A STUDY by the University of Stirling has found that one of Scotland’s endangered shrubs is making a comeback, lessening the effects of extreme weather in woodland areas.

Montane scrub protects its surrounding environment from flooding, rockfalls and landslides, whilst also providing habitats to a number of rare insects and birds.

Since the 18th century, overgrazing by deer and sheep on Scotland’s mountains has driven the decline of mountain woodlands.

By the 1990s, native montane willows were nearly extinct, with the largest remaining patch reduced to the size of a tennis court.

The area these plants cover has increased a hundredfold since then thanks to conservation efforts by charities and private estates.

In recent years, nearly 400,000 montane willows have been planted across almost 2,700 hectares of restored mountain woodland.

Sarah Watts, a PhD researcher at the University of Stirling, has been working on montane willow scrub restoration for more than a decade, and conducted a review of the progress made in the last 30 years.

The review looks at best practice across Scotland, featuring conservation efforts by environmental organisations including Trees for Life, Cairngorms Connect, RSPB, Borders Forest Trust, and particularly the work led by the National Trust for Scotland.

Watts, who is also a member of the University’s Faculty of Natural Sciences and chair of the Mountain Woodland Action Group, said: “Reviving a mountain woodland mosaic shaped by regeneration will tackle biodiversity loss and help mitigate climate change impacts on a national scale.

“Montane scrub supports a vibrant community of insects including bumblebees, butterflies, moths, and over 20 rare sawfly species in Scotland that each rely on an individual species of arctic-alpine willow for their survival. The habitat also hosts upland birds that are scarce or declining elsewhere in Britain, such as the Ring Ouzel, a charismatic mountain blackbird.

“Mountain woodland also stabilises steep slopes and gives protection from the natural hazards of avalanches, rockfalls and landslides.

“These benefits are called nature-based solutions because they are considered vitally important for reducing threats from escalating climate change including more extreme weather.”

Montane willow scrub is one of six priority habitats in the National Trust for Scotland’s Plan for Nature, launched earlier this year to focus conservation work across 76,000 hectares of Scotland’s countryside, coastlines, islands, and mountains.

Jeff Waddell, head of nature conservation at the National Trust for Scotland, said: “Montane willow scrub is one of our rarest habitats, with only a few hundred hectares remaining throughout Scotland. It supports a range of rare and scarce species, and it is one of the habitats where our work can make the biggest impact.

“As Sarah highlights in her research, we have spent many years carrying out pioneering work to regenerate and restore this habitat at both Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve and Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve.

“Nature needs to be protected now more than ever and our success so far in restoring montane willow scrub demonstrates what is possible when habitats or species are prioritised and given the opportunity to thrive.”

Watts hopes to see restoration expand beyond conservation areas, particularly on lands previously used for sporting purposes where natural populations of montane willows grow without help but need further protection to thrive.

She continued: “Through the progression of wider collaboration fostering habitat connectivity, montane scrub restoration should help deliver a sustainable future by reducing impacts of nature and climate emergencies on a national scale “This vision would require moving beyond relatively small-scale projects held behind fences toward action at landscape scales. Enhancing rural employment and retaining invaluable skills in deer management will be fundamental for meeting this goal.”