Thanks to coastal communities around the Argyll coast who care passionately about the marine environment, we are able to celebrate the recognition of the first Mission Blue Hope Spot in Scotland and mainland UK. This new Hope Spot joins an impressive and growing number around the world.

 

Collectively, Hope Spots can help to protect and restore marine biodiversity on a local, regional, national and international scale.

 

This website will show you some of the natural gems that live in the Argyll Coast and Islands Hope Spot. On land, four National Scenic Areas reflect the breath-taking scenery, while four Marine Protected Areas show how precious and diverse our sea life is. The Hope Spot contains much of cultural significance too, and many people have their homes and make their living here.

 

The Hope Spot is a community-led initiative. Its designation is a celebration and recognition of the world-class natural riches of this part of Scotland’s coast. For generations these have sustained the coastal communities scattered across this beautiful and diverse landscape. Let’s make sure they continue to do so far into the future.

 

Mission Blue Hope Spots are a catalyst to greater understanding, appreciation and protection of our marine environment, and they have a global reach. By highlighting Argyll’s world-class marine life, Scotland’s first Hope Spot will increase the area’s appeal to visitors, benefiting local businesses, including sustainable fishermen.

 

The four community groups that suggested it are supported by many hundreds of people who live inside the Hope Spot area. Coastal communities are coming together like this because they are concerned about pollution, including discarded plastic, and the over-exploitation of the sea we all share.

 

Scotland has a great opportunity to manage our seas sustainably, and to support and restore marine life for future generations. Our communities must be involved with these decisions because all our futures depend upon them. Local communities can help to pinpoint the most vulnerable species and habitats.  The Hope Spot is about harnessing this knowledge and putting it to work.

 

As well as providing sustainable jobs for coastal communities, Scotland’s seas should be a beacon here and further afield, to show what is possible when those who live on and by the sea come together to look after it.

rgyll hope spot area


What is special about this area?

 

In Scotland, its biodiversity is second only to St Kilda, with a range of habitats from sheltered sea lochs to the world’s second largest whirlpool; the Gulf of Corryvreckan. The coastal environment supports an impressive range of birds and mammals and the breath-taking scenery on land is surpassed underwater, where deep water species can dive to 200m just offshore.

 

The Hope Spot has an intricate coastline of sea lochs, peninsulas, deep water sounds, narrows and islands, encompassing existing Marine Protected Areas, Special Areas for Conservation and a host of Priority Marine Features.

 

The combination of economic, cultural and environmental value represented in the Hope Spot demonstrate the vital connection between coastal communities and their local waters.

 

Raising awareness of the marine environment in the Argyll Coast and Islands Hope Spot will help local communities and visitors alike to understand why Argyll is a world-class place for biodiversity.

 

It is no coincidence that this special environment provides one of the few remaining strongholds for the critically endangered Flapper skate.