River Oykel

Site details

UK map showing location of River Oykel Special Area of Conservation/Site of Community Importance.
Location of River Oykel SAC/SCI/cSAC
Country Scotland
Unitary Authority  Highland
Centroid* NH494999
Latitude 57 58 20 N
Longitude 04 44 00 W
SAC EU code UK0030261
Status Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC)
Area (ha) 960.42
* 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.

General site character

Inland water bodies (standing water, running water) (80%)
Bogs. Marshes. Water fringed vegetation. Fens (3%)
Dry grassland. Steppes (2%)
Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (5%)
Inland rocks. Screes. Sands. Permanent snow and ice (10%)


Boundary map and associated biodiversity information on the NBN Gateway.

Natura 2000 data form for this site as submitted to Europe (PDF format, size 30kb).

 

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

Not applicable

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

Not applicable.

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

1029 Freshwater pearl mussel  Margaritifera margaritifera
The Oykel is a long, meandering river in the northern Highlands of Scotland that flows into the Kyle of Sutherland on the east coast. The river supports an excellent, high-quality freshwater pearl mussel Margaritifera margaritifera population with high densities recorded at some locations, including a bed numbering several thousand individuals. Surveys have also recorded high percentages of juveniles within the population, indicating that there has been recent successful recruitment. There is also evidence of unsurveyed pearl mussel populations in deep water that may increase the conservation importance of the river.

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

1106 Atlantic salmon  Salmo salar

Many designated sites are on private land: the listing of a site in these pages does not imply any right of public access.


 
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