The Management Plan for Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve 2015-2025
Introduction
Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve (NNR) lies 80 kilometres west of Inverness just outside the village of Kinlochewe. The reserve is home to the largest remaining area of ancient Caledonian pinewood in Wester Ross, and boasts an outstanding diversity of habitats, wildlife, geology and spectacular scenery. The reserve includes the 8 kilometre long ridge of Beinn Eighe. Its rugged slopes support one of the UK’s best areas of species-rich moss heath and prostrate juniper heath. Rare lichens, liverworts and mosses flourish from the high peaks to the mild, damp woodlands. Golden eagles also soar over the mountain ridges and below the tree line pine marten, crossbills and northern emerald dragonfly make their home in the ancient pinewoods. The NNR also includes over sixty islands in Loch Maree.
Beinn Eighe is one of a suite of NNRs in Scotland and was the first one declared in the UK. NNRs are special places where some of the best examples of Scotland’s wildlife are managed. Every NNR is carefully managed for nature and for people, giving visitors the opportunity to experience our rich natural heritage.
This plan sets out how we will manage Beinn Eighe NNR for the next 10 years. It has sections outlining our objectives for managing the natural heritage, people and our property.
We undertook a public consultation during 2015 inviting comments on our proposals for management. We have considered all comments and have produced a consultation report which outlines how we have dealt with these suggestions.
‘The Story of Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands National Nature Reserve’, is a companion document which has more information about Beinn Eighe NNR and its history. The Story provides the foundation for managing the reserve and is recommended reading for those wishing to understand more about the management of this very special place.
Our Vision for Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands NNR
Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands NNR is well known as a special place with stunning scenery and iconic Scottish wildlife where people are welcome to explore and get involved.
Our aspirations for Beinn Eighe NNR when we first started woodland management, 85 years ago, have now become a reality. The reserve supports a thriving western pinewood, regenerating naturally with the planted woodlands well on the way to resembling the ancient remnants in structure and variety of species. Working alongside our neighbour's, this integrated approach to woodland restoration has resulted in 1000 hectares of near continuous native woodland in Wester Ross.
The open habitats, particularly the heaths are some of the best examples of their type in the West of Scotland. Active management has improved their overall condition throughout the reserve and our trials to expand the areas of juniper and moss-rich heaths have been a real success story. All of our habitat work has been achieved in the presence of a well-managed deer population without the use of deer fencing.
The rare species of mosses, lichens and liverworts are also flourishing together with dragonflies and other insects. Species such as water vole, pine marten, golden eagle and white-tailed eagle thrive on the reserve, and in recent years, black-throated divers on Loch Maree have started to make a welcomed come back.
Our adaptive management approach and targeted research has helped improve important habitats and species’ resilience to climate change. Monitoring has also proved invaluable to building up our programme of demonstration and training. The reserve is renowned in the Highlands amongst land managers, conservationists and academic institutes for demonstrating best practice conservation management, and internationally amongst volunteers for providing worthwhile medium to long term volunteering opportunities.
The reserve continues to be a high profile tourist destination, seen by many visitors as the gateway to Wester Ross and a place where everyone can come to enjoy and be inspired by nature. The visitor centre and trails car park provide a wealth of information and a variety of outdoor experiences suitable for all abilities and tastes. Other parts of the reserve offer quiet experiences to explore and to discover nature by seeing wildlife, or simply by taking in the views and absorbing the atmosphere.
The local community are actively engaged with the reserve and values Beinn Eighe and Loch Maree Islands as a place to visit and enjoy, as well as one that contributes to the local economy of Wester Ross. Local schools use the reserve as a place for learning, local volunteers play a valuable part of delivery of reserve management and an annual events programme remains very popular.
Natural Heritage Management
Protected Areas and special features
Beinn Eighe was the first NNR to be established in Great Britain, in 1951. The reserve was extended in 1962 to include a strip of ancient semi-natural woodland along the side of Loch Maree and then again, in 1973, to include land in Glen Torridon. Beinn Eighe is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and forms part of the Loch Maree Complex Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a European site of international significance. In 2014 Beinn Eighe NNR was merged with the neighbouring Loch Maree Islands NNR, which includes the Loch Maree SSSI, Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site.
