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The constituent habitat use by remotely tracked tagged Short-eared Owls Asio flammeus on moorland and other dwarf shrubland–grassland mosaics was assessed in Britain and Norway. A preference for the owls to hunt over patches of graminoids within managed moorland in Britain contrasted with a tendency to hunt more over dwarf shrubs in Norway. The observed differences likely reflect the availability of small mammal prey and how this contrasts between largely single-species stands of managed heather Calluna vulgaris in Britain and more naturally diverse (species and structure) dwarf shrubland in Norway. Diurnal patterns of landscape use differed between areas, with owls in Scotland and Norway tending to hunt over ground at higher elevations at night but the reverse being observed in England. The difference demonstrates behavioural plasticity of Short-eared Owls, potentially driven by minimising risks from predation within different areas. Conservation implications include increased and proportionate priority for grassland management on British moorlands and the restoration of natural montane dwarf shrublands, both routes to enhance conditions for and the availability of small mammal prey. As a generality, site protection for Short-eared Owls and their monitoring need to acknowledge uncertainties around variations in abundance and occupation by this nomadic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based solutions are increasingly advocated to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss, while improving ecosystem resilience and providing additional ecosystem services. In Scotland, woodland expansion and restoration of degraded peatlands are expected to play a major role in meeting net-zero emissions by 2045 and have prompted debates about the impact of increased woodland cover and prescribed fire on the biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by upland landscapes. In alignment with national policy, the Cairngorms National Park, the UK's largest national park, has committed to an ambitious programme of woodland expansion and peatland restoration in a landscape dominated by heather moorlands that is predominantly managed through prescribed burning for game management. Using the Native Woodland Model and the InVest modelling platform, we assessed the effects of five land cover and land use change scenarios, with different levels of prescribed fire regulation and woodland expansion, to evaluate their benefits and costs on biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Results show that changing the extent and management of habitats will result in different carbon sequestration pathways, as well as biodiversity winners and losers. The scenario presenting greater benefits for the conservation of biodiversity also has lower above-ground carbon sequestration potential and a larger negative impact on red grouse habitats, thus being less profitable to sporting estates. Hence, trade-offs will be necessary to achieve optimal carbon sequestration and biodiversity gains, with a potential role played by the continuation of prescribed fires and traditional moorland management practices as well as complementary grants and support measures based on biodiversity benefits rather than carbon sequestration. The results from this study could support discussions regarding future management of the uplands, trade-offs between loss of carbon in soils, carbon sequestration in woodlands and conservation of biodiversity, as well as stakeholders likely to be affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Woodland expansion is widely promoted to address the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. Woodland expansion undoubtedly delivers biodiversity and other ecosystem service benefits, but there is debate about where to place extensive new woodland in multi-use landscapes without negatively affecting existing biodiversity, and there is a need to better understand the biodiversity trade-offs associated with woodland expansion. Using the Cairngorm National Park (CNP) in northeast Scotland as a case study, we assessed how proposed woodland expansion targets might affect the distribution of mountain hares, an open moorland species strongly associated with moorland management. Using mountain hare survey, bioclimatic and land use data, we built a Species Distribution Model of mountain hares within the CNP and used this to predict their occurrence under current and proposed woodland expansion scenarios. Simulating the effects of an additional 70 and 350 km2 of new woodland cover showed that combined, these targets would see hares lost from 246 1-km squares, a 7% reduction in their occurrence compared to their 2006/2007 distribution. Changes in hare occurrence were driven by changes in management associated with landcover change more than by landcover change itself. Our results show that afforestation can negatively affect species occurrence directly through changes in landcover, and indirectly through changes in management associated with land landcover change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Restoring degraded peatlands is a promising strategy for mitigating carbon emissions. Large‐scale landscape transformations, such as rewetting of land used for intensive agriculture, often lead to conflicts. Elicitation of the relational values acting as barriers to landscape transformation may support the resolution or taming of such conflicts. This study aimed to explore the relational values associated with a transforming peatland site in Northern Germany. We focused on the value of living and non‐living peat landscape elements; cultural heritage values and identities; educational values; spiritual values; recreational values; and sensory, affective and cognitive experiences. Additionally, we sought to understand how past landscape changes have influenced these values. We conducted interviews with land managers and local residents. Using an art‐based research method, we created six thematic participant‐voiced poems that capture the diverse peatland values. Subsequent interpretation of these poems revealed three key observations: the importance of multisensory experiences; the significance of specific living elements; and the deep cultural and historical values linked to peat landscapes. Landscape changes impact peat landscape values, potentially weakening bonds between people and the peatland. Our study indicates that considering the cultural and historical significance of landscapes may prevent conflicts and foster support for peatland restoration. Ensuring the well‐being of those living and working in these areas requires value‐inclusive landscape planning that embraces a broader focus on relational values. This also involves the potential promotion of value shifts. Such an approach may cultivate a more sustainable and inclusive transformation of the landscape. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

