Capercaillie Emergency Plan 2025 - 2030 - Flipbook - Page 16
Woodland grazing
Seafield and Strathspey Estates, Rothiemurchus Estate, Moray Estates and RSPB
Abernethy all currently undertake woodland grazing with cattle to benefit
capercaillie and other species. In Abernethy Forest, where ~1,000 hectares are
grazed by cattle using Nofence collars, the grazing has produced greater variety
in structure, including areas of heather die-back and recovery of blaeberry, track
creation for chicks and exposed mineral soil for dustbaths. From ad-hoc
observations, capercaillie usage of the grazed areas has increased significantly.
Within the main grazed area, the count of lekking males increased from 3 in 2019
to 10 in 2024. Hen numbers have also risen. The Nofence GPS collars allow the
herd to be controlled within a virtual boundary, removing the need for fences.
Objective
Enable woodland grazing with cattle in the National Park where all opportunities
exist to benefit capercaillie.
Actions by 2030
1. Identify and map target areas in the National Park where woodland grazing
stands to deliver the greatest benefit for capercaillie, and where evidence
suggests the intervention is already benefitting capercaillie.
2. Utilise opportunities for support under the current FGS budget and use the FGS
review in 2025 / 26 to seek additional support for woodland grazing.
3. Secure agreements with local graziers to enable more woodland grazing.
4. Investigate the feasibility, risks and benefits of grazing non-commercial /
conservation herds in capercaillie areas.
5. Gather and analyse data from woodland grazing and control sites, using the
Woodland Herbivore Impact Assessment where appropriate, to build an
evidence base for the intervention and to inform adaptive management.
6. Use the evidence base to inform funding streams for woodland grazing from
2026 onwards, e.g. optimum scales of delivery and payment rates to enable
maximum benefit for biodiversity / value for money.
7. Produce good practice guidance about woodland grazing for capercaillie,
ensuring alignment with the Woodland Grazing Toolbox developed by Scottish
Forestry, NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland.
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