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Special Areas of Conservation

Loch Laxford

Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Country Scotland
Unitary Authority Extra-Regio, Highlands and Islands
Centroid* NC198501
Latitude 58.40222222
Longitude -5.084722222
SAC EU Code UK0030192
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 1214.54
* 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 Loch Laxford SAC

General site character

  • Marine areas, Sea inlets (100%)

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

  • 1160 Large shallow inlets and bays

    Loch Laxford, on the west coast of Scotland, is a complex fjard with numerous small islands and side branches that include two subsidiary lochs. It is an excellent example of large shallow inlets and bays and contains a wide variety of marine habitats and communities. The outermost part of the site is very exposed, but the many reefs and islands near to the narrow loch entrance result in sheltered conditions over most of the loch. The most important area for sediments, a sheltered littoral inlet at the head of the loch, contains the only extensive sheltered sediment shore in the northern part of the west coast. The soft muds of the inner subsidiary loch, Loch a’Chadh-Fi, contain particularly dense beds of the anemone Sagartiogeton laceratus, and the snake blenny Lumpenus lumpretaeformis (which usually occurs in burrows in deeper water) is also common here. In the outer more exposed reaches of the site, coarser sediments predominate supporting sea cucumbers, hydroids, heart-urchins and bivalves. Beds of maerl Phymatolithon calcareum, with their associated species-rich communities, also occur in various channels of the loch.

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.