Beinn Eighe NNR was designated as a Biosphere reserve in 1976 as part of the UNESCO “Man and the Biosphere” Programme. In 2016, the Biosphere reserve was extended and renamed to the Wester Ross UNESCO Biosphere reserve with the aim of strengthening local economies and connecting people with nature and cultural heritage across Wester Ross.
The reserve lies within the Wester Ross National Scenic Area (NSA) and contains three Geological Conservation Review (GCR) sites. It has also held a Council of Europe Diploma since 1983.
Whilst managing Beinn Eighe NNR we also have to take account of our legal obligations and Government policy to manage the features that are listed as important in a European or international context. Where an objective and project may affect a qualifying interest of the SAC or the SPA, we will carry out a ‘Habitats Regulations Appraisal’. We will only proceed with objectives and projects that do not adversely affect the site integrity.
The protected areas and associated features overlapping with the NNR are set out in the table below.
- Black-throated diver (Gavia arctica), breeding Loch Maree SPA
- Black-throated diver (Gavia arctica), breeding Loch Maree SSSI
- Quaternary of Scotland Loch Maree SSSI
- Cambrian Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Moine Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Clear-water lakes or lochs with aquatic vegetation and poor to moderate nutrient levels Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Oligotrophic loch Loch Maree RAMSAR
- Oligotrophic loch Loch Maree SSSI
- Dragonfly assemblage Loch Maree SSSI
- Beetles Loch Maree SSSI
- Invertebrate assemblage Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Otter (Lutra lutra) Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Bryophyte assemblage Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Blanket bog Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Depressions on peat substrates Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Dry heaths Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Wet heathland with cross-leaved heath Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Acidic scree Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Plants in crevices on acid rocks Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Plants in crevices on base-rich rocks Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Tall herb communities Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Alpine and subalpine heaths Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Montane acid grasslands Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Upland assemblage Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Vascular plant assemblage Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Vascular plant assemblage Loch Maree SSSI
- Bog woodland Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Caledonian forest Loch Maree Complex SAC
- Native pinewood Beinn Eighe SSSI
- Native pinewood Loch Maree SSSI
Natural Heritage Management
Objective NH1: Expand and enhance the quality of the native woodlands by improving the age structure, species diversity and connectivity with woodlands in the wider Wester Ross landscape, whilst maintaining the genetic integrity of the Scots pine and habitats for important woodland flora and fauna communities.
Woodland restoration and expansion have been at the heart of our 65+ years of management at Beinn Eighe and this remains the case today. We have invested heavily in expanding the woodland area through natural regeneration and planting and it is a high priority to protect and enhance these areas.
The reserve consists of the original core area of unfenced and naturally regenerating ancient pinewood, a number of planted woodland compartments, and native woodland on Loch Maree Islands (Map A). The planted compartments are all at varying stages of development and represent the many different and sometimes experimental approaches to woodland restoration we have attempted on the reserve over the years.
Out next steps are to maintain and enhance the existing woodland while also encouraging natural regeneration to expand the woodland and improve connectivity with the wider Wester Ross landscape. This will help us to achieve our vision of large, connected, continuous woodland which will support wider biodiversity and be more resilient to change.
In the planted compartments (particularly compartments 8, 9 and 10) our focus will be on restructuring the woodlands to create deadwood, open the canopies, encourage other native trees and develop the understory and ground flora. This will be achieved by thinning, especially around mature pines, or broadleaves to allow crown development and encourage natural regeneration.
Beinn Eighe has an important invertebrate fauna associated with dead wood. A continuous supply of new deadwood is essential as it supports different species at different stages of decay. Natural processes will create deadwood, but creating more using a variety of techniques, will still be necessary with the aim of supporting near natural levels of standing and fallen deadwood typical of boreal forests.
We will continue to collect local seed and grow them into local provenance saplings in our nursery for planting on the reserve or on neighbouring property. Planting will be focused on an area between compartment 2 and 16 to create a woodland link to Coulin, and some additional planting to soften the woodland edges. We will undertake a programme of enrichment planting with a mix of typical north western species using locally sourced seed, to diversify the woodland.
