Britain's Declining Heather Moorlands

Abstract

Heather moorland is a valuable resource in the hills of Britain. It is of high conservation value, can be an important source of winter fodder for hill sheep and is essential for the maintenance of grouse populations. There is evidence, however, that over the last 40 years the amount of heather moorland has been declining not just because of the expansion of plantation forestry and the increase in improved land but also because of changes in land management practices. These changes have been brought about by the changing economic climate and can only be reversed by the use of public money targeted with this problem in mind. Any such schemes will have to include incentives to land managers to set acceptable stocking rates and to manage stock in a way that does not damage heather. As an aid to determining such management systems on a farm-specific basis, a computer model has been built at the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute. The model is currently being improved and has the potential to be used as an integral part of any incentive scheme.