February 2022 17 Comments? Promising results from mountain hare survey An innovative survey of Scotland’s mountain hares involving volunteer citizen scientists has been hailed as a success in a report published in May. Scotland’s flux tower network improved for better understanding of impact of peatland restoration The flux tower network in Scotland is to be extended and enhanced to better understand the carbon and climate impact of restoring peatlands. Supported by over £1 million of Scottish Government funding, three additional flux towers to be operated by the James Hutton Institute will join the current network and all nine of the towers currently in the network will be upgraded. The data from flux towers is used to measure greenhouse gas emissions from soils and degraded peatland and show how the emissions change after restoration. The Scottish Government’s Rural Affairs Secretary, Mairi Gougeon MSP, said: “Scotland is leading the way on peatland policy. Peatland restoration is a key element of our updated Climate Change Plan. We are committed to significantly increasing the rate of peatland restoration in Scotland. “We need to make sure that we can assess the greenhouse gas impacts from rewetting different land types across Scotland, which can then help us understand where and how to best target our restoration efforts. These flux towers will help us continue to build our evidence base to increase costefficiency and effectiveness.” Dr Rebekka Artz, a senior scientist at the Institute, added: “This investment substantially increases and standardises our network of ground observations of carbon dioxide and methane emissions monitoring from Scottish peatlands. The new equipment will be placed to address a critical gap in our understanding, namely the degree to which peatlands under grassland use lose carbon.” “These will be vital observations to improve not only the reporting of greenhouse gases from peatlands but also will serve to enhance our ability to understand regionally different impacts of land management decisions and climate change on peatland resilience.” A five-year, £3.7m research project involving scientists from across the UK and partners across Europe will assess the risk that climate change poses to our peatlands and create the capability to better manage these important ecosystems. Peatlands store huge amounts of carbon in their natural state, but due to human activity they are now a net source of greenhouse gases. Rapid climate change is hampering efforts to restore peatlands, increasing the likelihood of them being pushed beyond the point of recovery and releasing even more carbon into the atmosphere. A consortium effort led by the James Hutton Institute will combine expertise from the UK Centre for Hydrology & Ecology and the Universities of Nottingham, Leeds, Exeter and the Highlands and Islands (UHI) to analyse and predict how UK and European peatlands will behave in response to climate change under current land uses. Through the development of new peatland models, the consortium will also identify the best management options to reduce peatland greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Dr Rebekka Artz, a senior scientist at the James Hutton Institute and project coordinator, said: “Undisturbed and rewetted peatlands have enormous potential to reduce global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels over long time scales. “This project will create the densest network of ground observations of greenhouse gas emissions and their drivers on peatlands, while simultaneously developing models that will enable us to simulate the future state of peatlands under potential climate change and management scenarios to 2100. “This will in turn provide support for policymakers so that they can make better policy decisions for the sustainable management of peatlands.” The research team will also run a series of international workshops to evaluate a suite of models forecasting of climate change effects on peatlands globally and find the best possible future management solutions for peat soils to mitigate climate change. The project is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and involves 23 UK and international project partners contributing vital datasets and expertise. Major research effort to save future of European peatlands Last year, hillwalkers, bird and mammal surveyors and other outdoor enthusiasts took part in a novel on-the-ground national survey, recording sightings using a free smartphone app called Mammal Mapper when out and about, to shed more light on the distribution and numbers of the charismatic animals. Mountain hares are Scotland’s only native hare and an important species in the Scottish hills. They are classed as Near Threatened in Scotland on the UK Red List of Mammal Species and were given full protection in Scotland in March 2021. The Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey project aimed to gather more accurate information to better inform conservation efforts. A total of 66 volunteers surveyed 1,465 km using the app. The species was recorded from some new areas, such as near Loch Ewe in the North West Highlands, in addition to many sightings from its previously known strongholds in Scotland. The report highlights areas where the survey approach and technology could be improved, which will guide refinements for this year’s survey. The project is a partnership of NatureScot, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Mammal Society, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust and the James Hutton Institute. Frazer Coomber, Science Officer for the Mammal Society has said “When compared with previous years, the Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey, has significantly increased the Mammal Mapper App’s survey coverage in Scotland. “Since the inception of this citizen science survey we have seen a substantial increase in the number of mountain hare sightings reported through the app and these records are continuing to be submitted – a big thank you to all those who submit their sightings.” Rob Raynor, a mammal specialist at NatureScot, said: “The results from this innovative citizen science survey are really promising, with lots of volunteers getting involved to help achieve better coverage than previous surveys. “Improving the information we have on mountain hare populations is crucial so that we can protect and conserve this much-loved species, so we’re hugely grateful to all those who took part. We hope that many more volunteers will sign up to get involved this year to help this project go from strength to strength.” Mark Wilson, senior research ecologist at British Trust for Ornithology, said: “We were delighted at the levels of involvement from existing BTO volunteers, many of whom already give generously of their time to other wildlife surveys. “As well as recording mountain hares, these volunteers surveyed a range of other mammal and bird species, often in remote upland areas where there has been little previous wildlife recording. This highlights the potential of the Volunteer Mountain Hare Survey to contribute useful information on a range of data-deficient upland species.” For more information about the survey visit the BTO website. 22 Hutton Highlights D cember 20 2 23
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