The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) conducts extensive, long-term conservation and restoration monitoring at Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve to protect rare arctic-alpine flora and habitats. Key activities include monitoring peatland restoration (blocking drains and revegetating), tracking montane willow scrub regeneration, surveying rare plants, and utilizing cattle grazing for habitat management.
Key monitoring and conservation efforts include:
Peatland Restoration: Monitoring the success of projects that re-profile hags, block drains, and use biodegradable geotextiles to restore damaged peat bogs.
Montane Willow Scrub Regeneration: Monitoring the recovery of montane willow, a rare habitat, across over 110 hectares, including the impact of deer management and exclosures, such as the 190-hectare site at Creag an Lochain.
Rare Species Protection: Dedicated monitoring of rare highland saxifrage and other arctic-alpine flora, which are under pressure from climate change.
Habitat Management: Using cattle to graze and improve biodiversity, part of a wider effort to combat climate change.
Climate Change Impact: Monitoring changes to habitats and species, including the upward migration of plants due to warmer temperatures.
Physical Impact Surveys: The NTS Footpath Team monitors the impacts of foot traffic on mountain ecosystems.
These efforts are supported by the use of drone technology for monitoring and surveying in the reserve.
Conservation staff at the
Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve (run by the National Trust for Scotland) focus on protecting rare arctic-alpine plants and habitats. Key staff members include Ecologist Lewis Donaghy, Ranger James Robinson, and Property Manager Helen Cole.
Key Conservation Personnel & Roles
Andrew Warwick (Ranger)
Lewis Donaghy (Ecologist): Focuses on surveying mountain species and restoring montane willow scrub.
James Robinson (Ranger): Works on the conservation of nationally rare and scarce plants.
Helen Cole (Property Manager): Manages the overall reserve, including habitat improvement projects such as cattle grazing.
Jeff Waddell (Head of Nature Conservation, NTS): Oversees habitat restoration, including over 110 hectares of montane scrub.
Key Historical/Related Staff
Sarah Watts : A plant ecologist who worked for the National Trust for Scotland at Ben Lawers from 2013–2020.
David Martin & Sandy Payne: Initiated long-term rare plant monitoring in the 1980s.
Rare Plants at Ben Lawes.
Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve in Scotland is renowned for having the most extensive and diverse arctic-alpine plant communities in Britain, with 13 nationally rare species. Key rare, threatened, and endangered species include alpine gentian(Gentiana nivalis), alpine fleabane (Erigeron borealis), drooping saxifrage (Saxifraga cernua), snow pearlwort(Sagina nivalis), and mountain sandwort (Sabulina rubella).
Key Rare Species at Ben Lawers:
Unique/Extremely Rare: Ben Lawers is the only known British site for bristle sedge (Carex microglochin).
Arctic-Alpine Flora: Alpine gentian (Gentiana nivalis), alpine fleabane (Erigeron borealis), cyphel (Minuartia sedoides), mountain sandwort (Sabulina rubella), snow pearlwort (Sagina nivalis), and alpine woodsia (Woodsia alpina).
Endangered/Threatened: Rock lady's-mantle (Alchemilla wichurae) and alpine pearlwort (Sagina saginoides) are considered endangered in the UK.
Other Notable Rarities: Rock sedge (Carex rupestris), mountain bladder-fern (Cystopteris montana), alpine forget-me-not(Myosotis alpestris), and woolly willow (Salix lanata).
Rare Liverwort: Marsupella condensata is found in high-altitude, late-snow areas.
The nutrient-rich schist rocks and high-altitude crags provide the ideal habitat for these species, which are often found on inaccessible ledges due to grazing pressure.