The Nature of Scotland

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Credits The Nature of Scotland The Magazine of Scottish Natural Heritage Issue Number 16 — Autumn / Winter 2012 Published twice per year © SNH 2012 ISSN 1350 309X Editor: Jim Jeffrey Tel. 01738 458528 Cover photo: Stac Pollaidh, Assynt Photographer : Lorne Gill/2020VISION/SNH Inside cover: Cairngorms National Park Photographer : Lorne Gill/SNH Welcome page: Kinnoul Hill, Perth Photographer: Lorne Gill/2020VISION/SNH Photography – all images by Lorne Gill/SNH other than; Roy Leverton 4; David Whitaker 6t, 9 (image 1 in strip), 20, 23r, 27t, 40r; Keith Ringland 8; Nial Benvie/Images from the Edge 9 (image 3 in strip); Forestry Commission 19; Alex Mustard 21; Mark Hamblin 23l; Cathy Mayne/SNH 24; Lorne Gill 2020Vision/SNH 28, 60; FLPA/ Alamy 30; Colin Seddon/ National Wildlife Rescue Centre 32, 33, 34 and 35; Juan Brown 42l; Ian Mitchell/SNH 42m; Waterways Trust 43l; Laurie Campbell 43m; The Wild Trout Trust 44r; Dumfries & Galloway Bat Group 45l; Andrew Bielinski 45m; Jim Anderson 45r; Pete Moore/SNH 46l; Feis Rois 46m; Cath Scott 50; Mark Hamblin/2020VISION 58 and 59, 61,62; Peter Cairns/2020 VISION 63. Map, 37 – © Ashworth Maps and Interpretation Ltd 2012. Based on Ordnance Survey mapping. © Crown copyright and database right 2012. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number SNH 100017908. To share your views about The Nature of Scotland or suggest articles for future issues please contact the editor: SNH Magazine Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW Email: editor@snh.gov.uk The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of SNH. Printed by: J Thomson Colour Printers, Glasgow JTCP31k1012 When you’ve finished with this magazine, please recycle it. Pass it to another reader or dispose of it at your local waste-collection point. Where we are… You can contact SNH by letter, telephone or email. The following details should enable you to find your nearest main office, but bear in mind that we also have a number of offices smaller than those listed. A full list of our offices appears on the SNH website: www.snh.gov.uk Corporate headquarters Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness IV3 8NW Tel. 01463 725 000 Email: enquiries@snh.gov.uk Other main offices Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW Tel. 01738 444 177 Silvan House, 3rd Floor East, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 7AT Tel. 0131 316 2600 Caspian House, Mariner Court, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank G81 2NR Tel. 0141 951 4488 Area offices Forth The Beta Centre, Innovation Park, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4NF Tel. 01786 450 362 Forth Silvan House, 3rd Floor East, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 7AT Tel. 0131 316 2600 Southern Scotland Carmont House, The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries DG1 4ZF Tel. 01387 247 010 Northern Isles & North Highland Ground Floor, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL Tel. 01595 693 345 Northern Isles & North Highland The Links, Golspie Business Park, Golspie, Sutherland KW10 6UB Tel. 01408 634 063 South Highland Fodderty Way, Dingwall Business Park, Dingwall IV15 9XB Tel. 01349 865 333 South Highland The Governor’s House, The Parade, Fort William, Inverness-shire PH33 6BA Tel. 01397 704 716 Strathclyde & Ayrshire Caspian House, Mariner Court, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank G81 2NR Tel. 0141 951 4488 Tayside & Grampian Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW Tel. 01738 444 177 Tayside & Grampian Inverdee House, Baxter Street, Torry, Aberdeen AB11 9QA Tel. 01224 266 500 Argyll & Outer Hebrides 32 Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS1 2ND Tel. 01851 705 258 2 The Nature of Scotland