Our woodland expansion proposals will involve the loss of some open ground habitats such as dry and wet heath. These are also internationally important habitats of the reserve; we will only progress further woodland expansion on to important heath habitats after providing a clear justification.
Most of the fences around the planted woodlands have now been removed as we aim to encourage natural regeneration without using fenced exclosures. This allows nature to shape the woodland development through the benefits of deer browsing and disturbance at controlled levels. We plan to remove the ring fence by 2020 although some small sections may be retained in the short-term to shield younger trees from deer.
Deer management at Beinn Eighe will remain our management priority throughout the entire woodland and open ground areas. As we are now less reliant on deer fencing, deer management is increasingly important. Additionally, because of the poor soils and northern climate, growth of young trees will be slow and they will be vulnerable to deer damage for longer than they would be on richer sites. We will therefore need to regulate deer numbers carefully to meet our objectives of favourable condition in woodland and upland habitats.
We will take a zoned approach to deer management. A high priority deer management zone will encompass all existing woodland, planted and natural, up to 350m a.s.l. In this woodland zone we will aim to maintain deer at densities of 1 – 2 deer per km2. As it is part of NatureScot’s responsibility to contribute to the management of wild deer to benefit the environment, economy and people of Scotland, the deer management at Beinn Eighe NNR will be discussed with local stakeholders. Best practice guidelines for deer management will be adopted at all times.
Deer culls will be informed by habitat impact monitoring and a deer population model which will be updated by foot counts and occasional helicopter counts. When necessary we will use Deer Authorisations which permit us to cull deer out of season and at night to enable us to achieve our cull targets. We will continue to use deer dung and tree transects, and will expand this monitoring to other areas of the reserve.
In addition to this we also carry out monitoring to determine long-term change in the extent, composition and structure of the woodlands (for example mapping and fixed point photography). We will review and improve all of our long term monitoring projects to ensure that they are the most appropriate methods of monitoring.
Together with The Highland Council we will continue to reduce tree encroachment on to roadside verges to maximise visibility for vehicles on the public road. We will also continue to monitor deer road casualties and use this information to consider the need for any specific deer management along the roadside corridor.
We will continue to maintain the other important habitats within the woodland, such as areas of bog, thus safeguarding populations of insects such as dragonflies.
We will also continue to control rhododendron which is present on Loch Maree islands and occasionally seeds onto other parts of the reserve.
Regeneration of non-native tree species may also be a problem in the future particularly in and around Enclosure 2 where we removed a non-native conifer plantation. We anticipate further lodge pole pine regeneration on the disturbed soils which we will continue to remove.
Map A showing the planted compartments
Click for a full description
- Compartments 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13 & 15 are no longer fenced.
- Compartments 10 and 11 remain partly fenced but protected within the Ring fence.
- Compartment 2 is no longer fenced but protected by the Ring fence and Coulin Estate deer fence.
- Compartment 3 is fenced.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| NH1.1 | Review the operational plan annually to take account of woodland monitoring results and any adaptive management requirements to improve woodland habitats and features. Add any new management tasks into the management plan. |
| NH1.2 | Carry out re-structuring of the planted woodland blocks (compartments 8, 9 & 10) to develop a more natural woodland structure and species mix. |
| NH1.3 | Complete planting of Coulin connectivity zone using own grown local stock from the reserve nursery by 2026 to link with Coulin Native Pinewood SSSI |
| NH1.4 | Allow for 300ha. of natural regeneration woodland expansion onto dry and wet heath habitats, particularly at Coille na Glas Leitir and Taagan. |
| NH1.5 | Implement whole reserve annual deer cull using dung counts and deer impact monitoring results to establish cull target. Ensure cull targets, animal welfare and stalking activity follow best practice guidance. |
| NH1.6 | Continue to monitor deer dung and tree regeneration transects, and expand monitoring to other areas within the reserve as habitat extents change. |
| NH1.7 | Review the data and results from the long-term woodland transects and fixed point photography monitoring in 2015. Once complete, include future requirements and frequencies in the management plan. |
| NH1.8 | Maintain watching brief and remove all non-native trees and shrubs (especially rhododendron). |
| NH1.9 | Complete write-up of deadwood report in 2015 and continue to leave deadwood where it falls and proactively create more in the plantation areas. |
| NH1.10 | Monitor for signs of tree and scrub pathogens and implement best practice protocol should pathogens be recorded. |
| NH1.11 | Make own grown, local genetic sapling stock available to our neighbours for planting and connecting native woodlands across Wester Ross. |
| NH1.12 | Continue to collect seed from the reserve and Coulin Estate and grow on seeds in the tree nursery. |
| NH1.13 | Undertake Sitecheck (SCM) of woodland features. |
Objective NH2: Enhance the quality of the heaths, bogs and montane habitats on the reserve, maintaining their extent where they are not subject to woodland expansion, distribution and associated flora and fauna communities.
