CONTENTS Round-leaved sundew Laurie Campbell 4 STATE OF NATURE 2013
UPLAND STATE OF NATURE 2013 29 he UK’s uplands are the hills, valleys, moors and mountains that form a distinctive and beloved part <strong>of</strong> our countryside. Habitats range from pastures and hay meadows in valley bottoms, to more extensive areas <strong>of</strong> rough grass, heather moor, blanket bog, woodland and mountain summits. Nearly all <strong>of</strong> the world’s heather moorland is found in the UK. Despite their wild appearance, these habitats, shaped by altitude, aspect, soils and climate, have been influenced by man for thousands <strong>of</strong> years, through grazing, burning and forest clearance. Today, they are used, in places intensively, for pastoral farming, game shooting, forestry, drinking water collection, energy generation and nature conservation. Large areas are designated as protected sites, such as SSSIs, National Parks and Areas <strong>of</strong> Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). The uplands are home to a variety <strong>of</strong> specialist flora and fauna, including the mountain hare, golden eagle, golden plover, alpine saxifrage, mountain ringlet butterfly and bilberry bumblebee, alongside a wealth <strong>of</strong> rare bryophytes and lichens. Some <strong>of</strong> these are endemics, found nowhere else in the world, such as the northern prongwort, a liverwort which occurs only on Beinne Eighe National <strong>Nature</strong> Reserve in Scotland. The natural and cultural importance <strong>of</strong> uplands cannot be overestimated, but amidst this richness, land managers seek to make a living here, whilst remaining sensitive to the needs <strong>of</strong> wildlife and the environment. This carnivorous plant catches unsuspecting insects with its sticky hairs, before digesting them with acid. STATE OF NATURE 2013 5