Scotland's Moorland Forum

Scotland's Moorland Forum was established by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in March 2002. It consists of 22 member organisation and five observer organisations, all of which have signed up to a Statement of Intent setting out clear objectives and targets for moorland conservation and management in Scotland. The Forum seeks a sustainable future for moorland through collaborative work.

What is moorland?

Moorland is a dynamic expression of wild nature, although much of it is managed by people; it is the epitome of a cultural landscape. Globally, heather moorland is virtually confined to Britain and Ireland, where great tracts are managed principally through muirburn (rotational burning) and grazing for agriculture, field sports and amenity interests. This has maintained distinctive landscapes rich in wildlife.

Open, semi-natural habitats with dwarf shrub heaths are moorland. These areas typically occur above enclosed farmland and reach up to around the climatic treeline (where the heaths become 'alpine' or 'montane'). At the extremities of Scotland, much moorland extends over terrain close to sea level, where it intermixes with farmland. Moorland includes dry and wet heaths, blanket bogs, rough grasslands and the many habitats associated with these. Some bird and animal groups occur in Scotland's moors at higher density or diversity than anywhere else.

As a whole, the area of moorland covers some 38% of Scotland (3 million hectares). Two UK Habitat Action Plans embrace moorland: Upland heathlands, and Blanket bogs.

Our purpose

Scotland's Moorland Forum strives to sustain and enhance the extent, diversity and range of habitats, species and enterprises encompassing moorland. The Forum wants to engender a greater awarness of these valuable habitats.

The Forum seeks to halt and reverse the loss of heather cover, and to find ways of enriching the overall interest of Scotland's moorland, not least its natural heritage. Almost a quarter of Scotland's heather cover has been lost since the 1940s. The restoration of moorland habitats and related species is a high priority for management action.

There is a long Scottish tradition of local stewardship of the land, based on both private and public funding sources. This needs to be built on to improve further the beauty, nature and social fabric of our moorlands.

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