UNITED KINGDOM · SCOTLAND · DESIGNATIONS · SCOTLAND
SAC (Scotland)
What this layer shows
Special Area of Conservation: European-level protection for habitats and non-bird species, designated by NatureScot under the Habitats Directive as retained in Scots law. A plan or project likely to affect one triggers Habitats Regulations Appraisal.
Where the data comes from
WFS · ogc.nature.scot
Merestone asks this service live for the area on screen. Nothing is copied or stored beyond a short cache.
In these presets
Essentials
What is protected here: the statutory designations, across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus ancient woodland. This is what the map opens with, and what Default puts back. It is a starting point, not a limit: every other layer is one tap away in the list below.
Desk study
The statutory designations an ecologist checks first: SSSI, SAC, SPA, Ramsar, National and Local Nature Reserves across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus ancient woodland and priority habitat. This is the opening move of a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, what is protected on or near the site. Statutory sites are commonly scoped to 10 km and habitat inventories to 2 km, guidance sets no fixed distances, so set the radius to suit the project.
Renewables screening
The constraints a wind or solar scheme is screened against in Scotland and northern England: carbon-rich soils and deep peat, wild land, National Scenic Areas, the statutory designations and ancient woodland. A screening map, not a decision: NPF4 gives several of these explicit weight, and the rest is casework.