Caerlaverock NNR is a National Nature Reserve covering part of the Solway Firth and the land south of Dumfries, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It lies between the River Nith and Lochar Water.
A nature reserve was designated in the 1950s and it is now administered by Scottish Natural Heritage.[1] The reserve covers an area of 55.00 km² and consists of saltmarsh, vast mudflats and grazing land. It is an internationally important wintering site for waterfowl and wading birds. Virtually the entire Svalbard population of Barnacle Goose (roughly 24,000) overwinters here. More than 130,000 wading birds have been recorded in winter. In addition, many thousands of birds stop for "bed and breakfast" while passing through.
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The Upper Solway flats and marshes are a Ramsar site and a European Union Special Protection Area for birdlife.
The reserve was formerly included among UNESCO's Biosphere Reserves. Through the years, the focus of the UNESCO programme shifted from the idea of isolated natural environs to one that allows for the interaction with man in terms of sustainable living and education. After new criteria for biosphere reserves were agreed in 1995, Caelaverock was among four Scottish sites delisted .[2]
The conservation charity Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust runs a centre called WWT Caerlaverock next to the Reserve. There are other National Nature Reserves on the Solway coast in England.