Bracken on the moor

    The moorlands have been affected over the years by different factors such as grazing pressure by sheep and Red Deer, afforestation, invasive Bracken, air pollution, and climate change. Great efforts are being undertaken to maintain the various habitats. Through controlled moorland burning (Muirburn), conservation codes and laws protecting the habitats, the future of the uplands will be enjoyed by generations to come.

Sheep grazing the heather

The sheep in Scotland outnumber the humans. By the turn of the century, the population of sheep numbered over 9 million. Grazing has prevented and suppressed the natural succession of heathland to woodland and scrub. Grazed mainly by the domestic sheep but helped by the large red deer herds, goats, and cattle, woodland regeneration has been impeded for many years and the scrub zone has all but disappeared. Over or heavy grazing tends to inhibit the regeneration of the heather and heathland transforming it into grassland. The grazing and trampling in the uplands leave many of the fragile fauna at risk. Public trails such as the one at Ben Rinnes have greatly helped to keep the erosion down by keeping trekkers on a set path.

The upland heath habitat in Scotland is currently on the decline. Since the Second World War, the heather moorland of Scotland has declined by an average of 40% in the south of the country. With the concerned organizations at work in Great Britain doing hard work toward the goals of preservation, there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel.   - Bruce A. Wilson, 2009.