The moorland plateau is the defining landscape of the North York Moors National Park in England. It reflects the everyday management decisions of land managers and the complex web of power relations between multiple stakeholders. The moorland is a contested, shared space that poses questions over access, habitat conservation, biodiversity, grouse shooting, land management, and ultimately, the purpose of National Park landscapes. This article draws upon a mixed methods approach and a heritage-landscape perspective to analyse community viewpoints of the management, use, and ownership of this landscape and to demonstrate how power relations frame human-nature synergies in the Park. In doing so, the article highlights new ways that North York Moors communities could be better represented in discussions on how landscapes are perceived, valued, and managed. It proposes a system that amalgamates key decision makers and residents and, therefore, involves a wider range of stakeholders in the landscape decision-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Richard Skelton's 2009 recording, Landings, is recognised as being intimately connected with landscape and the experience of place. This paper explores the use of therapeutic practice within the creation of the recording of Landings. Building on the work of cultural geographers who have emphasised the cultural and symbolic significance of landscape, as well as incorporating the work of geographers who have studied sound and music, the paper develops a non‐representational analysis, emphasising the interplay of human experiences and therapeutic practice. The paper explores how Skelton's music transcends a simple representation of the moorland landscape. It shows how the music, created through Skelton's therapeutic practice, channels the essence of the landscape. Skelton acknowledges the healing nature of this creative process. It offers catharsis and solace while, at the same time, connecting to living systems and exhibiting an ecological principle. By exploring the music created by Skelton's therapeutic practice and its profound alignment with nature, Landings offers valuable insights for geographers and beyond. Richard Skelton's 2009 recording, Landings, is renowned for its intimate connection with landscape and place. This paper delves into the incorporation of therapeutic practice in the creation of Landings, drawing on cultural geography and non‐representational analysis to highlight the interplay of human experiences and therapeutic methods. It demonstrates how Skelton's music, transcending a mere representation of moorland landscape, channels the essence of nature, providing catharsis, solace and ecological connection, offering valuable insights for geographers and therapeutic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Agroindustrial Science is the property of Agroindustrial Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sustainable peatland management is a global environmental governance challenge given peat's carbon storage. Peatlands worldwide are sites of contested demands between stakeholders with distinct management priorities. In the United Kingdom, peatland management is a focus of political interest for nature-based solutions (NBS), causing tensions with land managers who feel their traditional knowledge is undervalued. Using Q-method (a semi-quantitative method for clarifying distinct viewpoints) with estate managers, gamekeepers, farmers, and employees of land-owning organisations, we explored perceptions around changing upland management in the Yorkshire Dales. Land managers hold strong values of ownership, aesthetics, and stewardship. The prospect of changing management causes fears of losing these relational values alongside instrumental values. Yorkshire Dales stakeholders agreed on NBS aims (reducing flooding, limiting wildfires, protecting wild birds), but disagreed on methods to achieve these. Our research supports engaging local stakeholders at all stages of peatland protection schemes to minimise resentment towards top-down management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moorlands dominated by Calluna vulgaris (hereafter Calluna) are globally rare and under increasing threat of wildfires due to climate change. The soil seedbank is important for community resilience, but research on its contribution to regenerating vegetation after moorland fires has, to date, focused on prescribed fire or on the short‐term (≤ 2 year) impacts of wildfire. To address the role of the seedbank in long‐term vegetation regeneration, we studied a chronosequence of six wildfire sites within a Scottish moorland catchment, ranging from 2 to 64 years since burning. We recorded vegetation composition and sampled the seedbank. Calluna and Erica spp. comprised 66 and 27% of germinated seeds, respectively, and the majority of vegetation species were not represented in the seedbank. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) revealed that time since fire was a strong predictor of vegetation species composition, but it had no effect on seedbank composition, suggesting that the same species dominate the seedbank regardless of burning. Whilst total seed density was not affected by time since wildfire, the effect on the non‐Calluna seedbank was more notable. The proportion of non‐Calluna species decreased with time in both vegetation and seedbank as Calluna cover was re‐established and the seedbank of other species became gradually depleted. Whilst relative non‐Calluna cover in the vegetation was at a maximum in recently burnt areas and declined with time since fire, the species richness and proportion of non‐Calluna in the seedbank followed a unimodal pattern after fire and reached a peak after approximately 35 years. Our results contribute to the knowledge of how moorland ecosystems regenerate after severe disturbances, which are likely to become more common as the climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatland ecosystems are of global conservation and environmental importance storing globally significant amounts of