Peatland ACTION - Assessing herbivore impact for Peatland ACTION applications

         

Peatland ACTION projects are developed and delivered across Scotland typically on blanket bog or lowland raised bog habitats. Following restoration, rewetted peatlands with low herbivore pressure respond quicker due to more rapid vegetation recovery. Conversely, higher herbivore pressure has the potential to compromise the ecological recovery and result in the project objectives not being achieved.

Herbivore pressure is assessed within the context of habitat condition assessments. Deer and/or livestock densities are used as a guide to inform the likelihood of impacts on a project site and inform the potential risk they pose to restoration. For sites where restoration has taken place, the recommended sustainable grazing levels on blanket bog and raised bog is less than 0.02 Livestock Unitsb (LUs)/Ha/Yr.

For Peatland ACTION applications, applicants must submit information pertinent to the restoration area, to demonstrate the current grazing pressure is within the sustainable levels (0.00-0.02 LUs/Ha/Yr). Supporting information may include: livestock units, deer densities, Deer Management Group (DMG)/Deer Management Plans (DMP), Herbivore Impact Assessment (HIA) (required where available), etc.

Higher stocking levels within a grazing management unit may still be acceptable with further investigation and with appropriate mitigations/adjustments if required. This includes the cumulative impact of all herbivores on a project area. For example, applicants who are also within AECS must provide a grazing calendar where stocking is above the sustainable grazing level. Applications are unlikely to be supported where there is limited or insufficient data available as the potential risk cannot be assessed.

For the 2025/26 Peatland ACTION application round (deadline 30th April 2025), applicants must support their application with existing survey data where available e.g. any data gathered from estate or DMG level monitoring programmes. Recognising the short time frame until the application deadline, and the mismatch with the ideal survey season, HIA survey data collected in previous years will be acceptable up to two years after the survey date. Additional local information, such as herbivore movement patterns, key areas where animals congregate, such as winter or summer grazings, will be helpful to include for context to understand habitat use by herbivores and how this has been considered in relation to the restoration proposals.

Table 1 outlines the key considerations which will inform our assessment of the risk. If, on balance, the overall risk is deemed to be high, then NatureScot is unlikely to fund the project. Ultimately, this approach will allow Peatland ACTION to make informed and consistent decisions on the risk that herbivores pose to all proposed restoration applications. 

Table 1 – Peatland ACTION herbivore impact assessment matrix

Assessment criteria	Very low risk	Low risk	Medium risk	High risk
Deer densityc	0-2/km2	>2-5/km2	>5-10/km2	>10/km2
Livestock grazingd	0.00 LUs/Ha/Yr	<0.02 LUs/Ha/Yr   Or, if in AECS/BPS/LFASS: <0.075 LUs/Ha/Yr	>0.02 LUs/Ha/Yr    Or, if in AECS/BPS/LFASS: >0.075 LUs/Ha/Yr	>0.075 LUs/Ha/Yr and not in AECS/BPS/LFASS
NatureScot Local Team consultation (WMO, Area, PAO)	Supportive statement	Supportive statement	Supportive statement but with concerns raised	Unsupportive statement and/or concerns raised
Landholding part of DMG or has a Section 7/DMP in place?	Part of DMG and evidence of managing levels to below the required density. DMP in place. Section 7 not required.	Part of DMG which is actively managed with evidence of a commitment to effectively controlling numbers to the levels required, supported by evidence of a history of reducing deer numbers. DMP in place Section 7 not required	Part of DMG which is actively managed, however no evidence of effectively controlling numbers to the levels required.  DMP in place Section 7 (activee)	Part of DMG which is not actively managed and no evidence of effectively controlling numbers to the levels required.    Or not part of DMG and/or no DMP and no evidence of effective management. Section 7 (inactive)
Population density target	Commitment to maintain target density of <10km2 in the longer term	Commitment to achieve target density of <10/km2 within a realistic timeframe (i.e. within one year following restoration).	Commitment to maintain target density to 10/km2.	Commitment to increase target density to 10/km2 or higher.
Population density trend	Demonstrable and sustained downward trend, or very low levels being maintained	Demonstrable downward trend.	Sustained trend to maintain levels at, or around, 10/km2.	Upward trend, or a commitment to maintain levels at, or above, 10/km2.
Herbivore Impact Assessment (HIA)f Must be provided where available	All the HIA points are Low	Majority or all the HIA points are Low, Low-Moderate.	Majority or all the HIA points are Moderate, or Moderate-High. Where no survey data is available, an HIA will be required as part of the application.	Majority or all the HIA points Moderate, Moderate-High, or any High.  Where no survey data is available, an HIA will be required as part of the application.