Beinn Eighe has a wealth of upland habitats including large areas of blanket bog and dry heath with alpine and subalpine heaths at higher altitudes. Many of these habitats are protected as features of the SSSI and SAC.
In order to improve the condition of these open ground habitats we intend to manage grazing and trampling impacts to sustainable levels while also allowing natural processes to shape the communities. In these open ground habitats we currently aim to manage deer at densities of 4 – 5 deer per km2. Where appropriate a small proportion of the annual cull will be left on the hill to benefit wider biodiversity and assist with nutrient cycling.
We will carry out herbivore impact monitoring to assess the condition of the open habitats, and feed into our deer management planning. The high altitude, exposure and deer browsing will maintain the protected heaths bogs and montane habitats. We will monitor woodland expansion and ensure that the important open habitats are maintained. This may require tree or scrub removal in some areas if this is necessary.
Some habitats are vulnerable to fire damage (such as juniper heath and species-rich moss heath) and as such these will be highlighted as vulnerable on the reserve Fire Plan.
We will investigate the status of juniper heath and montane scrub and identify management options
Blanket bog is normally too wet for trees to regenerate onto naturally. The blanket bog is in favourable condition on the reserve and our intention is therefore to allow natural processes to continue and monitor the condition. We will also ensure that no planting is carried out on areas of blanket bog.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| NH2.1 | Using the 2012 Habitat map keep a check on woodland expansion, ensuring that it does not expand onto blanket bog, montane habitats higher than 300m or rare sub-communities of dry and wet heath. Update map accordingly. |
| NH2.2 | Remove tree and scrub regeneration from blanket bog, montane habitats above 300m and rare sub-communities of dry and wet heath. |
| NH2.3 | Carry out a survey of juniper heath and montane scrub to establish current age structure and regeneration potential, and identify management options to increase the area of juniper heath and montane scrub. Once complete, include recommended options in management plan. |
| NH2.4 | Consider management options to enhance the liverwort heath (dry heath) and once complete, include recommended options in management plan. |
| NH2.5 | Continue to monitor deer impacts on open habitats and use this to help determine cull targets (cull implemented as per NH1.5). |
| NH2.6 | Review the operational plan annually to take account of open habitats monitoring results and any adaptive management requirements to improve open habitats and features. |
| NH2.7 | Update fire plan to highlight fire sensitive habitats, and ensure fire prevention equipment is functional and readily available to combat a fire breakout. |
| NH2.8 | Undertake Sitecheck (SCM) of open habitat features (need to add in dates) |
Objective NH3: Pro-actively manage and maintain habitats for key species of the reserve, particularly where this can improve species survival in the wider Wester Ross landscape and increases resilience to climate change.
Management of Beinn Eighe is well placed to make a significant contribution towards the delivery of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy without compromising the designated features. There are opportunities to carry out further survey work and contribute records to national monitoring programmes.
The reserve is home to a variety of oceanic liverworts and mosses, including northern prongwort, which is the only population of this plant in Britain. We will review options for rare lower plant monitoring and management, which will then feed into the management plan.
We will continue to monitor key bird species on the reserve such as black-throated diver, golden eagles and white-tailed eagle. We will also consider monitoring other species that we hope might establish on the reserve in the next few years (for example black grouse). The breeding success of black-throated divers has declined in recent years. We are therefore keen to reverse this trend and will consider positive management to achieve that. Little is known about Scottish crossbills on the reserve, and this is an area for future consideration.
