It's clear why people call the Isle of Arran 'Scotland in Miniature' – a visit reveals Scotland's beauty and difficulties. A double decker bus took my partner Kate and me through coastal forests that thinned to reveal the interior's cloud-wrapped volcanic peaks. We hopped off in Lamlash, Arran's biggest village, and walked by the Bay where Norwegian King Haikon IV hid his fleet before his defeat at Largs in 1263. The Bay's swans and the town's churches, quiet hotels, and three storey houses called to our cameras as we searched for the Community of Arran's Seabed Trust (COAST), a grassroots group that strives to restore Arran's coastal waters.

We discovered the group's office in a hidden building it shares with a decorating company and a nail salon. “How did you find out about COAST?” Andy Telford asked, surprised that American travelers knew about his organization. We laughed and described the confusing directions the bus driver and a fishing supply store's manager offered. We kept up the search because we knew COAST'S chair Howard Wood won the 2015 Goodman Environmental Prize.

This prize is awarded annually to grassroots activists from the six inhabited continents. These activists protect endangered species and habitats, oppose destructive development practices while supporting positive initiatives, or emphasize environmental justice issues. An international jury chooses the winners, who often live in inner cities or isolated villages, around Earth Day.  Each gets wide media attention, meets with environmental leaders and possible funders in New York City and San Francisco, and receives $175,000.00 to support future work.

Howard Wood began to dive and snorkel around Arran, the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, 40 years ago. He remembers the extensive maerl beds. Maerl is brittle coralline red seaweed that grows in shallow waters along European coasts, particularly Scotland's. It supports a complex sea bottom community of hydroids (plant-like colonial animals that sweep the water with their tentacles to catch prey), sea cucumbers, brittle stars, scallops, and many other forms of marine life. The habitat offers nooks and crannies where fish and marine invertebrates deposit their eggs, and where young hatchlings avoid predators.

Howard saw the impact that overfishing and dredging had on Arran's coast. Fishing has been a major industry in the Firth of Clyde since medieval times. Recent higher demand for fish contributed to the development of more powerful boats and more sophisticated fish finding techniques. Herring were depleted by the 1960s; cod, white fish, and other species declined as dredging for scallops and bottom trawling increased.

Fisherman began to concentrate on dredging for scallops and bottom trawling for Norway lobster. Dredgers use four-inch tines that break up the slow-growing maerl, destroying seabed communities.

“There used to be so many basking sharks in Lamlash Bay they would bump into boats,” Andy laughed ruefully. Over-hunting of these fabulous creatures means people see far fewer these days around Arran. Low stocks of larger white fish also led to the cancellation of an annual angling contest, and a decline in the community's income.

A frustrated Howard, along with fellow diver Don MacNeish, began to petition the Government to preserve the coastal seabed habitat, but they soon found how easily individuals can be ignored. He and Don founded COAST in 1995 and organized support for their efforts. They spoke to sustainable fisherman's associations, local restaurants, and travel businesses and environmental groups who all supported COAST'S work.

COAST's pressure led the government to establish a No Take Zone in 2008 in spite of opposition from big fishing interests. Dredging, trawling, and any other harvesting of marine life is prohibited in this one mile square area between Lamlash and Holy Isle. COAST regularly monitors the seabed conditions here, and has found macro algae, and additional seabed species that are twice as abundant as they are outside of the No Take Zone. This leads to increased habitat for eggs and young marine animals.

Fish, scallops, and lobsters are returning, and are bigger and longer-lived than in other areas. Larger adults produce more offspring, and help rebuild populations in adjacent waters. COAST believes that if the No Take Zone continues to be protected, it will be a truly healthy coastal habitat.

Hard work by COAST and allied groups led the Scottish government to designate 30 Marine Protected Areas in 2014. The South Arran Marine Protected Area – one of Scotland's first community-led such areas – will be 100 times as big as the Lamlash Bay No Take Zone. COAST emphasizes that sustainable practices such as line fishing, shellfish diving, and creeling will continue here, while trawling and dredging will be prohibited. Picket signs in the office with slogans like “We want a real marine protected area!” show that management issues are far from settled.

A healthy coastline will benefit wildlife, fishing communities, and tourism. Arran already offers guests days filled with adventures. There's a cave where Robert the Bruce – Scotland's first king – spent time, and a castle that sometimes hosted Mary, Queen of Scots. Photography workshops and traditional music attract independent travelers.

Kate and I followed a trail from Lamlash through an alder and fir forest where poppies, foxgloves, buttercups and flowers we couldn't name crowded sunny clearings. We passed tumultuous Glen Ashdale Falls, and arrived at Giant's Grave's prehistoric burial cairns. This spot faced both the high peaks and Holy Isle, the site of an early Christian monastery and a current Buddhist retreat. COAST's efforts to restore the seabed will encourage anglers, divers, and snorkelers to make the island a destination once again.

COAST continues to focus on community involvement to achieve its goals. Andy recently embarked on an international trip. Manuela de los Rios, who replaced him as COAST's Communications and Administration Officer, said: “Our role is to protect and restore the seabed and dependent marine life. We aim to develop marine community learning and a sense of ownership of the No Take Zone and the Marine Protected Area.

“Some of the keys for gaining local support may be related to the organizational structure of COAST, with a Board of active and responsible Trustees and a Community Advisory Panel of citizens. Howard is the Chair and works closely with the Executive Director who makes things happen. Each volunteer offers their time and talent in different and complementary ways towards the group's objectives.

“COAST has also enabled support for other coastal communities to protect and demand effective management of their seas,” Manuela continued. “Although we do not operate at a national scale we are well-known for our vision and effectiveness as change-makers. For example, we held a Twitter storm in September 2015 to let Scottish politicians know about our disagreement with delays to the proposed management measures for the South Arran Marine Protected Area, and we invited individuals and other conservation organizations in Scotland to take part.”

Andy's international trip includes work to connect with organizations and individuals in other countries. No Take Zones and Marine Protected Areas benefit both wildlife and local fishing communities in Mexico, the Philippines, and other countries. International cooperation among coastal restoration groups strengthens  everyone's work. A Chinese organization recently sent a delegation to learn about COAST, and an intern from Costa Rica was part of COAST's MSc research team in summer 2015.

Manuela said: “COAST's ambitious outreach programme allows younger people and families to learn more about their coastal and marine resources.”

COAST encourages Arran's citizens to help with beach cleanup efforts. “There's a lot less trash than there was a few years ago,” Andy said. The organization works with elementary and high schools, and with mainland colleges. One photo shows a line of children that was exactly the length of a dead whale that washed up on Arran's shores. “Work with kids is the most fun part of the job,” Andy exclaimed.

“Small environmental groups are helping to create a more ecofriendly world,” he concluded. “There is so much we can all do!”

COAST - the Community of Arran Seabed Trust - is a community organisation working for the protection and restoration of the marine environment around Arran and the Clyde.

It is recognised as one of the UK's leading community marine conservation organisations, and was responsible for establishing Scotland's first No Take Zone in Lamlash Bay.

COAST is currently campaigning for the complete exclusion of trawlers and dredgers from the newly designated South Arran Marine Protected Area.

For more information visit www.arrancoast.com.

Paul is a world traveler, and an enthusiastic backpacker and camper. His other interests include cooking vegetarian feasts, long walks around his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Beethoven. Paul can be contacted via pgb@igc.org. His blog is at www.seabird6.wordpress.com. Twitter @PaulGBelz