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Upland

Mountains and upland cover large areas of north Wales, northern England, and Scotland (two thirds of Scotland is classed as upland).

Our highest peaks extend more than 600m above the natural tree line and the wildlife of our mountains has a special character born of our oceanic climate, with mild winters, cool summers and abundant wind and rain. Our montane vegetation supports many of the most threatened plants in Great Britain, and communities of mosses and liverworts found in habitats are some of the most threatened plant communities in the UK.

Habitat features

Treeline forest and montane scrub

Found mostly in Scotland. Characterised by species such as the dwarf willow, dwarf birch and prostrate juniper, these communities have been badly damaged by overgrazing. Our best examples remain in small fragments at Creag Fhiaclach above Glen Feshie, on Creag Meagaidh and in Coire Cas.

Upland blanket bog and heathland

The most extensive expanses of blanket bog occur in Migneint, Berwyn and Plynlumon in Wales, the Pennines in England and Caithness and Sutherland and Wester Ross in Scotland. The oceanic heath in Wester Ross is the most extensive expanse of this rare habitat in Europe, giving us international responsibility for its care.

Snowbeds

One of our most threatened habitats, found primarily in Scotland. With climate change, fewer snowbeds last through the year even in deep corries and gullies on the north and east slopes of the Cairngorm plateau. The plant communities that develop in and around these snow beds include a number of nationally rare mosses, liverworts and lichens, all limited to the highest mountains in Scotland and with nowhere to move to if the impact of climate change continues.

Steep slopes and rocky ledges

Home to a number of extremely rare and beautiful alpine flowers, such as Alpine sow thistle and mountain bladder fern. Limited now to a few steep slopes and crags where deer, sheep and goats cannot easily reach. Hundreds of years of high grazing levels have restricted these plants to these inaccessible ledges. In Snowdon, wet north-facing cliffs develop 'hanging gardens' of tall-herb vegetation, including early purple orchid, globeflower and Welsh poppy alongside Snowdon lily and diminutive saxifrages.

Key issues

Threats to the plant communities of our mountains and wild uplands are changing. These communities are slow growing and very susceptible to damage as recovery takes an extremely long time in these extreme environments. Overgrazing by deer, sheep and goats continues to be a major issue for many alpine plants, whose populations have become so fragmented that genetic isolation is setting in, meaning that they struggle to produce and set viable seed. Climate change is a growing threat, tracked already in changes to high snow bed communities, but expected to become more marked as species have nowhere to move as lower altitudes become unsuitable. Pressures from recreation, including walking, skiing and mountain biking, on sensitive sites can be significant, although localised.

In some areas, uncontrolled heather burning is an issue particularly for the oceanic heath of the west coast, where internationally rare plant populations can be wiped out.

Air pollution is also a changing threat. While the effect of acid rain have declined, we are only just beginning to appreciate the impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. It is thought that the extinction of many upland moss species in Snowdon could be linked to nitrification, and the impact on Racomitrium heaths is being carefully monitored.

Compared with Victorian and Edwarian times, the collection of living plant material for either garden or herbarium specimens is now thankfully rare. However, some populations of plants are currently so small that the removal of even single specimens can have a considerable impact, and plant theft is know to occur at some sites. Several mountain ferns in Wales have been targeted and populations destroyed recently.

What we're doing about it

• Juniper management trials at 5 sites across Scotland, testing ways to encourage natural regeneration of populations using cattle grazing, scarification or exclosures.
• Working with government to change deer management legislation to increase protection of vulnerable plant communities.