Carerlaverock NNR is part of the Upper Solway Flats and Marshes, which is a Ramsar site and a European Union Special Protection Area for birdlife, and extends across the Solway to Cumbria. The NNR is also part of the Solway Firth Special Area of Conservation, and is partly within the Nith Estuary National Scenic Area. The NNR is classified as a Category II protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are other national nature reserves on the other side of the Solway firth, in England.