01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC054063
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Operations cover all or most of Scotland
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 0
- Postcode
- HS20HA
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
MARA was established to advance the understanding and conservation of marine mammals in the Western Isles and wider Scottish waters. Our work combines scientific research and monitoring with education, community engagement and outreach, with the aim of strengthening the evidence base for marine conservation and supporting better protection of the marine environment. Despite being recognised as an area of importance, for marine mammals, significant knowledge gaps remain. These include fundamental questions around various population sizes, distribution, movements, habitat use and health of marine mammal species, as well as the impacts of anthropogenic pressures such as bycatch, underwater noise, vessel activity and disturbance. MARA’s work aims to address these gaps by generating robust, long-term datasets while working closely with local communities, researchers, wildlife operators and other conservation organisations.
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
- the advancement of environmental protection or improvement
- the advancement of animal welfare
Beneficiaries
- Children or young people
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
- Other charities or voluntary bodies
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
4 The organisation’s purposes are: (a) The advancement of science through the research and monitoring of the distribution, abundance, habitat use and social structure of marine mammals and factors affecting their conservation, especially in the Western Isles and wider Scottish waters. (b) The promotion of heritage, arts, culture and science, through the themes of marine mammals, the marine environment and conservation. (c) The advancement of environmental protections and improvements for marine mammals and the marine environment, especially in the Western Isles and wider Scottish waters, and the promotion of conservation to the public. (d) The advancement of marine mammal welfare through research, education, collaboration, dissemination of information and promotion of both individual and species-level welfare. (e) The advancement of education and research relating to marine mammals and the marine environment, including, community engagement, school outreach programmes and volunteering opportunities within the Western Isles and wider Scottish waters
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Total income | Donations | Charitable activities income | Trading income | Investment income | Other income | Total expenditure | Raising funds | Charitable activities spending | Other spending | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2026 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 0 | 21 September 2026 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- 8 Port Voller, Isle of Lewis
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.mara.scot
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.