'Cherished' moorland the size of Birmingham lost each year - with large chunk in Scotland

The study is the first of its kind mapping out the extent and losses of heather moorland in the UK.

Vast swathes of heather habitat the size of Birmingham are being lost in Britain each year, according to new figures.

The results were shared in a study that, for the first time, quantified the extent of the UK’s heather moorland habitat and its historical and potential losses.

A visually stunning display of heather

The figures show an estimated 60 per cent of moorland in Britain has been lost in the past 30 years.

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A large chunk (15 per cent) has disappeared from Scotland. Northern Ireland has lost 21 per cent and both Wales and England have lost 7 per cent, according to the study.

Authors of the study, which was carried out from 1990 to 2023, said moorlands have been lost or degraded due to overgrazing, undergrazing, commercial afforestation and native woodland expansion.

Figures showed moorland was primarily converted to improved grassland (55 per cent), coniferous woodland (34 per cent) and broadleaved woodland (6 per cent).

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There was, however, significant regional variation, with coniferous woodland a more significant threat than improved grassland in many regions of Scotland, the report said.

The decline in this internationally rare habitat is concerning for the wildlife that lives on it, but also communities whose livelihoods depend on sustainable management of heather moorland.

The study, Heather Futures, was carried out by The Heather Trust, an organisation initially set up to balance sheep farming and grouse interests on heather moorland in the 1980s. But the body has since evolved to be an advocate for sustainable management and protection of the habitat.

Katrina Candy, director of The Heather Trust, said: “This is of great concern, not just to The Heather Trust and our members, but to the many people who live and work in the uplands whose livelihoods depends on sustainable moorlands.

“The array of biodiversity that inhabits these special places and society as a whole is entirely dependent on healthy upland eco-systems to provide a wide range of benefits, including clean drinking water and effective carbon sequestration.”

Ms Candy said while there was general awareness of heather moorland being under threat, there has been limited data available on changes to the extent and quantity of moorland habitats across the country.

It has meant there has been a limited evidence-base for policy makers to consider when looking at the cumulative impact of heather moorland loss.

Ms Candy said the extensive study addressed the evidence gap by identifying the datasets available, which would hopefully shape policy to minimise further impact on upland biodiversity.

Ecologist David Jarrett, who led the project, said: “Our upland habitats are undergoing a period of rapid change driven by changing societal values, climate change and legislation.

“While there are many positives associated with these changes, it’s important that we are also aware of the impact of moorland habitat loss on some of our most cherished upland species like curlew and lapwing. These species are declining rapidly in the UK, and are becoming more and more dependent on the predator control associated with managed moorland.”

Estimated total losses of moorland between 1990 and 2023 were 609sqkm in England, 6,696sqkm in Scotland, 349sqkm in Wales, and 498sqkm in Northern Ireland.

Targets for woodland expansion across the UK are 30,000 hectares a year, and annual planting rates are much lower.

Some 88 per cent of new coniferous planting over the 30-year period, according to the study, took place on moorland habitats. The study’s authors said there was likely to be significant further pressure on moorland habitat from continued expansion of coniferous woodland.