Golden Plover Award 2015

Peatland restoration at Mar Estate impressed the judges

The Heather Trust & Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (Scotland) announced last week that the winners of the 2015 Golden Plover Award for Moorland Management would go to Mar Estate after a difficult decision for the judges.

The 6,000 ha Mar Estate lies in the heart of Upper Deeside, integrating game and deer management interests with conservation, commercial forestry and natural woodland regeneration.

Between November 2014 and April 2015, the Estate has restored an area of 1.95 ha of bare peat and 4,530 m of eroded hags and gullies within a 164 ha block of moorland. This has involved re-profiling corroded hags and gullies with low impact machinery; spreading heather brash and reseeding bare peat areas form the final stage of the project. The project will prevent further erosion, improve water quality, develop the habitat for both grazing animals and ground nesting birds whilst enhancing the carbon sequestration ability of the moor.

Mar is also heavily involved in the conservation and monitoring of golden eagles and ground nesting birds. The Estate maintains extensive local community links and there is a community-led hydro scheme at an advanced stage.

Several designations exist on the Estate, including SSSI, National Scenic Area, SAC and National Nature Reserve, as well as the Cairngorms golden eagle SPA. Capercaillie continue to breed in the Knock Wood, as well as blackgame along the woodland edges. These important bird species and their leks are protected through predation control, the management of plant species and the use of soft net fences to reduce bird strike.

The estate's extensive forestry areas are managed with amenity and deer shelter in mind, along with the production of high quality timber. The judges were impressed with Mar's commitment to peatland conservation, particularly in terms of the estate's ability to integrate this priority into the estate's wider management.

Cunningsburgh apportionment on Shetland and Gordonbush Estate in Sutherland were both congratulated for their excellent work on peatland management, and all three finalists demonstrated the huge amount of work being put into this kind of management across Scotland.

Mar Estate will receive a print by renowned Scottish artist Colin Woolf at a ceremony sponsored by Savills at the Scottish Game Fair on the 3rd July 2015.

Find out more at www.goldenploveraward.co.uk -