The document summarizes the state of upland farming and ecosystems in Scotland. It finds that agricultural land makes up 79% of Scotland's land area, with over 60% deemed of severely limited agricultural use. Analysis shows changes between the 1950s-1990s in moorlands and grasslands. Monitoring reveals less than 50% of native woodlands and peatlands are in satisfactory biodiversity condition, with grazing and browsing the main threat. Bird populations like curlew, golden plover and meadow pipit are declining, while raven, snipe and red grouse are stable. The future of hill farming faces challenges around viability, competing land uses, and perceptions of rewilding versus farming.

1. The state of Scotland’s
upland farming and crofting
ecosystems
Davy McCracken
Head of SRUC’s Hill & Mountain Research Centre
Scottish Farmed Environment Forum, 25 August 2015

2. 22
The uplands of Scotland:
Agricultural land accounts for 79% of Scotland’s land area
8% of Scotland’s agricultural land is suitable for arable
farming, with over 60% deemed of severely limited
agricultural use (rough and common grazing)

3. 33

4. 44
SNH Natural Capital Asset Index:

5. 55
SNH Natural Capital Asset Index:
Changes between 1950s and 1990s largely
driven by change in moorlands and grasslands

6. 66
SE Web Mountains & Uplands

7. 77
Ecosystem state?:
Protected
areas (e.g.
SSSIs)
versus
wider
countryside

8. 88
Results of site
condition monitoring
for a range of
features in the
Scottish uplands (SE
Web June 2014)

9. 99
Wider countryside: river quality (map SEPA 2006)

10. 1010
Wider countryside: native woodlands (NWS 2014)
In 2014:
Upland native woodland
& scrub = 120,000 ha
[commercial coniferous
woodland = 1.1 million ha]
14% loss in native
woodlands over 40
years, mostly in uplands
Less than 50% in
satisfactory condition for
biodiversity – grazing
and browsing main
threat

11. 1111
Wider countryside: peatlands
Extent in uplands stable
but some decreases in
plant species richness
and many emitting
rather than
sequestering carbon

12. 1212
Wider countryside: upland birds

13. 1313
Wider countryside: birds
1994-2013
Stable:
• Raven
• Snipe
• Red Grouse
Declining
• Curlew (-55%)
• Golden Plover (-25%)
• Meadow Pipit (-19%)

14. 1414
Changes to upland livestock:
14 14

15. 1515
Biodiversity impacts:

16. 1616
Biodiversity impacts:

17. 1717
2010: 2.2 million ha (40%) of UAA in Scotland
estimated to be under HNV farming systems
[of which c. 592,000 ha common grazings]
Identification of HNV in Scotland

18. 1818
What future for hill farming & crofting?

19. 1919
What future for hill farming & crofting?
Range of
agricultural
production
challenges, e.g.:
•Low productivity
•Blackloss
• Nutrition
• Predation
• Disease
•Climate change
Three overarching issues:
•Fragile economic viability
•Competition with other land
uses
•Assumption rewilding good,
farming bad

20. 2020
Tackling
climate
change
Improvingwaterquality
Increasing
renewableenergysources
Reducing
GHG
emissions
Protecting
carbon
stocks in
soil
Reducing
flood risk
Managing
diffuse
pollution
Halting
biodiversity
loss
SupportingHNVfarming and
forestry
Increasing
woodland
cover
Maintainingecosystemservices
Maintaining
food
security
Ecosystem Approach
What future for hill farming & crofting?

21. 2121
What future for hill farming & crofting?
Greater integration with other
land uses has to be way forward
to increase income, spread risk
and maintain/enhance
ecosystems
But we also need a proper
discussion and debate about
“What do we want from our
uplands in the future?”

22. 22
Leading the way in Agriculture and Rural Research, Education and Consulting