
Guidance for land managers
Small changes to how you manage land can make a big difference to habitat connectivity and the wider biodiversity.
Small changes to how you manage land can make a big difference to habitat connectivity and the wider biodiversity.
You will likely make land management decisions only about land for which you’re directly responsible. This area of land may be relatively small, yet habitat networks must usually be implemented across a whole landscape to be effective. So you may find that you’re one piece of a much bigger ‘jigsaw’.
Each land manager plays a vital part. Small changes to how you manage land can make a big difference to habitat connectivity. And your area of land may well be significant – even if it’s not a designated site.
A landscape’s connectivity isn’t just about creating new habitat. Increasingly, it’s also about making existing core areas more robust and the land around them more permeable.
Policymakers in the Scottish Government and in other public bodies know that land managers play a crucial role in helping to implement habitat networks. Financial incentives to encourage you to take action are offered through grant schemes like the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP).
If you’re responsible for a large estate, you may wish to establish a habitat network across an entire landscape.
It’s usually easy to create a network with structural connections. Some species will almost certainly use these physical links, and creating additional habitat will likely benefit the area’s wider biodiversity.
Creating a network with functional connectivity for specific species will take more planning but can provide a range of benefits.
You may wish to consider creating a functional network if you:
Mapping a functional network usually requires a great deal of data and relies on computer modelling.
If you manage land within or near to a Natura 2000 site, you can get in touch to discuss whether there are any actions you can take to benefit the site. Find out how to contact us.
SRDP also seeks to improve the status of the special features found on designated sites and nature reserves, particularly Natura sites.