ancient carbon, regulating regional temperatures and hydrological regimes, and supporting unique biodiversity. Livestock grazing, land‐use change, drainage, nutrient and acid deposition, and wildfire threaten the composition and function of many peatlands including those in the uplands of the United Kingdom. Presently, little is known about either the short‐ or long‐term effects of wildfires within these systems in the UK. Our study aimed to evaluate how plant communities respond to wildfires across a range of vegetation communities, soil types, and burn severities. We evaluated wildfire burn severity using the ground‐based Composite Burn Index adapted for treeless peatlands. Using paired burned–unburned plots, we quantified differences in the abundance of plant families and functional groups, vegetation diversity, and community composition. Multivariate differences in composition between burned and unburned areas were used as an index of community resilience to fire. Plots in heathland communities with shallow organic soils burned at the highest severities and had the greatest reductions in plant diversity and richness. There were significant declines in plot‐scale species richness and diversity with increasing burn severity. Graminoids were resilient to fire whilst Ericaceae tended to increase with higher severity. Bryophyte composition was substantially altered—pleurocarpous species declined and acrocarpous species increased with greater burn severity. Community resilience was related to ground layer burn severity with higher burn severity driving greater changes in communities. Wildfire effects on temperate peatlands are a function of fire weather and site environmental and ecological characteristics. Management policy should ensure that the risk of severe wildfires is mitigated to protect ecosystem function and biodiversity. This will require system‐specific fire management prescriptions across the gradient of peatland soil and vegetation types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildfires are an increasing concern due to rising temperatures and incidence of droughts associated with changing climate, poor land management, and direct human interference. Most studies of the impact of fire on temperate heathland and bog examined the consequences of controlled or prescribed burning. Less is known about the impacts of uncontrolled wildfires on sites designated for their conservation value. We examined the initial impact and short‐term trajectory (3.5 years) of cool temperate peatland plant and arthropod communities on designated upland sites in Northern Ireland following wildfires, that is, unplanned with respect to where and when they occur, severity, and duration. These near simultaneous wildfires were often due to a failure to control prescribed burns. Wildfires were associated with a loss of blanket bog and heath indicator species. Broad vegetation groups showed initial recovery characterized by a decrease in bare ground and increasing cover of shrub species and bryophytes. However, at a species level, Sphagnum spp and bryophyte communities, which are central to peatland ecosystem functioning, showed no sign of recovery to prefire composition. Rather, bryophyte communities became more divergent over the course of the study and were mainly characterized by increased abundance of the alien pioneer acrocarp Campylopus introflexus. Similarly, composition of arthropod communities (ground beetles and spiders) differed between burnt and unburnt areas and showed no evidence of a return to species composition in unburnt areas. The nationally rare beetle Carabus nitens was more common in the aftermath of wildfire. Synthesis. Whilst, long‐term recovery was not investigated, these short‐term changes suggest enduring detrimental impacts on the distinctive communities associated with peatlands, primarily through the loss of Sphagnum spp., affecting ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water and soil retention. It may not be possible to restore exact prefire species composition of plant and animal communities. We suggest a precautionary approach involving management of upland vegetation, public education, and vigilance, to prevent further wildfires and protect these key upland habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wildfires are an increasing concern due to rising temperatures and incidence of droughts associated with changing climate, poor land management, and direct human interference. Most studies of the impact of fire on temperate heathland and bog examined the consequences of controlled or prescribed burning. Less is known about the impacts of uncontrolled wildfires on sites designated for their conservation value. We examined the initial impact and short‐term trajectory (3.5 years) of cool temperate peatland plant and arthropod communities on designated upland sites in Northern Ireland following wildfires, that is, unplanned with respect to where and when they occur, severity, and duration. These near simultaneous wildfires were often due to a failure to control prescribed burns. Wildfires were associated with a loss of blanket bog and heath indicator species. Broad vegetation groups showed initial recovery characterized by a decrease in bare ground and increasing cover of shrub species and bryophytes. However, at a species level, Sphagnum spp and bryophyte communities, which are central to peatland ecosystem functioning, showed no sign of recovery to prefire composition. Rather, bryophyte communities became more divergent over the course of the study and were mainly characterized by increased abundance of the alien pioneer acrocarp Campylopus introflexus. Similarly, composition of arthropod communities (ground beetles and spiders) differed between burnt and unburnt areas and showed no evidence of a return to species composition in unburnt areas. The nationally rare beetle Carabus nitens was more common in the aftermath of wildfire. Synthesis. Whilst, long‐term recovery was not investigated, these short‐term changes suggest enduring detrimental impacts on the distinctive communities associated with peatlands, primarily through the loss of Sphagnum spp., affecting ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and water and soil retention. It may not be possible to restore exact prefire species composition of plant and animal communities. We suggest a precautionary approach involving management of upland vegetation, public education, and vigilance, to prevent further wildfires and protect these key upland habitats.

