| Tayside Biodiversity - Tayside
Biodiversity Action Plan - Upland -
Upland Heath |
|
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NATIONAL BIODIVERSITY CONTEXT
There is a UK Broad Habitat Statement for upland heathland. This gives the following
conservation direction:
Maintain the extent, enhance the quality and restore upland dwarf - shrub heath
as part of upland mosaics and transitions of semi - natural and natural habitats
appropriate to soils and climate.
Measures, identified on a UK basis to be considered further include:
Encourage sympathetic management of upland heath for wildlife, structural diversity
and rich lower plant communities.
Promote demonstrations and advice on good muirburn practices.
Encourage studies to investigate the effects of acid deposition.
Encourage measures which reverse habitat fragmentation.
Reduce grazing pressure from red deer and sheep by reducing numbers.
Protect from inappropriate development by identification in relevant development
plans and in Indicative Forestry Strategies. |
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KEY SPECIES
P = UK Priority species C = UK species of conservation concern
| Mammals |
Mountain Hare |
Lepus timidus |
C |
| Wild cat |
Felis silvestris |
C |
| Birds |
Black grouse |
Tetrao tetrix |
P |
| Red grouse |
Lagopus lagopus |
C |
| Hen harrier |
Circus cyaneus |
C |
| Merlin |
Falco columbarius |
C |
| Ring ouzel |
Turdus torquatus |
C |
| Twite |
Carduelis flavirostris |
C |
| Golden plover |
Pluvialis apricaria |
C |
| Golden eagle |
Aquila chrysaetos |
C |
| Curlew |
Numenius arquata |
C |
| Short-eared owl |
Asio flammeus |
C |
| Peregrine falcon |
Falco peregrinus |
C |
| Stonechat |
Saxicola torquata |
C |
| Amphibians and Reptiles |
Adder |
vipera berus |
C |
| Invertebrates |
a mason bee |
Osmia inermis |
P |
| Northern brown argus |
Aricia artaxerxes |
P |
| Mountain ringlet |
Erebia epiphron |
C |
| Pearl-bordered fritillary |
Boloria euphrosyne |
P |
| Grey scalloped bar |
Dyscia fagaria |
C |
| Northern arches |
Apamea zeta |
C |
| Rannoch brindled beauty |
Lycia lapponaria |
C |
| Slender striped rufous |
Coenocalpe lapidata |
C |
| Broom-tip moth |
Chesias rufata |
C |
| Small dark yellow underwing |
Anarta cordigera |
C |
| Large heath |
Coenonympha tullia |
P |
| Narrow-headed wood ant |
Formica exsecta |
|
| Plants |
Juniper |
Juniperus communis |
P |
| Heath cudweed |
Gnaphalium sylvaticum |
C |
| Marsh clubmoss |
Lycopodiella inundata |
P |
| Issleri’s clubmoss |
Diphasiastrum issleri |
C |
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CURRENT
FACTORS CAUSING LOSS OR DECLINE
Four main activities impact on upland heath in Tayside. All are closely linked
and play essential and complementary roles in determining and maintaining the
area, quality and diversity of upland heath. The key factor is their balance
and integration.
Agriculture
Stock grazing, largely by sheep, is necessary to prevent woodland regeneration
and thereby to maintain upland heath. Excessive grazing, especially in winter,
when accompanied by excessive burning leads to conversion of dwarf shrub heath
to rough grassland. In some areas grazing and burning pressures have increased
owing to higher overall stocking rates encouraged by production incentives. Most
heavy grazing in Tayside has resulted
from long term shifts away from hefted blackface flocks which distributed grazing
pressure across an entire holding to more intensive systems using less hardy
crosses in which flocks are concentrated onto more accessible areas. This has
focused grazing trampling and burning onto lower moorland where large areas have
been converted to rough grassland or where Heather has been badly suppressed.
Remoter areas within holdings with correspondingly lower agricultural use are
left unmanaged and may suffer increased deer pressure or conversion to woodland.
Grouse Shooting and Muirburn
Traditional management for Red grouse involves burning Heather on a rotation
of 8 - 10 years in small strip fires distributed evenly across an entire holding.
This regime, when balanced with well-distributed grazing produces an intimate
mix of different age classes of Heather which, together with other features such
as wet flushes, is necessary for commercial grouse production. Coupled with poorly
managed and poorly distributed muirburn practices and frequent large scale fires
on the moorland edge, such a rotation is too short to create optimum conditions
for many key plant and bird species of upland heath.
The biodiversity value of intensive grouse moors, can in some cases, also be
compromised by the persecution of key predator species such as the Hen harrier.
Much upland heath supports less intensive or noncommercial grouse shooting with
a good range of key species. The two approaches are complementary in biodiversity
terms.
Grouse shooting is currently the main economic and cultural incentive for the
conservation and management of upland heath in Tayside. Because of the investment
required in habitat management and legal predator control, however, its commercial
importance has declined over wide areas in relation to intensive sheep farming
and forestry with the resulting long-term decline in habitat area and quality. |
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