The long-term photography study provides evidence that Caledonian pine forests and peat bogs are now recovering thanks to conservation efforts.
The dramatic recovery of some of Scotland’s most iconic habitats has been revealed to the public in a new pioneering photographic project.
Using historical photographs which in some cases date back 70 years, NatureScot, the Scottish Government’s environment agency has re-taken the same photos at the same location and at the same time of the year at six of its National Nature Reserves across the Highlands.
The result is a unique time-lapse record of how some of Scotland’s most threatened habitats including Caledonian pine and birch forests together with peat bogs are now recovering thanks to the efforts of conservation managers.
“Even when we are very familiar with an area, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate change, especially when it happens slowly,” explains Ian Sargent, NatureScot’s Nature Reserves Manager for Central Highland.
“Repeat photography allows us a fascinating look back in time and an insight into the dramatic but sometimes unnoticed changes to the landscape down through the years.”
Some of the most striking changes that the time-lapse photography has revealed can be seen at the Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve in the heart of the Scottish Highlands which became a reserve in 1986.
Despite being one of the newest of NatureScot’s reserves, Creag Meagaidh has achieved widespread landscape-scale restoration in a relatively short space of time with a dramatic increase mainly in the number of birch trees but also with other native tree species including alder, rowan and hazel.
Key to the success at Creag Meagaidh and many of the other reserves that feature in the project has been the removal of both sheep from the reserve and the management of the local deer population.
“Red and roe deer are native species and we wanted to keep them so we haven’t used deer fences but instead we cull their numbers to manage them to a sustainable level,” says Sargent.
“Our aim over the years has been to restore nature to allow it to function naturally with minimal intervention on our reserves,” adds Sargent.
“In turn, these nature-rich areas provide many benefits, including increased biodiversity, carbon storage and resilience to climate change.”
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