Climate change has impacted on upland plants and vegetation over
the past half century, new evidence from north west Scotland has
revealed. Research funded by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and
the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has revealed for
the first time the impacts of climate change on mountain
landscapes. The pioneering work was carried out by the
University of Aberdeen and supported by the Hutton Institute and
Bergen University, Norway. Dr Louise Ross of the University of
Aberdeen and colleagues reassessed study plots throughout north
west Scotland last surveyed by pioneering botanists Donald
McVean and Derek Ratcliffe 50 years ago Species which increased
the most prefer warmer, drier and more acidic conditions.
Grasses increased at the expense of dwarf shrubs; flowering
plants and lichens. Scientists now warn that in some cases these
changes may be irreversible, leading to permanent changes in our
landscapes. They found evidence of a widespread loss of variety
in plant communities acro