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Special Areas of Conservation

Whitlaw and Branxholme

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country Scotland
Unitary Authority Eastern Scotland
Centroid* NT499288
Latitude 55.55
Longitude -2.7939
SAC EU Code UK0013594
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 41.3
* This is the approximate central point of the SAC. In the case of large, linear or composite sites, this may not represent the location where a feature occurs within the SAC.
Location of Whitlaw and Branxholme SAC

General site character

  • Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (6.5%)
  • Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (51%)
  • Heath, Scrub, Maquis and Garrigue, Phygrana (32.8%)
  • Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (9.7%)

Download the Standard Data Form for this site (PDF <100kb)

Note When undertaking an appropriate assessment of impacts at a site, all features of European importance (both primary and non-primary) need to be considered.

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • 7140 Transition mires and quaking bogs

    Within this site in south-east Scotland transition mires occur as a part of valley mires and basin mires, in complexes of vegetation containing bog and fen vegetation. The vegetation, which is mainly of NVC type M9 Carex rostrata – Calliergon cuspidatum/giganteum mire, is therefore not only floristically intermediate between fen and bog, but occupies transitional positions within vegetation zonations. The site provides excellent representation of transition mire, being transitional both in vegetation types (especially the occurrence of bog-moss Sphagnum with other, more fen-type, species such as lesser tussock-sedge Carex diandra) and in hydrological characteristics.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

  • 1393 Slender green feather-moss Drepanocladus (Hamatocaulis) vernicosus

    Whitlaw and Branxholme consists of a series of basic alkaline and neutral fens of considerable diversity. It holds a recently-confirmed strong population of slender green feather-moss Drepanocladus vernicosus providing a south-east Scotland representative site.

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

  • Not Applicable

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.