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Special Areas of Conservation

Coalburn Moss

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country Scotland
Unitary Authority South Western Scotland
Centroid* NS826361
Latitude 55.60416667
Longitude -3.863888889
SAC EU Code UK0019760
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 223.65
* 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 Coalburn Moss SAC

General site character

  • Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (86%)
  • Improved grassland (9%)
  • Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (1%)
  • Coniferous woodland (1%)
  • Other land (including Towns, Villages, Roads, Waste places, Mines, Industrial sites) (3%)

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

  • 7110 Active raised bogs  * Priority feature

    Coalburn Moss retains an extensive primary dome, although this is now confined by two abandoned railway lines. The site contains one of the larger tracts of vigorous bog-moss-dominated vegetation in the Central Belt of Scotland, with distinctive wet Sphagnum hollows. Typical bog-mosses include Sphagnum papillosum and S. magellanicum. Hare’s-tail cottongrass Eriophorum vaginatum, cranberry Vaccinium oxycoccos and reindeer-moss lichen Cladonia spp. are also common. The hollows, rich in S. cuspidatum, are occasionally fringed by great sundew Drosera anglica. Some of the margins of the site also support wetland communities.

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

  • Not Applicable

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.