Description
Project Summary
How can we protect and restore Morvern’s marine environment if we do not first understand what is there?
The Morvern Baseline Project was developed to build a clearer picture of the habitats, species and environmental conditions found along Morvern’s Sound of Mull coastline, providing evidence to support future monitoring and opportunities for marine restoration.
The project grew from CAOLAS’s work restoring native oysters in Lochaline and a wider interest in identifying other habitats around Morvern that might benefit from protection, enhancement or restoration. A review of existing information found relatively little published evidence describing intertidal habitats and species distributions at the proposed study sites, highlighting the value of establishing a local ecological baseline.
Exploring Morvern’s coast
Five sites were selected for detailed investigation: Ardness, Fiunary, Rhemore, Port Mòr and Rubh’ an Dùin Bhàin.
The project brought together a range of approaches, including desk-based research, intertidal biodiversity surveys, water quality monitoring and marine litter recording. Drone surveys and a remotely operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, also provided opportunities to investigate habitats beyond the shoreline.
Across the five sites, surveys recorded the characteristic zonation of rocky shores, with different communities of marine animals and algae found across the upper, middle and lower shore. Importantly, the work also established repeatable survey locations that can be revisited to understand how these communities change over time.
One particularly interesting area was Rhemore, where the project investigated the presence of seagrass using shore observations, drone imagery and ROV surveys. The report recommends further targeted work to understand the extent of these seagrass beds and investigate their potential status as a Priority Marine Feature.
The project also examined water quality across the study sites and recorded marine litter. At Ardness, where litter was particularly prevalent, beach cleans were undertaken and the results submitted to the Marine Conservation Society database.
A baseline for the future
The Morvern Baseline Project provides a starting point rather than an end point.
The report identifies opportunities for continued monitoring of the survey sites, further investigation of seagrass and other Priority Marine Features, longer-term water quality monitoring, and exploration of habitats with potential for future enhancement or restoration.
The findings are also contributing to wider discussions about Morvern’s marine environment, including consideration within the Morvern Local Place Plan.
By establishing what is present now, and creating methods and survey sites that can be revisited in future, the project provides a valuable foundation for understanding change and supporting informed, community-led stewardship of Morvern’s coast.
Explore the full report
The full Morvern Baseline Project Report, written by Dr T. M. C. Sim, contains detailed site results, species records, maps, photographs, environmental data and recommendations for future monitoring and research.
Download the full Morvern Baseline Project Report to discover more about what was found along Morvern’s shores.
The Morvern Baseline Project was supported by the Highlands & Islands Environment Foundation and the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund.
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