Having carried out water vole monitoring, we will instigate recommended management and continue to monitor and control mink.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| NH3.1 | Review options for rare lower plant monitoring and management, particularly targeting climate change sensitive species. Once complete, include recommended options in the management plan. |
| NH3.2 | Continue to monitor black-throated divers, golden eagles and white-tailed sea eagles. |
| NH3.3 | Consider management options to help improve black-throated diver productivity and once complete, include recommended options in management plan. |
| NH3.4 | Add in management options for water vole |
| NH3.5 | Continue to control Sika deer on sight, ensuring animal welfare and stalking activity follow best practice guidance. |
| NH3.6 | Continue to monitor for signs of mink twice a year and control any animals found present, ensuring control methods follow best practice animal welfare guidance. |
| NH3.7 | Undertake Sitecheck (SCM) and SCM of designated species and assemblages. |
Objective NH4: To safeguard the special qualities of the Wester Ross National Scenic Area, wild land, cultural interests of Isle Maree and the geological features of the reserve.
The geology of Beinn Eighe NNR is nationally important, and we will ensure that it remains visible and accessible for people to see and study. The reserve has two particularly important features; a distinctive fossil bearing rock layer sequence within the Cambrian rocks, known as the Fucoid Beds; and the hill of Meall a’ Ghiubhais which provides exposures of the Moine Thrust Zone.
As explained in NH1, our vision is to allow natural regeneration of woodland with deer fences. This includes the removal of the ring fence which is coming to the end of its useful life. Deer fencing can detract from the visual quality and wildness of the reserve, and also restrict access so removal of this long-barrier fence will make the transition from woodland to open ground look more natural.
Because Isle Maree is a Scheduled Ancient Monument we make sure that the management of the natural heritage doesn’t interfere with the historical heritage of this unusual site. This includes ensuring that any trees that could be blown down onto the graveyard, dyke or other ruins are removed; clearing any new saplings growing within the site; controlling invading bracken; and pruning any branches that overhang the two crosses.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| NH4.1 | Keep geological features visible and clear of vegetation and/or debris. |
| NH4.2 | Remove the remaining 7kms of the ring fence by 2020. |
| NH4.3 | Protect the cultural heritage interests of Isle Maree and keep clear the vegetation. |
Objective NH5: Undertake and facilitate research, survey and monitoring particularly where this improves our understanding and knowledge of the reserve and its management requirements.
Monitoring is vitally important informing us of the condition of important habitats and species, and the effectiveness of our management. This approach also gives us the opportunity to demonstrate to a wider audience the techniques we have employed and how successful or otherwise these have been.
We will continue to encourage and carry out new research, survey and monitoring that will help us to achieve our conservation objectives on the reserve. We will also review our current research, survey and monitoring programme to ensure that we are targeting our resources and effort at key habitats and species.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| NH5.1 | Review our research, survey and monitoring requirements in 2015 and produce a prioritised programme of essential and desirable research. Once complete, include programme in the management plan. |
| NH5.2 | Support others wishing to carry out research work on the reserve where this is compatible with the interests of the reserve, and collate all research reports produced. Record and attach report in SMaRT. |
| NH5.3 | Publish all NatureScot commissioned research and make this available on the NNR website. |
Management for People
Objective VM1: Establish the reserve as a gateway to Wester Ross by providing a welcoming, enjoyable and high quality visitor experience whereby 85% of visitors asked rate their experience as good or above.
We want to help connect more people to nature so they can enjoy the outdoors regularly. We already offer a comprehensive array of high quality visitor facilities, many of which provide access for all abilities on the reserve. We estimate that more than 50,000 people visit the reserve each year, with nearly 20,000 seeing the visitor centre. In order to build on this we aim to produce a visitor management plan in 2020. This will help us prioritise renewed orientation, interpretation and signs as well as any upgrades of mountain access routes.
In 2015 we opened our new-look visitor centre after a £330,000 investment and these will be maintained and reviewed over the course of this plan.
We will upgrade the car park in Glen Torridon to accommodate visitors, and make the car parking more formal.
