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Important Plant Areas (Scotland)

Important Plant Areas (or IPAs) are exactly that: areas of landscape that have been identified as being of the highest botanical importance.

In 2007, Plantlife announced the establishment of 150 IPAs across the UK, areas nominated for their internationally important wild plant populations. Since then we have been actively raising awareness of these ecologically important habitats and encouraging their long-term protection and improvement through the adoption of an ‘ecosystem-based’ conservation approach.

Our IPA programme is endorsed by national conservation organisations including the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts, and also by UK government bodies including Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales.

Click on any of the titles below to find out more about Scotland’s Important Plant Areas.

Important Plant Areas in Scotland

  • Ardmeanach

    Location: The central peninsula on the west coast of the Isle of Mull. Grid ...

  • Bankhead Moss

    Location: South west of Beith, Ayrshire Grid reference: NS 346 505Although ...

  • Beinn Bheigier, Islay

    Location: East of the Isle of Islay in the South Western Isles, north of ...

  • Ben Alder and Aonach Beag

    Location: Central Highlands, 10 miles south west of Dalwhinnie, between Loch ...

  • Ben Nevis

    Location: South east of Fort William in Inverness-shire.Grid reference: NN ...

  • Ben Wyvis

    Location: Highlands of Scotland, 25 km north-west of Inverness. Grid ...

  • Black Wood of Rannoch

    Location: Tay Forest Park, west of Kinloch Rannoch, above the South Loch ...

  • Breadalbanes Mountains

    Location: 6 miles north-east of Killin, north of Loch Tay. There is a car ...

  • Cairngorms

    Location: East of the A9 Perth - Inverness road, south east of Aviemore. ...

  • Caithness and Sutherland Peatlands

    Location: At the most north easterly tip of Scotland, between the coast and ...

  • Carsegowan Moss

    Location: North of Wigtown in Dumfries & Galloway, west of Carsegowan on ...

  • Clearburn Loch

    Location: East of Ettrick in the Scottish borders, on the northern side of ...

  • Coll and Tiree

    Location: Off the west coast of Scotland, in the Inner Hebrides, north west ...

  • Colonsay

    Location: In the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, 15 miles to the ...

  • Crieff Woods (Comrie Woods and Drummond Wood)

    Location: Northwest of Comrie on the A85, and to the north and east of ...

  • Culbin Sands & Bar

    Location: In north east Scotland, on the Moray Firth, east of Nairn off the ...

  • Den of Airlie

    Location: In Angus, north of the A926 between Alyth & Kirriemuir. Grid ...

  • Dornoch Firth and Morrich More

    Location: On the north east coast of Scotland. Grid Reference: NH 831 850The ...

  • Dunkeld–Blairgowrie Lochs

    Location: Perthshire, to the west and south of the A923 , running through ...

  • Eigg

    Hebridean Island, 10 miles offshore from Mallaig in the West Highlands of ...

  • Harris and Lewis

    Location: North west corner of the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles. Grid ...

  • Isle of Arran

    Location: One of the most southerly Scottish islands, The Isle of Arran sits ...

  • Isle of Cumbrae

    Location: Lies in the lower Firth of Clyde. It can be reached by a 10 minute ...

  • Isle of Lismore

    Location: Situated in Loch Linnhe in Argyll, western Scotland. It can be ...

  • Loch Lomond Woods

    Location: The woods surround Loch Lomond, which runs 24 miles from the north ...

  • Mainland Orkney

    Location: The largest island of the Orkney group which lie off the far ...

  • Merrick Kells

    Location: In the Galloway Forest Park, to the north of Glen Trool. The IPA ...

  • Milton Wood

    Location: By the River Ericht, south east of Netherton, east of the A93 ...

  • Moniack Gorge

    Location: South from Easter Moniack on the A862 about 6 miles west of ...

  • Mull Oakwoods

    Location: Off the west coast of Scotland about one hundred miles north-west ...

  • Oldshoremore to Melvich

    Location: North-west Scotland, this area of coast lies to the north of the ...

  • River Tweed

    Location: 2 miles west of Berwick-upon-Tweed, through Whiteadder Water, into ...

  • Rosemarkie to Shandwick Coast

    Location: The coast of the Cromarty Firth to the north of Inverness. The ...

  • Roslin Glen

    Location: Follows the River North Esk, partly within the Roslin Glen Country ...

  • Rum

    Location: One of the Hebridean ‘Small Isles’. Caledonian ...

  • SE Scotland Basalt Outcrops

    Location: Scattered between Edinburgh and the Scottish English Border. Grid ...

  • Shetland

    Location: Off the north coast of Scotland. Grid Reference: HP6409Shetland, ...

  • South-west Skye

    Location: Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. Grid Reference: NG ...

  • Strathglass Complex

    Location: West of Inverness, to the north of Glen Affric. Grid Reference: NH ...

  • Uists

    Location: Central group of islands in the Outer Hebrides. Grid Ref: North ...

  • West Coast IPA

    Location: West coast of Scotland, from south of Cape Wrath to south of ...

  • Whitlaw and Branxholme

    Location: Scottish Borders, north east and east of Selkirk. Most of the ...