from Sunday Herald, 19 October 2014
Over 1,400 of Scotland’s precious natural treasures are in a poor condition, according to the latest official assessments released by the government’s wildlife agency, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
Some of the country’s best-know mountains, lochs, woodlands and bogs, along with birds, beetles, plants and other wildlife are suffering from farming, forestry, sporting estates, pollution, invasive species and many other threats.
Among the numerous natural features categorised by SNH as being in “unfavourable condition” are alpine and other plants on Ben Lomond, Ben Lawers, Ben Nevis, Glen Coe and the Cairngorms. They are being eaten by excessive numbers of deer, burnt by landowners and damaged by walkers.
An oak woodland at Loch Lomond, an ash woodland at Aberfeldy and a native pine forest in Glen Affric have been damaged by forestry operations, invasive species and over-grazing deer. Pollution is harming river lampreys in the River Tweed, great crested newts and beetles in Dumfries and Galloway and arctic charr in an Ayrshire loch.
Many bird populations are also rated to be in poor condition, including puffins and kittiwakes in the Firth of Forth, capercaillie at Glen Tanar in Aberdeenshire and arctic terns at Mousa in Shetland. Fisheries managers, foresters, farmers and invasive species are blamed (see table below).
Scotland’s protected wildlife sites are “our natural jewels in the crown”, according to Lloyd Austin, head of conservation policy at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland. “The reality is that many of these places are in decline,” he said.
“To see them being poorly managed or neglected and allowed to deteriorate is like skimping on maintenance of any other part of our heritage, such as Edinburgh Castle or the Forth Rail Bridge, and is completely unacceptable,” he argued. “We need to see action and additional investment in these sites.”
SNH released to the Sunday Herald its latest database showing the state of more than 5,200 natural features in 1,800 wildlife sites spread across Scotland and protected by law. As of 9 September 2014, 1,444 features were defined as being in unfavourable condition, 342 of which were said to be “recovering due to management”.
The biggest cause of damage, affecting over a thousand natural features, was invasive species like bracken, gorse and rhododendron. Other major causes were over-grazing by deer and sheep, particularly on upland areas (affecting 866 natural features), recreational disturbance from vehicles and walkers (430) and agricultural operations including the use of pesticides and fertilisers (239).
Other pressures on wildlife cited by SNH include water pollution and use, forestry operations, game and fisheries management, wildfires, waste dumping, infrastructure developments, mineral extraction and military activities. Birds of prey and freshwater pearl mussels are also said to be victims of wildlife crime.
Plants are suffering in many places for many reasons, and their status across the UK was the subject of a major report last week from the conservation group, Plantlife. It pointed out that only a tiny proportion of Scotland’s woodland, heathland and grassland was include in the network of legally protected areas.
According to the report’s author, botanist Dr Trevor Dines, the natural variety of the countryside is being lost to agricultural production. “Sites are damaged or lost, habitats are fenced off and flower-rich verges are mown before they can set seed,” he said.
“Inexorably, the wild is being removed from our landscape as it becomes ever more industrialised, fertilized and homogenised – a tide of monotonous green that smoothers the remarkable tapestry of colour that once was. We need to re-build the countryside from the roots up and to reverse the decline of our plant diversity.”
Matt Shardlow, chief executive of the Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Buglife, criticised SNH for suggesting that wildlife is recovering when management agreements have been signed. “Our sites of special scientific interest are the pinnacles of wildlife excellence and it is appalling that many are still not in good condition,” he said.
He pointed out that one of the sites rated as being in poor condition at Milton Loch in Dumfries and Galloway was home to a rare community of water beetles, including the bronze whirligig. “It is shameful that the government formally recorded that the loch was being damaged by farming in 1985,” he said, “but nearly 30 years later these problems are unresolved.”
SNH stressed that 79 per cent of natural features were in a favourable state, very slightly more than last year. “We know that more needs to be done to continue this improvement, particularly in uplands and woodlands, where the challenges are more complex and need longer term solutions,” said SNH’s designated sites manager, Brian Eardley.