In this paper, the approach Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis and Object-Based Image Analysis (LSMA + OBIA) and Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Technique and Object-Based Image Analysis (ISODATA + OBIA) are evaluated, for optimizing land cover mapping in high mountain areas from Landsat-8 multispectral images. Both approaches are applied to generate in a semiautomatic and unsupervised way a land cover map of the Santurbán-Berlín moorland, located in Colombia as a case study to carry out the evaluation. It has been found that LSMA + OBIA allows the generation of a land cover classification with a maximum global reliability of 88% compared to a reliability of 79% with ISODATA + OBIA.

The upland and mountainous regions of northern Europe provide a wide variety of ecosystem services. However, these ecosystem services are highly vulnerable to environmental and land-use change. To ensure their future conservation, it is therefore, essential to understand whether upland plant communities will respond positively or negatively to a range of environmental factors such as grazing pressure and landscape-scale factors such as changes in atmospheric SO2 and NOx deposition. To understand this, here, we describe the long-term trends in four UK upland communities (high-level grassland, intermediate grassland, blanket bog, high-level bog) using four replicated long-term experiments examining the effects of sheep grazing compared to no-sheep grazing in Moor House (from 1954 to 2016). Our results showed that species richness and abundance recovered in grazed plots after 2000, with improvements in species richness and abundance of vascular plants, mosses, and liverworts. Unfortunately, no improvement was found for lichens. Species richness, vascular plants, and mosses recovered the fastest, and much faster than liverworts. There was no evidence of slower recovery of species richness and abundance in plots where sheep grazing was removed. These results are consistent with longitudinal studies suggesting recovery after 2000 as a result of reduced atmospheric deposition. Although trends in diversity and abundance in the grazed and ungrazed plots were not identical, they were not markedly different either. The similar richness and abundance trends in the grazed and ungrazed plots found in each plant community suggest that within-community dynamics may overcome initial differences between the grazing treatments over time. In contrast, differences in richness and abundance among plant communities over time suggest that some landscape-scale trends, such as those caused by a reduction in nutrient inputs, initiate community-dependent recovery.

In this paper, the approach Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis and Object-Based Image Analysis (LSMA + OBIA) and Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Technique and Object-Based Image Analysis (ISODATA + OBIA) are evaluated, for optimizing land cover mapping in high mountain areas from Landsat-8 multispectral images. Both approaches are applied to generate in a semiautomatic and unsupervised way a land cover map of the Santurbán-Berlín moorland, located in Colombia as a case study to carry out the evaluation. It has been found that LSMA + OBIA allows the generation of a land cover classification with a maximum global reliability of 88% compared to a reliability of 79% with ISODATA + OBIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Question: Northern peatlands are increasingly threatened by wildfire. Severe peatland wildfires can provide opportunities for new non‐peatland species to colonise post fire. Changes in plant colonisation could lead to longer‐term shifts in community composition, compromising recovery of peatland structure and function. Understanding the process of post‐fire recovery can thus inform restoration action and help restore peatland vascular plant communities. In this study, we ask: what drives initial vascular plant recovery following a peatland wildfire? Location: Stalybridge moors, England (commonly referred to as the Saddleworth moors). Methods: We used a series of vegetation surveys and seed germination experiments to identify the composition of vascular plant community one‐year post fire, along with potential propagule sources. We combined this with plant trait data and, using a series of null models, compared observed community trait values against random species assemblages. Results: Our data suggests that plant species are able to arrive at the burned site through multiple non‐exclusive recolonisation pathways. This includes colonisation through the soil seed bank, along with dispersal from surrounding unburned peatland and non‐peatland vegetation. The composition and structure of the recolonised communities was largely determined by the ability of species to reach the post‐fire site from these donor communities. This resulted in a post‐fire community composed of species possessing lower seed masses relative to the wider pool of potential colonisers. Conclusions: Our results highlight propagule availability as a driver of post‐wildfire vascular plant recovery. This provides opportunities for new non‐peatland species to colonise, potentially driving changes in the direction of vegetation recovery. Ensuring the availability of peatland species following a wildfire could therefore be key to the immediate recovery of these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 20th century, human activities and the abandonment of traditional agricultural practices led to the degradation of natural habitats on the Belgian high plateaux of the Liège Ardennes. The goal of the Ardenne liégeoise LIFE project (2012-2020) was to restore these habitats and to improve ecological connectivity between the Plateau des Tailles and the Hautes Fagnes. