| Tayside Biodiversity - Tayside Biodiversity
Action Plan - Upland - Montane
(habitats above the treeline) |
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DEFINITION
Montane habitats are found in areas above the natural tree level (approximately
600m above sea level). These alpine and sub-alpine areas represent some of the
most natural and undisturbed habitats in the UK. The broad habitat supports a
wide range of specialist plant and animal communities. The montane zone consists
mainly of high plateaux with steep sided corries, rocky cliffs, crags, boulder
fields and scree slopes. The vegetation is influenced by factors such as geology,
soil type and depth, exposure and snow cover. These montane habitats include
moss-heaths, dwarf-shrub heaths, grasslands, flushes, late snow patches, rock
ledges and montane willow scrub.
CURRENT STATUS AND EXTENT OF HABITAT
At least 5% of Tayside is made up of montane habitat and this can be found in
the north and west of the area. In Tayside 36,000 hectares were classified montane
habitat in the Land Cover Scotland survey in 1988. This is likely to be an underestimate
if the definition is taken to be all land over 600m. The region’s montane
habitat represents nearly 15% of the Scottish total; this in turn represents
90% of the British total. It is therefore seen as a key habitat in Tayside, not
only because the area holds a significant proportion of the Scottish total, but
also because of the number of rare species associated with the habitat.
Perthshire, in particular, has a band of calcareous shists and limestones in
a broad swathe stretching from the Breadalbane mountains in the west to Beinn
A’ Ghlo in the East. This high incidence of calcareous rocks gives rise
to a flora which is unusually rich in species for the Highlands of Scotland where
mainly acidic rocks and habitats predominate.
Tayside hosts a number of internationally
important upland sites such as Ben Lawers, Drummochter Hills, Beinn a’Ghlo
and Caenlochan which are important for their overall species diversity, especially
the range of rare plant, invertebrate
and bird populations. |
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KEY SITES
Four SSSIs in Tayside have been notified for their important montane habitats
and are candidate SACs for their international importance:
| Ben Lawers |
Caenlochan |
| Beinn A Ghlo |
Drummochter Hills |
Other SSSIs notified in Tayside for their
montane interests include:
| Beinn A’ Chuallaich |
Glas Tulaichean |
| Ben Chonzie |
Meall Dail Cheallach |
| Ben Vrackie |
Meall Ghaordie |
| Carn Gorm & Meall Garbh Meall |
Reamhar |
| Cooire Bhachdaidh |
Schiehallion |
| Forest of Clunie |
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KEY SPECIES
P = UK Priority species C = UK species of conservation concern
| Mammals |
Mountain Hare |
Lepus timidus |
C |
| Birds |
Golden plover |
Pluvialis apricaria |
C |
| Golden eagle |
Aquila chrysaetos |
C |
| Dotterel |
Charadrius morinellus |
C |
| Ptarmigan |
Lagopus mutus |
C |
| Invertebrates |
Mountain ringlet |
Erebia epiphron |
C |
| Northern dart |
Xestia alpicola alpina |
P |
| Broad-bordered white underwing |
Anarta melanopa |
C |
| a money spider |
Rhaebothorax paetulus |
C |
| Higher Plants |
Woolly willow |
Salix lanata |
P |
| Alpine sow-thistle |
Cicerbita alpina |
C |
| Alpine forget-me-not |
Myosotis alpestris |
C |
| Mountain scurvy-grass |
Cochlearia micacea |
P |
| Alpine catchfly |
Lychnis alpina |
C |
| Alpine gentian |
Gentiana nivalis |
C |
| Alpine fleabane |
Erigeron borealis |
C |
| Alpine pearlwort |
Sagina saginoides |
C |
| Rock speedwell |
Veronica fruticans |
C |
| Dwarf birch |
Betula nana |
C |
| Close-headed alpine sedge |
Carex norvegica |
C |
| Newman’s lady-fern |
Athyrium flexile |
P |
| Oblong woodsia |
Woodsia ilvensis |
P |
| Lower Plants |
Blue dew-moss |
Saelania glaucescens |
C |
| Turgid scorpion-moss |
Scorpidium turgescens |
C |
| Vaucher’s plait-moss |
Hypnum vaucheri |
C |
| Stabler’s rustwort |
Marsupella stableri |
P |
| Rusty alpine psora lichen |
Psora rubiformis |
C |
| Snow caloplaca lichen |
Caloplaca nivalis |
P |
| a lichen |
Psora globifera |
C |
| a lichen |
Halecania rhypodiza |
P |
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