Peatland Restoration - Abernethy - August 2021

The Reserve comprises a large extent of remnant Caledonian pine forest and higher open ground extending to the northern areas of the Cairngorm massif. The peatland restoration site lies to the south-eastern boundary of the Reserve, on higher ground between Bynack More to the south-west and An Lurg to the east, bounded by the Water of Caiplich to the south. It is set within a wider landscape of largely degraded peatland.

This project will complete the first phase of restoration on An Lurg following reprofiling work with excavators in 2020. Stone dams and some coir logs were also installed as part of the 2020 works.

The site is at an altitude of between 690 and 800 metres, with the centre of the site at NJ046087. The majority of the site is a mosaic of NVC M19 Calluna-Eriophoretum blanket mire with smaller areas of M16d Erica-Sphagnum wet heath communities, M2 and M3 bog pool communities, patches of high altitude H13 Calluna-Cladonia heath, H12b Vaccinium-Cladonia heath, and U5b Nardus-Galium grassland. The Reserve is managed primarily for nature conservation. The restoration site is in an area that was historically managed for red deer and red grouse going back to the 19th Century, with livestock grazing on the site prior to the formation of sporting estates.

Restoration Proposals

The primary objective in this phase of the An Lurg project is to stabilise the existing peatland communities to prevent further erosion and degradation and re-vegetate bare peat across the site. In addition, the restoration aims to reduce Carbon emissions, improve water quality, raise the water table, reduce sedimentation, and enhance biodiversity.

The site comprises extensive areas of reprofiled peat hags, erosion gullies, and large areas of bare peat. There are hotspots of micro-erosion across areas of the site linked to historic high herbivore pressure. There is a range of reprofiled peat hags from under 0.5m to over 2m with the majority falling within 0.7-1.5m in height. Parts of the site are still in an actively eroding condition and are located within a landscape of degraded peatland. The project requires a range of techniques to be installed by hand and will require helicopter transportation of materials.