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the responses of dragonflies and butterflies to restoration actions undertaken within the framework of the project. On the basis of standardised transects and data obtained from regional naturalist databases, we show a generally positive and rapid response of dragonflies. In particular, many peat bog specialists expanded their range within the perimeter of the project by its completion. Butterflies show a more contrasted response and species associated with wet grasslands show negative trends in the study region despite restoration actions. Dragonfly and butterfly monitoring should continue to confirm these trends and refine their evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intensity of pastoral management in areas of High Nature Value farming is declining in some regions of Europe but increasing in others. This affects open habitats of conservation concern, such as the British uplands, where bird species that benefit from low‐intensity grazing may be most sensitive to such polarization. While experimental manipulations of livestock grazing intensities have improved our understanding of upland breeding bird responses in the short term, none have examined the long‐term impacts of altered management on reproductive success.Using a replicated landscape‐scale experiment that started in 2003, we investigated the effects of four grazing treatments (intensive sheep; low‐intensity sheep; low‐intensity mixed sheep and cattle; and no grazing) on the breeding productivity of meadow pipits Anthus pratensis, the most common upland passerine. Surveys were carried out systematically during early (2003 and 2004) and late (2015 and 2016) sampling periods of the experiment to compare the short‐ and long‐term effects of grazing treatments on breeding density and productivity of pipits specifically, but also on the overall bird community.Pipit breeding density was lowest under low‐intensity sheep grazing while the highest egg‐stage nest survival was observed in the same treatment, although no significant treatment effects were detected on overall nest survival or fledgling output. There were no significant differences in treatment effects between the sampling periods on any breeding variable, but overall nest survival was lower in the later sampling period across all treatments.Breeding bird species richness differed between treatments in the later sampling period, with highest species richness in the ungrazed treatment.Synthesis and applications. Livestock grazing management can have different outcomes for different upland birds. Our results showed that, with time, meadow pipit breeding productivity tended to be higher when sheep grazing intensity was reduced and/or mixed with cattle, and lower when livestock were removed, but not significantly so. Removal of grazing, however, can significantly increase bird species richness. The long‐term experiment showed an overall decline in fledglings regardless of grazing treatments, potentially a result of increased predator numbers harboured by nearby developing woodland, highlighting the importance of considering wider landscape processes in grazing management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resources made available through the digital map app change, but do not replace, the skills of "ordinary wayfinding." Looking at the challenges of wayfinding with new mobile devices helps inform the development of digital mapping tools for navigating through difficult terrain. With this background in mind, in this paper we consider how the contemporary navigational resources of mobile devices with GPS, and the resources of countryside landscape features, are brought together in visiting a tourist site. We analyse video data from groups walking across unfamiliar moorland terrain, following a guide and map app which takes them on a tour of a remote Roman marching camp in the Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales. Following an ethnomethodological and conversation analytic approach, we examine three instances of navigational work for paired walkers as they traverse the moorland. The three fragments are of: an orientational struggle to establish where to go next; a routine check to select a path; and the discovery of a feature mentioned in the guide. Across the three episodes we explicate how our walkers make sense of the guide and map in relation to investigating the moorland surface. We examine how their ambulatory and undulatory practices on the moorland are tied to their wayfinding practices. While we analyse wayfinding talk, we also attend to the mobile practices of stopping and pausing as part of practical navigational reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection of wild red grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica by Cryptosporidium baileyi was first diagnosed in 2010. Within three years, signs of infection were reported from grouse on half of all grouse moors in northern England, bringing severe concerns of economic losses to grouse shooting. A total of 45,914 red grouse shot from 10 moors in northern England between 2013 and 2018 were visually screened for signs of respiratory cryptosporidiosis. Prevalence varied with age, being twice as high in juveniles (4.5%) as in adults (2.4%). It also varied nine-fold between moors and three-fold between years. Prevalence was highest in grouse shot later in the shooting season. Our results are consistent with the concept that disease incidence is highest in naïve juveniles that have previously not been exposed to infection, with prevalence dropping as birds develop immunity. We found no evidence of increased prevalence over time, and fears of escalated disease prevalence, bringing with it increased mortality and lowered productivity, that may have significant impacts on the economic viability of shoots, have not yet been realized. We recommend continued annual screening for clinical signs amongst shot birds, better hygiene associated with potential reservoirs of infection, and practices that both improve the detection and selective culling of diseased individuals and generally reduce overall grouse densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large areas of upland mire and moorland in Northwest Europe