The Inner Hebrides and Minches is a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for harbour porpoise. Covering over 13,800km2, it is the largest protected area in Europe for harbour porpoise and would support over 500 individuals.
Following a public consultation held by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2016, this site has now been confirmed a candidate Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for harbour porpoise and has been submitted to the European Commission.
The protected area will help to maintain favourable conservation status of harbour porpoise by providing protection to them and to the habitats that support them.
See the SNH Selection assessment document and consultation
For more information on how we got here, you can read our blog – coordinating protection for harbour porpoise.