In Scotland, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designated areas of the sea aimed at protecting habitats, wildlife, geology, undersea landforms, historic shipwrecks, and demonstrating sustainable management of marine resources. As of August 2025, approximately 37% of Scotland's seas are covered by the Scottish MPA network, which comprises 243 sites.
As of August 2025, Scotland's MPA network comprises 243 sites protected under various conservation designations. Many of these designations are the same as those used on land, such as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
The legal framework for designating MPAs depends on the designation. For example, SSSIs are designated under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Where sites are not designated under other conservation legislation, MPAs are designated under one of two acts of parliament, depending on their location:
Sites are designated as MPAs under these acts for one of three purposes:
In addition to the statutory MPAs, five sites were recognized as part of the Scottish MPA network, categorized as "other effective area-based conservation measures" (OECMs). Although these areas were not specifically created for nature conservation purposes, restrictions in place for these areas meant that they were considered to contribute to the protection of marine biodiversity. By December 2024 only one area was still considered to be an OECM, as changes in legislation and the extension of other areas had rendered the other OECM no longer relevant. The makeup of the network as of August 2025 is detailed in the table below:
The lead body for the management of MPAs in Scotland is Marine Scotland. For nature conservation sites within territorial waters, NatureScot is responsible for developing the network, providing scientific advice to the Scottish Government on site selection, and advising Marine Scotland on management once sites are designated. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) fulfills this role for sites in offshore waters and also has a coordinating role for nature conservation across all the UK's offshore waters. Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for managing historic MPAs.
Activities undertaken in an MPA can be managed through voluntary measures or by implementing Marine Conservation Orders or Inshore Fishing Orders. Management measures, such as restrictions on the type of fishing gear that can be used, may be in place for all or part of an MPA and may only apply at certain times of the year. Environmental groups have criticized the government for failing to enforce fishing rules around MPAs.
These tables list those MPAs not covered by other designations (i.e. excluding SACs, SPAs, and SSSIs etc.) as of August 2025.
There is one Demonstration and Research Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the waters surrounding Fair Isle. This MPA was designated on 9 November 2016. The aims of this MPA designation are defined as follows:
In 2018, 5 areas were considered to form part of the MPA network as a result of area-based conservation measures other than the main statutory designations; these are listed below. By December 2024 only one area was still regarded as falling into this category due to changes in the protection of the other areas.