are regarded as degraded, not actively peat-forming, and releasing carbon. Conservation agencies have short-term targets to restore such areas, but often have no clear knowledge of the timing and nature of degradation. It has been suggested that palaeoecology can be used to inform conservation management about past vegetation states, so as to help identify feasible restoration targets. Our research study in northern England, commissioned by the national statutory conservation agency, applied multiple palaeoecological techniques to establish the vegetation history of several mire and moorland sites, specifically to ascertain the nature and timing of degradation. Techniques applied included pollen analysis, plant macrofossil and charcoal analyses, determination of peat humification and mineral magnetic susceptibility, with ages ascertained using spheroidal carbonaceous particle analysis, 210Pb and 14C dating. Data are presented from case-study sites in the North York Moors, North- and South Pennines to illustrate how palaeoecology can extend long-term monitoring and guide conservation management. Palaeoecological data from a site within a National Nature Reserve, subject to exceptionally long-term (half-centennial) ecological monitoring, showed that this period does not include its pre-degradation state and that its current valued vegetation is novel and may have established after major fire. Overall, the studies suggest that the principal vegetation change at the sites took place after the start of the Industrial Revolution, and that the current landscape appearance not only has no long history, but that valued aspects, such as extensive heather moorland, feature only recently in the cultural landscape. These findings pose challenging questions for conservation management. We offer a non-specialist guide to the palaeoecological techniques that considers level of skill, cost, and comparability with ecological aspects of conservation and monitoring interest. We suggest palaeoecological data can provide valuable information and insights to aid practical conservation. While mires are particularly suitable, palaeoecological techniques could be applied in many other degraded landscapes internationally.

Abstract Calluna vulgaris -dominated habitats are valued for ecosystem services such as carbon storage and for their conservation importance. Climate and environmental change are altering their fire regimes. In particular, more frequent summer droughts will result in higher severity wildfires. This could alter the plant community composition of Calluna habitats and thereby influence ecosystem function. To study the effect of fire severity on community composition we used rain-out shelters to simulate drought prior to experimental burns at two Calluna -dominated sites, a raised bog and a heathland. We analysed species abundance in plots surveyed ca. 16 months after fire in relation to burn severity (indicated by fire-induced soil heating). We found that fire severity was an important control on community composition at both sites. Higher fire severity increased the abundance of ericoids, graminoids and acrocarpous mosses, and decreased the abundance of pleurocarpous mosses compared to lower severity fires. At the raised bog, the keystone species Sphagnum capillifolium and Eriophorum vaginatum showed no difference in regeneration with fire severity. Species and plant functional type beta-diversity increased following fire, and was similar in higher compared to lower severity burns. Our results further our understanding of the response of Calluna -dominated habitats to projected changes in fire regimes, and can assist land managers using prescribed fires in selecting burning conditions to achieve management objectives. Highlights • Higher fire severity further altered community composition at a bog and a heath. • Higher fire severity increased abundance of ericoids, graminoids and acrocarps. • Burning increased beta-diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European heathland habitats are cultural landscapes derived from previously-forested ecosystems. Heathlands are of significant conservation interest but have experienced prolonged degradation due to a range of factors including overgrazing by domestic livestock. There is growing recognition of the need to restore upland landscapes to produce a diverse mosaic of woodlands, heathlands and forest edge ecotones. In some studies stock removal has been sufficient to promote heathland recovery, but often more intensive interventions are required. Few studies have specifically examined how abiotic gradients associated with changing elevation might relate to restoration success. We examined differences in vegetation between grazed and restored areas over a 500 m elevational gradient split across two hillsides that were part of a landscape-scale restoration project in the Scottish Southern Uplands. Species alpha and gamma diversity showed non-linear responses to elevation but the effects of grazing differed between sites. Grazing increased diversity on the lower elevation site but reduced it at higher elevations. The differing effects of grazing with elevation can be interpreted in the context of levels of competition and likely impacts on rates of colonization and extinction. Differences in community composition were assessed using PERMANOVA, NMDS and Cluster Analysis and were primarily controlled by elevation with no significant effect of grazing. The keystone heathland species Calluna vulgaris was not recorded in any of our monitoring plots but some other dwarf shrubs were common. Changes in community structure following stock removal are slow on upland sites but initial impacts interact strongly with abiotic site conditions and pre-restoration vegetation composition. During large-scale restoration it is therefore vital to consider how widely-applied treatments might differ in their effects across landscapes. Changes in diversity may provide a useful early indicator of important ecological processes and likely directions of change.