We also have facilities available off the reserve at Anancaun. The Field Station, which is run by reserve staff, has been a valuable asset over the years providing accommodation for volunteers and students. Not far from Anancaun we also run a free campsite with basic toilet facilities.
We will carry out appropriate monitoring of visitors and the key facilities of the reserve. We will also monitor visitor impacts on the key features of interest; these are quite robust and well able to sustain the current level of use. On the more sensitive areas of the reserve, the summit ridge for example, we will need to keep a close eye on potential visitor impacts. This information will then be used to inform our future management decisions.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| VM1.1 | Prepare a Visitor Management Plan in 2020 with a clear connection to complementing visitor experiences in the wider Wester Ross area. |
| VM1.2 | Review signage as part of the Visitor Management Plan, including interpretation for the new facilities. |
| VM1.3 | Maintain the displays in the Visitor Centre and refresh as necessary. |
| VM1.4 | Maintain and replace signs, leaflet dispensers, picnic tables and interpretive panels as necessary. |
| VM1.5 | Renew orientation and interpretation at the Trails car park in 2016. |
| VM1.6 | Maintain all waymarked promoted trails to appropriate standard, particularly the all-abilities trails. |
| VM1.7 | Repair mountain access routes. |
| VM1.8 | Review options for providing formal car parks at Coire an Laoigh and other locations along Glen Torridon. Once complete, include recommended options in the management plan. |
| VM1.9 | Continue to count visitor numbers. Re-evaluate the methods used in 2016 and include implementation of any new counter devices in the management plan. |
| VM1.10 | Carry out a qualitative visitor survey once every 5 years. Use the results to inform visitor management. |
Objective VM2: Promote awareness and enthusiasm for nature, inspire learning and exploration in ways that help people connect with and value nature more.
We aim to connect more people with nature through a programme of events, open days and school visits in conjunction with the Highland Council Ranger Service. Working with schools will give local children the opportunity to experience and learn about nature, which will hopefully set a foundation to value nature throughout their lives.
We will explore ways that we can use different types of media to interact with more people to promote the reserve and the wildlife within. Part of this will involve the review of the NNR website which will happen within this plan period. We will also consider using inspiring photographs, video and audio to enthuse people about the wildlife and landscapes of Beinn Eighe NNR. With more people using online resources we will look to develop this side of visitor engagement to widen the awareness of the reserve and encourage more people to Beinn Eighe and the wider Wester Ross area. By promoting the reserve and trying to encourage visitors to stay longer, we hope this will also benefit local businesses.
We try to promote the reserve as widely as possible and would like to entice visitors to spend longer in the local area, and as far as possible, use local facilities and visit other local attractions. We will work with tourism providers (e.g. North Coast 500) to encourage visitors to stop and enjoy NNRs while traveling through Wester Ross.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| VM2.1 | Use a variety of media to inform people about the reserve and maintain weekly updated information in the Visitor Centre. |
| VM2.2 | Distribute reserve leaflets to local outlets including Loch Maree and Kinlochewe Hotels, Kinlochewe shop, garage and caravan park, and to other Wester Ross attractions. |
| VM2.3 | Renew reserve leaflet by 2017 |
| VM2.4 | Support links with and promote other tourist attractions in Wester Ross through our website, distribution of leaflets in our Visitor Centre and orientation information we provide on the reserve. |
| VM2.5 | Review and update information about the reserve on the Scotland's NNRs website every 6 months. Provide downloadable material, including information sheets on certain topics/species and its place within Wester Ross. |
| VM2.6 | Facilitate at least one Open Day event per year. |
| VM2.7 | Provide at least 10 guided walks per year for targeted groups. |
| VM2.8 | Support at least 2 school visits per year. |
| VM2.9 | Support at least 2 tertiary education college visits per year. |
Objective VM3: Establish Beinn Eighe & Loch Maree Islands NNR as a key participation and involvement resource in the Highlands, where people contribute to its management and use it sustainably through demonstration and training, volunteering, their local communities and own recreational time.
The local community, student placements and volunteers have played a vital role in the success of Beinn Eighe.
We feel there is more that we could be doing to involve local people in managing this national asset on their doorstep, and for the reserve to put something back into the community. This might include discussing reserve projects and local priorities, and help to get people more actively involved for example with surveys, guided walks and ‘hands on’ management work.
