation in 2001)
- Read the site accounts for SPAs in the UK (based on the situation in 2001)
- Search for all SPAs in the UK using an interactive map (based on the situation in 2001)