Galloway & South Ayrshire Biosphere - launch

I attended the launch by Richard Lochhead of the Galloway & South Ayrshire Biosphere at Culzean Castle, yesterday.  

The biosphere provides the area with a great opportunity, and I have offered support from the Forum for any initiatives that affect the large upland area that exists within the biosphere.  See the website for more information about the biosphere.

JHI Debate: The Squeezed Middle - 30 Aug 12

Photo: JHI

I will be representing the Moorland Forum on the panel for this first debate in the series.  See the Heather Trust's blog.

Radical rethink on land reform underway

For details of the Scottish Government's announcement on 24 July 2012, see the Heather Trust's Blog.

SNH Conference: Managing Species in a Challenging Climate

22-23 (Thursday-Friday) November 2012, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Scotland's five year Species Action Framework (SAF) programme ended in March this year. This programme advanced conservation and management action for 32 of Scotland's species – including: beaver, red squirrel, sea eagle, capercaillie, freshwater pearl mussel, great yellow bumblebee, woolly willow and invasive non-native species such as North American signal crayfish.

SNH is holding a conference to highlight the results, pass on experiences and look ahead at what needs to be done. We will cover a wide range of activities spanning on-the-ground conservation, tackling species conflicts and invasive non-native species, and developing novel approaches to sustainable use and management.  See the flyer for more details.

The conference programme is available and Session 5 on Day 2 will be of particular interest to Forum members.  It will consider Conflicts and Sustainable Management with presentations by, amongst others: Steve Redpath, Des Thompson, Simon Lester (Langholm Headkeeper) and Susan Davies.

Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere

Photo: National Rural Network

Galloway and Southern Ayrshire has recently achieved international status as Scotland’s first UNESCO Biosphere and will now become part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which includes 598 Biospheres in 117 countries.  

For more details see the report published by the Scottish National Rural Network and the Biosphere website.

Peatland Conference: research in the Flow Country

This conference is being held in Thurso 23-25 October.  For further information see the website.  

Irish Peat Problems

Photo: James Flynn, Irish Times

Almost 13 per cent of Ireland’s land cover is peatlands, some of it protected under the EU directives because of its ecological value.  Bord na Móna manages the harvesting of peat in Ireland but is increasingly involved in rehabilitation of peatland after extraction.  It manages 80,000 hectares of peatlands, of which some 60,000 hectares are of “severely degraded” status due to drainage and peat extraction.


An article in The Irish Times covers the launch of a report commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ireland, which shows that re-wetting cutaway bogs would provide climate, biodiversity, water and economic benefits.


The final report of the EPA-funded "Carbon Restore" project is available online.