We will continue to recognise the benefits volunteers can make to the reserve and the valuable experience that volunteering can offer to individuals. We will continue to provide residential volunteering opportunities through a suitable programme of work and provision of accommodation. We will publicise these opportunities using volunteer outlets and social media.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| VM3.1 | Provide or support at least 1 demonstration event per year, particularly sharing best practice management for open habitats and woodland management in the absence of deer fences. |
| VM3.2 | Support an annual programme of rural skills students. |
| VM3.3 | Support at least one work experience opportunity per year. |
| VM3.4 | Develop a focussed programme for volunteers (one-off projects and for medium to long term volunteers) in 2015 and review annually. |
| VM3.5 | Support volunteers on the reserve to ensure they get the most out of their experience and by providing them with appropriate training, PPE and access to NatureScot systems when required. |
Property Management
Objective PM1: To manage the land and reserve properties responsibly following best practice and in collaboration with our neighbours.
We will manage the reserve and NatureScot Property responsibly and efficiently following good practice.
We manage the infrastructure and do regular maintenance and health and safety checks. We maintain equipment used on site and ensure it conforms to the appropriate regulations.
We have responsibility for the upkeep of a number of buildings on site; we inspect these on a regular basis to ensure they are fit for purpose. We review and update our fire plan annually.
The built infrastructure includes an office base for staff and residential accommodation for volunteers.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| PM1.1 | Maintain annual membership to Gairloch Deer Management Group and attend biannual meetings. |
| PM1.2 | Maintain the tree nursery in good working order and free from pathogens. Review its future requirements in 2020. |
| PM1.3 | Maintain the visitor infrastructure (trails, car park, toilets, viewpoint etc) in good condition. |
| PM1.4 | Carry out quarterly safety and condition assessments of all visitor infrastructure and keep accurate records. |
| PM1.5 | Ensure the property is well managed and conforms with Health & Safety Regulations including risk assessment and fire plan reviews. |
| PM1.6 | Fixed costs - utilities, office costs etc. |
| PM1.7 | Upgrade the car park at Coire an Laoigh. |
Planning and reporting
Objective PR1: Planning & reporting: Ensure management planning is adaptive and effective.
The reserve plan provides valuable continuity however it is only part of the process and will be monitored and reviewed on an on-going basis with formal milestones at regular intervals.
An interim review will be completed mid-plan unless there are significant changes that require an earlier review. We will review the plan in the final year to inform preparation of the next management plan.
We will continue to deliver our activities as efficiently as possible maximising the benefit of public funds. Where appropriate we will seek to access external funding and support for our programme of work.
We recognise the importance of community empowerment and providing the support to communities of place and of interest to allow them to participate in decisions and will engage with them on issues which affect them throughout the period of the plan.
| Task No. | Task description |
|---|---|
| PR1.1 | Update annual budget in Q3 for bidding. |
| PR1.2 | Report on finance and projects in corporate systems. |
| PR1.3 | Update annual report at least every quarter and finalise by end of Q1 of following financial year. |
| PR1.4 | Do interim review of management plan. |
| PR1.5 | Review current reserve plan and complete new management plan. |
| PR1.6 | Natural Heritage and management data will be stored and shared in line with NatureScot’s policies and procedures |
| PR1.7 | Mechanisms will be put in place to facilitate engagement with stakeholders. |
Document properties
Author: Ian Sargent, Reserves manager
Signed off by: Chris Donald, Operations manager
Links
For information about Scotland’s National Nature Reserves and further information about Beinn Eighe NNR please visit Scotland’s NNR website.
For information on the protected areas associated with Beinn Eighe NNR please go to the Sitelink website.
For information on the protected areas associated with Beinn Eighe NNR please go to the Sitelink website.
Other useful links:
Joint Nature Conservation Committee
[1] Compartments 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13 & 15 are no longer fenced.
Compartments 10 and 11 remain partly fenced but protected within the Ring fence. Compartment 2 is no longer fenced but protected by the Ring fence and Coulin Estate deer fence.
Compartment 3 is fenced.
