2004 Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Loch Paible (Balranald Bog and Loch nam Feithean SSSI) intertidal sediment flats site condition monitoring survey

Loch Paible lies within the Balranald Bog and Loch nam Feithean SSSI on the west side of North Uist. The site includes terrestrial and freshwater features of national importance. The marine feature of conservation interest within the site is the sediment flats of Loch Paible. It is a mandatory requirement of SSSIs that monitoring of a site is carried out (site condition monitoring) to identify deterioration in the condition of the features for which the site has been established. The purpose of the current study was to initiate site condition monitoring of the intertidal sediment flats of Loch Paible. This was done to establish a baseline biological data set that would facilitate the assessment of the condition of the intertidal sediment flat habitats in the future and to allow a judgement to be formed on the current condition of these habitats. The approach taken to achieve these objectives was to establish a series of relocatable stations along transects that reflects the biological and environmental diversity of the sediment flats. Survey transects were worked as two survey events chosen to represent good geographical coverage and the likely spectrum of physiochemical conditions and biotopes. Fixed relocatable points were established, and recorded by dGPS with supporting photographic evidence for re-location, sketches and video. Transects followed constant bearings down the shore to the lowest level exposed at low tide (where possible taking advantage of conspicuous target features to aid reloaction). Zonation of dominant habitats were noted against distance down the tape.