Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve

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Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve
Scots pines below the crags of Creag Mhigeachaidh
Map showing the location of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve
Map showing the location of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve
A map showing the location of Invereshie and Inshriach within the Highland council area.
LocationHighland, Scotland
Coordinates57°05′51″N 3°51′08″W / 57.097400°N 3.852229°W / 57.097400; -3.852229
Area37.3 km2 (14.4 sq mi)[2]
DesignationNatureScot
Established2007[1]
OwnerNatureScot & Forestry and Land Scotland
Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve

Invereshie and Inshriach (

Glen Feshie to Abernethy, and which as a whole forms the largest single area of this habitat remaining in Scotland.[4] The reserve is owned and managed jointly by NatureScot and Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS): NatureScot own the Invereshie portion of the reserve and FLS the Inshriach area.[5]

There are no waymarked trails at the reserve; however, several paths do run through it, starting from Coire Ruadh or Achlean in Glen Feshie. The paths through the reserve are regularly used by hillwalkers to access the summit of Sgòr Gaoith.[3][6]

Flora and fauna

Probably the most significant habitat at the reserve is the Caledonian Forest, which covers the landscape between about 250-630 m above sea level.

purple saxifrage all present.[9][10]

black mountain moth has been found.[11]

The woodland is home to many species of bird which are otherwise rare or uncommon, such as

dotterel. Raptors such as golden eagle, merlin and osprey can also be sighted.[12][13]

The streams and lochs of the forest are ideal for

pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats are also present. The montane areas support a population of mountain hare.[13]

History

Regeneration of the forest is now leading to the re-establishment of a natural treeline

Caledonian Forest first became established in Invereshie and Inshriach at the end of the last ice age. Although humans are known to have lived in the area since at least the Bronze Age, until around the mid-18th century the forest remained largely intact, with only small-scale felling of trees for domestic use and localised rough grazing.[14]

As the population of Scotland grew during the second half of the 18th century more people began to move into the glens of the Cairngorms, including Glen Feshie. Land began to be cleared for agriculture, and this process accelerated during the

grouse shooting became popular amongst Britain's upper classes. The subsequent increase in deer numbers, alongside management practices such as muirburn (the burning of patches of heather to create habitats for grouse) led to a reduction in natural regeneration of the native woodland.[15]

Demand for timber increased again during the

lodgepole pine were planted in the area. Since the 1990s the emphasis has changed, and the Commission began work aimed at restoring the native forest.[17]

Following a review of the Cairngorms NNR in 2006 it was decided that the NNR should be broken up into separate, smaller reserves that reflected existing management units.[14] The new Invereshie and Inshriach NNR was declared in September 2007, combining the SNH-owned Invereshie estate with part of the neighbouring Inshriach Forest, which had been previously outwith the Cairngorms NNR.[18]

Conservation designations

In addition to being a national nature reserve (NNR), Invereshie and Inshriach lies within a number of other protected areas of Scotland. It forms part of the Cairngorms Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI),[19] the Cairngorms Special Protection Area (SPA),[20] and the Cairngorms Special Area of Conservation (SAC).[21] It also lies within the Cairngorms National Park.[22] The Invereshie and Inshriach NNR is classified as a Category IV protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c "Invereshie and Inshriach". Protected Planet. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Invereshie and Inshriach NNR". NatureScot. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Visit Invereshie and Inshriach NNR" (PDF). Scottish Natural Heritage. 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  4. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 1.
  5. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 29.
  6. ISBN 9780907521945
    .
  7. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 7.
  8. ^ Nick Kempe (2018-05-03). "SNH's plans for the Invereshie National Nature Reserve – gardening in the Cairngorms?". parkswatchscotland. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  9. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p.p. 7-11.
  10. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 15.
  11. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 14.
  12. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 12.
  13. ^ a b The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 13.
  14. ^ a b c The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 19.
  15. ^ a b The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 20.
  16. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 21.
  17. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 23.
  18. ^ The Story of Invereshie and Inshriach National Nature Reserve. p. 26.
  19. ^ "Cairngorms SSSI". NatureScot. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Cairngorms SPA". NatureScot. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  21. ^ "Cairngorms SAC". NatureScot. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Cairngorms National Park". NatureScot. Retrieved 16 September 2020.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Inshriach Forest.
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