Back Sands of Forvie Nature Reserve CEB Sands of Forvie German Forvieko dunak Basque Sands of Forvie Nature Reserve Swedish
| Forvie National Nature Reserve | |
|---|---|
 View of the Forvie National Nature Reserve, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. | |
  | |
| Location | Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 57°18′43″N 1°59′10″W / 57.31194°N 1.98611°W |
| Area | 973 ha (2,400 acres)[2] |
| Established | 1959[1] |
| Governing body | NatureScot |
| Forvie National Nature Reserve | |
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The Forvie National Nature Reserve is a national nature reserve owned and managed by NatureScot. It is located north of Newburgh in Aberdeenshire, in the northeast of Scotland. The reserve includes the Sands of Forvie, which are the fifth largest sand dune system in Britain, and the least disturbed by human activity.[3] The dune system is an integral part of the Ythan Estuary, which also forms part of the reserve, and separates the sands from Balmedie beach.
The reserve contained at one point the largest breeding colony of breeding common eider in Britain and while they are still a protected feature of the reserve the eider colony suffered dramatic losses starting in 2006 and the subsequent years. The reserve also hosts an internationally important ternery[4] and a protected seal haul-out containing both common seals and grey seals, predominantly the latter.[5]
The area is designated as a both a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation under the Natura 2000 scheme, as well as being a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[6][7][8] The site is designated a Category II protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1]
The sands were the site of the village of Forvie that was abandoned due to drifting sands.[9]
- ^ a b c "Forvie". Protected Planet. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ "Forvie National Nature Reserve". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Special Area of Conservation designation". Retrieved 6 May 2007.
- ^ SNH. "Sands of Forvie and Ythan Estuary SSSI Citation". Retrieved 4 February 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Ythan Estuary, Sands of Forvie and Meikle Loch SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Sands of Forvie SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Sands of Forvie and Ythan Estuary SSSI". NatureScot. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Stephen Fisk. "Abandoned Communities ... Shifting Sands". Retrieved 2 February 2019.