Welcome Alison Bell Principal Adviser – Communications Scottish Natural Heritage Welcome to the Autumn/Winter issue of The Nature of Scotland. In this edition we look forward to the year ahead, as well as reviewing some highlights from 2012. By sharing ways to enjoy our fabulous natural heritage we hope to encourage you to find out more or perhaps visit some of these places to experience them yourself. Next year, our natural heritage will feature in the ‘Year of Natural Scotland 2013’, the latest of the Scottish Government’s ‘focus’ years. In partnership with a wide range of organisations concerned with the natural heritage, we will celebrate our world-class natural assets and inspire more people to experience our natural environment. A programme of events and activities throughout the year will offer lots of opportunities to tempt you to explore our natural heritage. Our feature article introduces some of the plans SNH has in store for the Year of Natural Scotland 2013. 2012 will long be remembered as an Olympic year in which taking part, as either a volunteer, spectator or competitor, proved highly rewarding. The expectation is that the enthusiasm that radiated from the London Olympic Games will be replicated in 2014 when Glasgow hosts the Commonwealth Games. This will be a chance for Scotland and, in particular, the west of Scotland to showcase its many assets. We start that process by featuring the work of Glasgow’s enthusiastic Countryside Rangers across a host of parks and green spaces. Glasgow may be our biggest city but, as our article reveals, it is also rightly proud of its rich natural heritage, living up to being a ‘dear green place’. Away from the urban environment, we look at partnership working to alleviate the pressures on Scotland’s highest mountain – Ben Nevis – and we feature our most southerly National Nature Reserve where wide open spaces and distant horizons make for a tranquil setting. There is a focus on the stunning imagery captured as part of the groundbreaking 2020Vision project and we reflect on how the ‘Branching Out’ project is helping those affected by mental health issues. Climate change is an ever-present topic these days and impinges on many environmental issues. Looking at the effects of climate change, we explore how butterflies fared during what was, for some areas of Scotland, a very wet summer. We also reveal how colleagues in Forestry Commission Scotland tackle storm damage in popular recreational spots. If reading the magazine has stimulated you to find out more about how Scottish Natural Heritage looks after Scotland’s nature, visit www.snh.gov.uk. Enjoy reading our latest update in the pages that follow – and make Year of Natural Scotland 2013 your year to experience something new in our country’s wonderful natural heritage.
Page 1 and 2: Scottish Natural Heritage Autumn /
Page 3: Contents Features 10 Natural inspir
Page 7 and 8: Dung ho! They’re built like minia
Page 9 and 10: Winter Daylight hours are few now,
Page 11 and 12: Winter Branches of learning Look at
Page 13 and 14: 1 Year of Natural Scotland 2013 is
Page 15 and 16: www.snh.gov.uk 13
Page 17 and 18: It’s an unpleasant fact but it is
Page 19 and 20: 5 “‘Branching Out’ fits well
Page 21 and 22: SNH PINS its notices on new online
Page 23 and 24: NEWS Basking shark tagging project
Page 25 and 26: 1 Red kite recovery features promin
Page 27 and 28: 1 A new funding package should help
Page 29 and 30: 3 4 www.snh.gov.uk 27
Page 31 and 32: It has been another poor summer wea
Page 33 and 34: Gocan na Cuthaig Tha abairt ann an
Page 35 and 36: Centre manager Colin Seddon stresse
Page 37 and 38: “A key aspect of our new centre i
Page 39 and 40: Caerlaverock National Nature Reserv
Page 41 and 42: 3 2 The path divides at this point
Page 43 and 44: 6 Essential information Caerlaveroc
Page 45 and 46: SNH Area News Forth Correspondents:
Page 47 and 48: SNH Area News Southern Scotland Cor
Page 49 and 50: SNH Area News Tayside and Grampian
Page 51 and 52: Green tourism is one of Scotland’
Page 53 and 54: Glasgow’s Countryside Rangers hav
Page 55 and 56:
4 Scotland where wild whooper swans
Page 57 and 58:
6 5 Countryside Rangers offer valua
Page 59 and 60:
Climate change and more extreme wea
Page 61 and 62:
1 Black grouse seen displaying by a
Page 63 and 64:
3 More than just a peat bog We have
Page 65 and 66:
More than just some hills The very
Page 67 and 68:
www.snh.gov.uk 65
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