We’ve been busy this month working on a large study in the Highlands, working with multiple estates to undertake condition assessments. The study involves repeating a large-scale Herbivore Impact Assessment (HIA) looking at the impacts of deer and sheep on montane vegetation. The study also involves undertaking a wide range of other work – Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) forms a large part, and this work is jointly focused on specific rare plants (e.g. Dwarf Birch Betula nana) and on wider protected habitats (e.g. montane willow scrub). It has been an interesting project, as we have found quite a few new populations of rare plants, as some previously unrecorded remnants of montane scrub on the crags. Montane scrub is currently the focus of a lot of conservation efforts – if you want to know more then read here.
