Moorland Forum aims to share its expertise

THE ownership and management of moorland brings special challenges and to meet these, Scotland's Moorland Forum is holding a couple of workshops to focus on issues relating to the economics, the management and the environment.

The project will concentrate on the Muirkirk area in Ayrshire and the upper Findhorn catchment area in Inverness.

Lord Lindsay, the forum's chairman, described the meetings as an opportunity to understand the problems and successes that exist at ground level.

He also said that he hoped that the exchange of practical advice could help upland land managers.

"This project is aimed at providing practical solutions to problems," he said, adding that any solutions and advice gathered at the meetings would also then be disseminated to other parts of Scotland and to government and public agencies.

There will be three broad strands of discussion at the meetings: upland economics, upland birds and carbon retention.

The meetings will be held on 25 February at the Lochside Hotel, New Cumnock and 4 March at the Tomatin Country Inn, Tomatin, Inverness-shire.

• More information on the meetings is available from Alison Young. Tel: [phone]