PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Habitat fragmentation is recognised as one of the major challenges facing the conservation of habitats and species in a changing climate. The EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy highlights that many ecosystems within the EU have been degraded by habitat fragmentation. Fragmented habitats are often less biodiverse and of poorer quality, with a larger edge-to-habitat ratio, than larger or less fragmented habitat patches. Habitat fragmentation results in diminished ecological coherence and potential reductions in ecosystem services. Both the EU Habitats Directive and the revised Scottish Biodiversity Strategy recognise the contributing effect of habitat fragmentation on ecosystem degradation, and the need to create a fully functioning, ecologically coherent network. The Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) area is Scotland’s most heavily fragmented lowland area, comprising just 13% of Scotland’s land area yet home to 70% of the population and most of its industry.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the EcoCo LIFE Scotland project was to deliver habitat management in the most beneficial places within the CSGN area to improve ecological coherence. It would implement a suite of concrete conservation activities to better connect habitats and increase their biodiversity, with improvements in quality and functionality across landscapes. To do this, the project would develop a new mapping methodology – an 'Ecological Coherence Protocol' – to identify the most beneficial places for people and wildlife, and it would test its application through the implementation of habitat restoration activities at selected sites. The project would seek to deliver multifunctional benefits – for example, it would help reach the objective of the Water Framework Directive to ensure the good ecological status of water bodies and help implement the Floods Directive by taking coordinated measures to reduce flood risk. The implementation of habitat management restoration to improve ecological coherence would also help fulfil biodiversity objectives and improve the resilience of habitats and species to changing climatic conditions.
RESULTS
Eco Co LIFE Scotland implemented an integrated habitat network approach to improve ecological coherence across the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN). Most importantly, the project team produced the Ecological Coherence Protocol (ECP) which is being applied to select new sites and characterise existing sites in the network.
The project team produced a document and a GIS-based tool to assist with site selection, using a number of key factors such as the potential for a location to deliver ecosystem services. The ECP is a combined mapping system and scoring system, to determine where is best to carry out restoration or habitat creation actions. It represents a real innovation in the nature conservation field.
A project extension enabled the beneficiaries to improve the ECP in the light of practical applications, which resulted in an updated and more robust version that could be used in other circumstances. They produced a ‘Practitioners Guide to Ecological Coherence’ to enable organisations to reproduce the methods.
Excellent results were achieved using the ECP method in the peatland, wetland and ecological connections habitat categories. All sites but one site (Westermoss) mapped out well in terms of the protocol. Two of the original sites were held up by planning requirements, so were not delivered within the project’s timescale, but these were replaced by other sites. The only habitat type that proved problematic was freshwater habitats, for practical reasons. However, the associated beneficiary SEPA has secured the financing to implement the freshwater sites at Glazert and Tyne, and these will be accomplished post-LIFE.
The project team’s monitoring plan was developed centrally and approved by the Steering Committee. It was applied in all habitat types, with methods that bring consistency across the sites. All the project partners made a significant contribution to dissemination activities at the local level, where over one hundred events have been carried out. There were also activities at national and international level.
The project team implemented habitat improvements on some 1 150 ha over 43 different sites. This is roughly 10% of the total area of the adjoining greater contiguous area, so the multiplier effect would be felt over these wider areas. Each intervention was planned and implemented with the long-term goal of improving the ecological coherence with surrounding connected patches of similar habitat. The project team produced connectivity and ecosystem function monitoring reports, which both indicated positive gains from these interventions (though in most cases the impacts are still to be fully realised). In cases where hydrological indicators are important, particularly in the wetland and peatland sites, immediate positive impacts have been significant and it is expected that an improvement in habitat quality will become evident in time.
The significant amount of peatland restoration work (over 1 000 ha) will contribute to the safeguarding of carbon sinks, and together with wetland work over 100 ha will help to mitigate flooding. Though many project actions were carried out in sites designated for nature conservation; the main message of this project is that though designated sites are strategically important, it is only with surrounding and networked sites (non-designated) in the wider landscape that sustainability and resilience of habitat and species resilience can be ensured.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report (see "Read more" section).
