SNH Area News


Forth Correspondents: Zoe Kemp, Tom Cunningham


More to enjoy at Loch Lomond


The beautiful Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve (NNR) will soon be even more of a treat for visitors, under a pioneering partnership between RSPB Scotland, SNH, and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA). With the help of SNH and LLTNPA,


RSPB has purchased land at Wards Estate, which makes up a large part of the NNR, with the aim of managing it as a flagship RSPB reserve within the National Park. Working in partnership with SNH and LLTNPA, RSPB will improve the visitor experience and manage the 563-acre reserve. Near Gartocharn at the southeast shore of Loch Lomond, the estate is home to a rich variety of wildlife, inhabiting the woodlands, grasslands and floodplain of the River Endrick, making this one of the most designated wildlife sites in the UK. The area boasts many wintering wildfowl, including Greenland white- fronted, greylag and pink-footed geese, along with whooper swans. Other wildlife includes osprey, Atlantic salmon, river lamprey and otters. The reserve also supports 400 species of plants, which is about quarter of all the species that have been found in Britain. The Scottish dock, only discovered in 1936, grows only at the Loch Lomond reserve.


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Red squirrels at Tentsmuir


Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve in Fife has a strong population of red squirrels. There have been more regular sightings recently which may indicate that numbers are increasing. In 2005/6 the local Fife Squirrel Group developed a Red Squirrel Action Plan and the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) declared Tentsmuir Forest as a Red Squirrel Zone. This spurred SNH & FCS into action to control grey squirrels in this area. Local man, Jim Allan, has been contracted to trap the greys. Since 2007, he has trapped 92 greys. In the first year Jim trapped 39 and in 2011 only 9, indicating declining numbers. As well as managing the grey squirrels it is important to monitor the squirrel population throughout the NNR and wider forest area. We collate numbers of both species, giving data on the success of this management. Elmwood College in Cupar has a highly successful conservation and environment management course. The students carry out monitoring in four transects and no grey squirrels have been observed for three years and red squirrel numbers are increasing. This backs up casual observations. Tentsmuir is a great place to visit,


chances are that you may catch a glimpse of a red squirrel.


Planning around the Firth of Forth


The Firth of Forth is vitally important to Scotland’s economy, with port, transport, energy and urban developments along its shoreline. Much of that shoreline is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for its populations of estuarine birds. Planning for development around the Firth is complex because seven local authorities have part of the coastline within their boundaries. Each is producing a Local Development Plan to guide future development in their area. Developments can only be included in those Plans if it can be shown that they won't impact on the SPA birds. It is important when doing this assessment that each authority takes into account what is being planned by other authorities around the firth. To help this to happen, SNH and Scottish Government are piloting a new approach to make it easier for the authorities to share information and to collaborate together. We are trialling a common template for recording and assessing pressures which could impact upon the birds. As Plans are prepared, this ‘database’ will build into a comprehensive picture of what development is being planned right around the Forth. If successful, this approach could be used for other large sites with multiple local authorities.


The Nature of Scotland


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