A selection of current Briefings from members, presented or distributed for discussion at Forum meetings, or circulated to keep Forum members informed and up-to-date with what is being published, are available to view below. Please note any information and third party links are shared for the purposes of debate and does not mean that the Forum endorses any of the views expressed.
Please contact the Administrator if you have a briefing you wish added to this list.
Wader Sensitivity Mapping: Informing a conservation conflict
Mark Wilson from BTO Scotland gave a presentation to Scotland's Moorland Forum at the Discussion Meeting on 16th November 2022.
Renee Kerkvliet-Hermans from IUCN gave a presentation to Scotland's Moorland Forum at the Discussion Meeting on 16th November 2022.
Green finance, land reform and a just transition to net zero
Jon Hollingdale, CEO of the Community Woodlands Association, has published a discussion paper - link here - on green finance, land reform and a just transition to NetZero. It is relevant to discussions at the Forum on rewilding and how it is financed, and is likely to be of interest to members.
Rewilding and People: Can we have both?
Follow this link - Rewilding and People: Can we have both? – to hear the discussion between Magnus Davidson, research associate at UHI, Director of Community Land Scotland, a Trustee of Thurso Community Development Trust, founding member of Scotland’s 2050 Climate Group and co-founder of Scotland: The Big Picture and Peter Cairns Executive Director of Scotland The Big Picture.
Natural capital assessment in the uplands – Briefing Note ~ Alistair McVittie, Janurary 2022
Assessing Ecosystem Services in the Uplands – Pathogen Transmission - Briefing Note ~ Feburary 2022
Assessing Ecosystem Services in the Uplands ~ John Holland and Davy McCracken, January 2022
Post burning responses by vegetation on blanket bog peatland sites on a Scottish grouse moor ~ Sian Whitehead, Hannah Weald, David Baines April 2021
Regional Land Use Partnerships update from Scottish Government ~ 24 March 2021
Land use - getting the best from our land: strategy 2021 to 2026 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) ~ 24 March 2021
Scottish Government response to the Deer Working Group Report ~ 24 March 2021
CNPA with the help of members of the Cairngorms Upland Advisory Group have produced a guide to ATV use in the uplands aimed at protecting fragile habitats. It’s intended to be a quick and easy, concise and memorable guide. Printed copies are available from Will Boyd Wallis. Cairngorms National Park Authority ATV User Guide ~ March 2021
Advice to Scottish Government on the Establishment of Regional Land Use Partnerships ~ Scottish Land Commission, November 2020
Wading birds and a shared approach to wildlife management ~ NatureScot October 2020
Moorland vegetation responses following prescribed burning on blanket peat ~ S Whitehead & D Baines, 2018
Low-severity fire as a mechanism of organic matter protection in global peatlands: Thermal lateration slows decomposition ~ N E Flanagan, H Wang, S Winton & C J Richardson, May 2020
Principles of Sustainable Game Management ~ GWCT September 2020
Badger Impacts on biodiversity and agriculture in Scotland: a literature review ~ Nature Scot Research Report No 1205
PhD Thesis: Understanding the social impact of participation in Driven Game Shooting in the UK ~ Tracey Latham-Green
What Impacts does Integrated Moorland Management, including Grouse Shooting, have on Moorland Communities? A Comparative Study ~Professor Simon Denny & Tracey Latham-Green
A Nature Recovery Plan - 11 transformative actions for nature in Scotland ~ RSPB Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, WWF Scotland August 2020
Regional Land Use Partnerships Interim Report ~ Scottish Land Commission, July 2020
Peatland Restoration Fund Open for New Applications ~ Blog announcement by Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham
Tree planting in organic soils does not result in net carbon sequestration on decadal timescales ~ report published July 2020
The Forum has recently discussed peatland management issues and a number of reports have been brought to the Forum's attention:
and Confor's response to the Report
Scotland's Moorland Forum Press release on Grouse Moor Management Report - 19 December 2019
Press release on Tick borne encephalitis from Moredun ~ November 2019
Borderlands Heads of Terms ~ November 2019
This document highlights Borderlands being a Natural Capital Innovation Zone (see paragraph 29)
Scottish Fire & Rescue Service: Consolidated Debrief Report (Knockando, Aberlour) ~ November 2019
Scottish Government's Draft Forestry Strategy 2019-2029 - overview and link to consultation paper. Feedback required by 29th November 2018
Langholm Moor Demonstration Project
LMDP Report ~ October 2019 and links to What does Langholm Moor mean to you?
National Trust for Scotland
The Relationship between prescribed burning and wildfires ~ Richard Luxmoore
SRUC LoraWan Project
Challenges and opportunities in Scottish hill farming ~ SRUC November 2017
Managing wild land for people and wildlife ~ John Muir Trust 2017 (as mentioned in FF Minutes from 3 November 2017)
Identifying gaps in knowledge and understanding of sustainable deer management in Scotland - SRUC/UHI 2017
2016: Rural Scotland in Focus Report - SRUC November 2016
Section 1 focuses on changing land management in the agriculture, estate and woodland/forestry sectors. The latter may help form some context in advance of some of the discussions to be held at the summer meeting.
The Complementary Role of Sheep in Upland and Hill Areas - NSA August 2016
Gift of Grouse - July 2016
National (SCARABBS) Bird Survey Liaison Protocol for Scotland - March 2016
Saut in Sheep - Information leaflet, SRUC June 2015
Saut in Sheep - Survey Forum, SRUC June 2015
Peatland ACTION - October 2014
Peatland Code - October 2014
Peatland Plan - October 2014
Langholm Moor Demonstration Project update - October 2014
The LMDP update briefing should be read in conjunction with the LMDP Report article originally published in The Heather Trust Annual Report 2014.
Scottish Borders Land Use Strategy Pilot update - October 2014
September Muirburn Trial - October 2014
Routes 2 Rural Employment, SCA - February 2014
Wildlife Estates Scotland- February 2014
These briefings have been removed from the website but are available on request from the Administrator.
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