Conservation Matters

estate

An ambitious plan for nature

Scotland’s nature agency NatureScot has published its vision for the next four years, setting out an ambitious plan to protect, restore and value nature.

The plan commits to bold action and renewed focus in tackling the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

It sets out a route-map to halt nature loss by 2030 and deliver nature restoration at scale across Scotland by 2045.

Priority areas for Scotland’s nature agency over the next four years include:

Leading the delivery of 30% of land and sea being protected by 2030

Scaling up peatland restoration through the Peatland ACTION project to substantially exceed Scotland’s goal of 250,000 ha of restored peatland by 2030

Delivering a major Nature Restoration Fund targeted at high impact and landscape-scale nature recovery and climate projects

Substantially reducing deer numbers to enable our woodlands and peatlands to naturally grow and capture carbon.

Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater said: “The Scottish Government has been working closely with NatureScot to develop this plan, which presents a sharp focus on restoring and protecting Scotland’s natural environment to deliver ‘a nature rich future for all’.

“This autumn we will publish a new biodiversity strategy with ambitious targets to protect at least 30% of Scotland’s land and sea for nature, and highly protect 10%. I look forward to working with NatureScot to achieve our goals both at home and abroad.

Muirburn over until October – but what will next season bring?

Another muirburn season has ended – a season that has seen more pressure applied for the banning of the important land management tool. It was also a season that saw RSPB launch a new app encouraging members of the public to report incidents of burning in the uplands, to identify where burning is taking place, and for the results to be used to support the banning of burning on peatland and for muirburn activities to be licensed.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has been working with land managers and gamekeepers in Scotland to help record and monitor their muirburn activities since 2020.

Using the Epicollect5 app, GWCT has developed a quick and easy method to record fires. As well as recording fire ignition points, the app also gives practitioners the option to take a measurement of the peat depth to ensure that their burning activities comply with best practice standards.

One of the issues in using citizen science data is accuracy. Third party apps are likely to be inaccurate in terms of identifying the exact location particularly if related to a fire or smoke plume in the distance. In such situations the site reported is unlikely to be anything other than approximate. Scotland’s uplands however are complex environments that exist as variable habitat mosaics. Often, dry heath, where heather growth is good and where burning would be acceptable, can be found amongst areas of blanket bog as well as exposed and eroded peat, which are broadly unsuitable for burning.

The GWCT recognises the importance of muirburn as a vital conservation and land management tool used by farmers and crofters as well as wildlife managers and gamekeepers for a variety of reasons including grazing improvement, habitat restoration and wildfire mitigation. However, there is also increasing evidence that muirburn conducted under controlled conditions (‘cool’ burns on longer rotations) can enhance carbon capture. Therefore, muirburn can be important for the environment and rural economies too.

Last year the Scottish Government declared its intention to licence muirburn activities, regardless of the time of year it is undertaken. Although the detail of such a licence remains (at the time of writing) to be seen, we can be confident that monitoring of muirburn activities will become an essential component for any estate wishing to carry out muirburn in future.

In 2020, the GWCT launched its Muirburn Advisory Service designed to support estates in developing and monitoring simple and user-friendly muirburn plans. The service offers a number of options. From providing mapping and monitoring of muirburn activities to developing more comprehensive muirburn plans, we can provide specialist advice to help evaluate and manage risk of harm to the environment and ensure that management complies with best practice and meets any statutory restrictions.

For more information contact Hugo Straker Senior Advisor, Scotland Tel: 07713 074147 Email: hstraker@gwct.org.uk

Nick Hesford Advisor, Scotland Tel: 07896 006322 Email: nhesford@gwct.org. uk

“2022 will be a crucial year for nature - at COP15 a new global framework for halting biodiversity loss will be agreed. Scotland has been leading the Edinburgh process, mobilising other sub-national governments, cities, states and regions around the world to agree shared goals for nature.”

NatureScot Chair Dr Mike Cantlay said: “Nature is in crisis and we face a climate emergency. Much has been achieved but we know that greater urgency is needed to meet these colossal challenges. “This plan sets out the bold action NatureScot will lead to protect, restore and value nature.

By doing so, nature can contribute more than 40% of Scotland’s drive for net-zero carbon emissions by 2045.

“Success will require a radical change in how we use and value the land and sea. It’s vital that this transition is just and fair, with investment in nature delivering for people as well as planet through green jobs and investment.

“We know that we cannot deliver this vision on our own. As Scotland’s nature agency, we will continue to work closely with partners, communities and businesses towards our shared goal of a nature-rich, net zero Scotland.”

Boosting the benefits of protected areas

A new policy briefing has called for transformative change in the planning and management of designated protected land in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has set out its intent to protect at least 30 per cent of Scottish land - with 20 per cent of this already designated.

The briefing, by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), says collaborative management of protected areas helps to deliver more than just local benefits, by contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals.