The Coastal Communities Network (or CCN) is a coalition of community-based groups & organisations committed to the preservation and safeguarding of Scotland’s coastal and marine environments. We currently have over 30 member groups from all along the coasts of Scotland.
Our aims and mission
CCN’s mission is to connect and strengthen community-led efforts in protecting, restoring, and sustainably using Scotland’s marine resources for the benefit of people and nature. We firmly believe that power lies within local communities to drive meaningful change and make a lasting impact on the health of our coasts & seas.
Together, members of CCN address a wide range of pressing issues, including salmon farming, marine plastic pollution, and the restoration of marine habitats.
Our aims are to
- support local action to protect and restore marine and coastal biodiversity,
- build capacity for community participation and leadership in marine management, and
- advocate for a community voice in decision-making for the marine environment
Explore our interactive map to find out about each of the CCN members.
Our story
CCN emerged in 2017 from a partnership between the wildlife organisation Fauna & Flora and the local organisation COAST. At the time there was recognition of a need for a platform to provide opportunities for community organisations working on marine issues to access peer-to-peer support and guidance.
In 2025, CCN gained charitable status as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC054249) and launched with an inaugural Board of Trustees. To ensure that the network continues to be community-led, the majority of our Board will always be from our membership of community based organisations.
Our network is continuously growing and evolving. Our achievements to date show the vast potential for community action and leadership to address the pressing issues that our marine and coastal environments face.
Fauna & Flora continues to provide invaluable support to individual CCN members, assisting them in establishing their operations, developing governance structures, raising independent funds, and initiating projects.
Follow CCN’s journey from its emergence to present day with notable successes along the way.
CCN’s beginnings
Working in partnership with COAST, Fauna & Flora identify a number of community groups who want to take action to protect their local marine environment, but are constrained by a lack of resources.
First coastal communities gathering
First coastal communities gathering at Gartmore offers a platform for groups to share their history and aspirations for the future.
The Network launches
A network of community leaders becomes the Coastal Communities Network, with 8 founding member groups.
Community-led Marine Monitoring
Second coastal communities gathering
Building on the success of the first coastal communities gathering, the second gathering takes place at Gartmore. CCN now has 12 members.
UK’s first Hope Spot
The UK’s first Hope Spot was declared around the Argyll Coast and Islands on World Ocean’s Day, 8 June 2019. The Argyll Coast & Islands Hope Spot was the direct result of the efforts of four CCN groups.
Third coastal communities gathering
Following a delay in 2020, the third coastal communities gathering takes place at Gartmore, where the future of CCN is discussed.
Hiring of a CCN Coordinator
An outcome of the previous coastal communities gathering was for Fauna & Flora to provide full-time support to help CCN grow and realise its ambitions. The current CCN Coordinator is Sarah Doherty, who can be contacted at info@communitiesforseas.scot.
Find out more about CCN members and Friends of CCN.