The ecosystemic fragmentation developed in the area of study that integrates part of the Sumapaz moorland is correlated with anthropic factors. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to identify the degree of human intervention through the analysis of land use and determine the highly impactful activities in order to propose sustainable tourism routes as an option for economic development of the inhabitants and thus contribute to the mitigation of environmental degradation. The process was carried out using remote sensors, field visits and interaction with the community. The identification of activities highly transformative and impacting were obtained and evidenced in the map of classification of vegetative covers and the result was contrasted with the official map of the Agustín Codazzi Geographical Institute of the year 1999 for verification. Despite of the time difference of correlation, this is the basis for the validation. As a result, the final map was generated with at least eight initial points for the creation of runners that could contribute to the environmental preservation and diversification of the peasant economy in this area with high environmental value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the relationship between vegetation and soil moisture is complex and reciprocal, there is a need to understand how spatial patterns in soil moisture influence the distribution of vegetation, and how the structure of vegetation canopies and root networks regulates the partitioning of precipitation. Spatial patterns of soil moisture are often difficult to visualise as usually, soil moisture is measured at point scales, and often difficult to extrapolate. Here, we address the difficulties in collecting large amounts of spatial soil moisture data through a study combining plot- and transect-scale electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) surveys to estimate soil moisture in a 3.2 km 2 upland catchment in the Scottish Highlands. The aim was to assess the spatio-temporal variability in soil moisture under Scots pine forest ( Pinus sylvestris ) and heather moorland shrubs ( Calluna vulgaris); the two dominant vegetation types in the Scottish Highlands. The study focussed on one year of fortnightly ERT surveys. The surveyed resistivity data was inverted and Archie’s law was used to calculate volumetric soil moisture by estimating parameters and comparing against field measured data. Results showed that spatial soil moisture patterns were more heterogeneous in the forest site, as were patterns of wetting and drying, which can be linked to vegetation distribution and canopy structure. The heather site showed a less heterogeneous response to wetting and drying, reflecting the more uniform vegetation cover of the shrubs. Comparing soil moisture temporal variability during growing and non-growing seasons revealed further contrasts: under the heather there was little change in soil moisture during the growing season. Greatest changes in the forest were in areas where the trees were concentrated reflecting water uptake and canopy partitioning. Such differences have implications for climate and land use changes; increased forest cover can lead to greater spatial variability, greater growing season temporal variability, and reduced levels of soil moisture, whilst projected decreasing summer precipitation may alter the feedbacks between soil moisture and vegetation water use and increase growing season soil moisture deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moorland habitats dominated by the dwarf shrub Calluna vulgaris provide important ecosystem services. Drought is projected to intensify throughout their range, potentially leading to increased fire severity as moisture is a key control on severity. We studied the effect of low fuel moisture content (FMC) on fire severity by using 2 × 2 m rain-out shelters prior to completing 19 experimental fires in two sites in Scotland (UK): a dry heath with thin organic soils and a raised bog with deep, saturated peat, both dominated by Calluna vulgaris . Reduced FMC of the moss and litter (M/L) layer at both sites, and the soil moisture of the dry heath, increased fire-induced consumption of the M/L layer and soil heating at both sites. Increase in fire severity was greater at the dry heath than at the raised bog, e.g. average maximum temperatures at the soil surface increased from 31 °C to 189 °C at the dry heath, but only from 10 °C to 15 °C at the raised bog. Substantial M/L layer consumption was observed when its FMC was below 150%. This led to larger seasonal and daily soil temperature fluctuation, particularly at the dry heath during warm months. The results suggest that low FMC following predicted changes in climate are likely to increase wildfire severity and that the impact on vegetation composition and carbon stores may be greater at heathlands than at peatlands. Managed burning aiming to minimise fire severity (e.g. ignition of the M/L layer and exposure to lethal temperatures of ericoid seeds) should be carried out when the FMC of the M/L layer is above 150% and the FMC of the soil is above 200–300%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many northern hemisphere peatlands have historically been drained, but restoration has sought to raise water tables to support peat-forming vegetation and enhance carbon sinks. In the UK alone, millions of new peatland ponds have been created but their biodiversity remains poorly studied and knowledge to guide conservation is lacking. This study advances understanding of aquatic invertebrate responses to peatland restoration from analyses of: (1) pond colonization and development up to 18 months after creation; (2) a pond chronosequence spanning 6 months to 15 years, and; (3) a comparison of restored versus naturally-formed ponds. Invertebrate communities established within 4 months of pond creation, but some initial colonisers were no longer found after 6 months. Diversity and abundance peaked at around 5 years then declined. Older pond environmental conditions and biodiversity were generally similar to natural ponds, highlighting restoration success for aquatic