“We’re leading a strong coalition of key public bodies, major non-governmental organisations and the private land management sector to tackle the problems. We’re working together to a clear strategy and action plan and our joint efforts have been successful.”
SNH previously accepted that there had been a 2.3 per cent decline in the condition of freshwater habitats since last year. It also said there had been a “marked increase in the proportion of natural features which are being adversely affected by invasive species”.
The Scottish government pointed out that new agri-environment funding due to start early next year would help private land managers with conservation. But it criticised the UK government for not asking for more.
Protected areas were some of the most important and at times fragile parts of Scotland’s natural environment, said a government spokesman. “We are working closely with public and private sector partners and conservation charities to ensure that the condition of these sites is enhanced.”
40 of Scotland's natural treasures in a poor state – and why
natural feature in unfavourable condition / site / problems
Arctic Tern / Mousa, Shetland / farming, recreation
Puffins / Forth Islands, Firth of Forth / invasive species
Guillemot / Hoy, Orkney / fisheries management
Capercaillie / Glen Tanar, Aberdeenshire / forestry, recreation
Golden plover / Moorfoot Hills, near Edinburgh / burning, grazing
Greylag goose / Loch Spynie, Moray / pollution
Whimbrel / Doomy and Whitemaw Hill, Orkney / waste dumping
Kittiwake / Isle of May, Firth of Forth / fisheries management, recreation
Hen Harrier / Muirkirk, East Ayrshire / farming, game management, burning
Oak woodland / Abbey St Bathans, Scottish Borders / over-grazing, neglect
Oak woodland / Cawdor Wood, near Nairn / invasive species
Oak woodland / Loch Lomond Woods / forestry, recreation
Ash woodland / Birks of Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross / invasive species
Ash woodland / Bothwell Castle, Lanarkshire / development
Ash woodland / Roslin Glen, near Edinburgh / invasive species
Native pinewood / Cannich Hills, Glen Affric / over-grazing
Birch woodland / Cuillins, Isle of Skye / over-grazing, invasive species
Alder wood / Lower River Spey / flood defence works, invasive species
Plants / An Teallach, near Dundonnell / over-grazing, recreation
Plants / Ben Hope, Sutherland / over-grazing
Plants / Ben Lomond, north of Glasgow / over-grazing
Plants / Ben Nevis, near Fort William / over-grazing, recreation
Plants / Glen Coe, HIghland / trampling, over-grazing
Plants / Tweedsmuir Hills, Scottish Borders / over-grazing, burning
Plants / Ben Lawers, Perth and Kinross / over-grazing
Alpine heaths / Cairngorms, near Aviemore / over-grazing, burning, recreation
Eelgrass beds / Loch Fleet, Sutherland / invasive species
Harbour seal / Firth of Tay and Eden Estuary / recreation
Arctic charr / Loch Doon, Ayrshire / fisheries management, pollution
Waterlife / Duddingston Loch, Edinburgh / pollution
Freshwater pearl mussel / Rannoch Moor / wildlife crime
River lamprey / River Tweed / pollution
Great crested newt / Burrow Head, Dumfries and Galloway / pollution
Beetles / Gannochy Gorge, Angus / invasive species
Beetles / Milton Loch, Dumfries and Galloway / farming, pollution
Sand dunes / Dornoch Firth / invasive species
Sand dunes / Eden Estuary, Fife / tourism, invasive species
Limestone pavement/ Durness, Sutherland / over-grazing, invasive species
Machair / Rinns of Islay / waste dumping, invasive species
Blanket bog / Caithness and Sutherland / farming, forestry, burning
source: Scottish Natural Heritage
Download a copy of the Scottish Natural Heritage spreadsheet showing the condition of Scotland’s 5,200 natural features here (1.5MB Excel).
This story was followed up by The Times.
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