biodiversity gains. Co-ordinated, routine monitoring should be implemented to inform conservation approaches for these habitats and their biodiversity, particularly where other land management activities have the potential to impact aquatic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire is widely used as a traditional habitat management tool in Scotland, but wildfires pose a significant and growing threat. The financial costs of fighting wildfires are significant and severe wildfires can have substantial environmental impacts. Due to the intermittent occurrence of severe fire seasons, Scotland, and the UK as a whole, remain somewhat unprepared. Scotland currently lacks any form of Fire Danger Rating system that could inform managers and the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) of periods when there is a risk of increased of fire activity. We aimed evaluate the potential to use outputs from the Canadian Fire Weather Index system (FWI system) to forecast periods of increased fire risk and the potential for ignitions to turn into large wildfires. We collated four and a half years of wildfire data from the Scottish FRS and examined patterns in wildfire occurrence within different regions, seasons, between urban and rural locations and according to FWI system outputs. We used a variety of techniques, including Mahalanobis distances, percentile analysis and Thiel-Sen regression, to scope the best performing FWI system codes and indices. Logistic regression showed significant differences in fire activity between regions, seasons and between urban and rural locations. The Fine Fuel Moisture Code and the Initial Spread Index did a tolerable job of modelling the probability of fire occurrence but further research on fuel moisture dynamics may provide substantial improvements. Overall our results suggest it would be prudent to ready resources and avoid managed burning when FFMC > 75 and/or ISI > 2.

Aim To test competing hypotheses about the timing and extent of Holocene landscape opening using pollen-based quantitative land-cover estimates. Location Dove Lake, Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Australia. Methods Fossil pollen data were incorporated into pollen dispersal models and corrected for differences in pollen productivity among key plant taxa. Mechanistic models ( REVEALS-Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites) employing different models for pollen dispersal (Gaussian plume and Lagrangian stochastic models) were evaluated and applied in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time. Results Validation of the REVEALS model with vegetation cover data suggests an overall better performance of the Lagrangian stochastic model. Regional land-cover estimates for forest and non-forest plant taxa show persistent landscape openness throughout the Holocene (average landscape openness ~50%). Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, an indicator of moorland vegetation, shows higher values during the early Holocene (11.7-9 ka) and declines slightly through the mid-Holocene (9-4.5 ka) during a phase of partial landscape afforestation. Rain forest cover reduced (from ~40% to ~20%) during the period between 4.2-3.5 ka. Main conclusions Pollen percentages severely under-represent landscape openness in western Tasmania and this bias has fostered an over-estimation of Holocene forest cover from pollen data. Treeless vegetation dominated Holocene landscapes of the Dove Lake area, allowing us to reject models of landscape evolution that invoke late-Holocene replacement of a rain forest-dominated landscape by moorland. Instead, we confirm a model of Late Pleistocene inheritance of open vegetation. Rapid forest decline occurred after c. 4 ka, likely in response to regional moisture decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes are proliferating but are challenged by insufficient attention to spatial and temporal inter-dependencies, interactions between different ecosystems and their services, and the need for multi-level governance. To address these challenges, this paper develops a place-based approach to the development and implementation of PES schemes that incorporates multi-level governance, bundling or layering of services across multiple scales, and shared values for ecosystem services. The approach is evaluated and illustrated using case study research to develop an explicitly place-based PES scheme, the Peatland Code, owned and managed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s UK Peatland Programme and designed to pay for restoration of peatland habitats. Buyers preferred bundled schemes with premium pricing of a primary service, contrasting with sellers’ preferences for quantifying and marketing services separately in a layered scheme. There was limited awareness among key business sectors of dependencies on ecosystem services, or the risks and opportunities arising from their management. Companies with financial links to peatlands or a strong environmental sustainability focus were interested in the scheme, particularly in relation to climate regulation, water quality, biodiversity and flood risk mitigation benefits. Visitors were most interested in donating to projects that benefited wildlife and were willing to donate around £2 on-site during a visit. Sellers agreed a deliberated fair price per tonne of CO 2 equivalent from £11.18 to £15.65 across four sites in Scotland, with this range primarily driven by spatial variation in habitat degradation. In the Peak District, perceived declines in sheep and grouse productivity arising from ditch blocking led to substantially higher prices, but in other regions ditch blocking was viewed more positively. The Peatland Code was developed in close collaboration with stakeholders at catchment, landscape and national scales, enabling multi-level governance of the management and delivery of ecosystem services across these scales. Place-based PES schemes can mitigate negative trade-offs between ecosystem services, more effectively include cultural ecosystem services and engage with and empower diverse stakeholders in scheme design and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]