The Reserve Plan Review for Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve 2014 – 2024

Foreword

Muir of Dinnet NNR is one of a suite of NNRs in Scotland. NNRs are special places where some of the best examples of Scotland’s wildlife are cared for. Nature comes first on NNRs, and people are welcome to discover the rich natural heritage of these places and to contribute to our knowledge and enjoyment of these areas.

In 2014, we carried out a public consultation on our future proposals for the management of Muir of Dinnet NNR. Your feedback from the consultation informed the completion of the Reserve Plan 2014 – 2024, which set out our management for the reserve during that period. We have now come to the end of that plan and have started to think about the future direction of our management. This report reviews our achievements and progress against the management objectives set out in the Reserve Plan for Muir of Dinnet NNR 2014 - 2024.

Address:

NatureScot, 
Burn O’ Vat Visitor Centre,
Dinnet,
Aboyne,
Aberdeenshire,
AB34 5NB

Our Vision for Muir of Dinnet NNR

Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve is special; the aim is to keep it that way.  The Reserve Plan 2014 - 2024 sets out our vision for the Reserve describing how we would like the Reserve to be in 2024.  The management we have carried out over the past 10 years has been framed with this vision in mind.

Vision

Muir of Dinnet is a special place with a rich natural and cultural heritage. It is an excellent example of a mosaic of habitats, reflecting the underlying geodiversity, and supporting heath, open water, bog and mixed woodland.

The glacial landforms, dating from the end of the Ice Age, are in excellent condition and provide an exemplary example of Earth heritage interpretation. The internationally important bearberry heath has doubled in size and is in excellent condition as a result of our carefully planned and executed burning and tree removal programme.

Sensitive management has also maintained a pine and birch woodland which has spread by natural regeneration, and now covers most of Culblean Hill. The rare aspen woodland has also expanded.

The water quality of Loch Davan is continuing to improve, and the loch's plant communities are beginning to resemble those of Loch Kinord. Likewise, the Reserve's bogs and fen are also in good condition now that more natural water tables have been restored. Characteristic plants and animals of the woodland, heath, open water and bog habitats thrive.

A healthy population of otter continues to breed on the Reserve, large numbers of wintering wildfowl arrive each Autumn and the number of bird species recorded has grown. Rare species of insects such as, Kentish glory moth and the aspen hoverfly are also flourishing in their respective habitats.

Our management on the Reserve follows best practice. Demonstration events are helping to communicate our knowledge gained through specialised management to other land managers. Good visitor management ensures there is little impact on the geodiversity, wildlife and habitats.

All visitors appreciate and respect the Reserve, its wildlife and other visitors. Many groups visit the Reserve for educational purposes and all visitors make good use of the excellent facilities and materials available to them. The landowner and local people are proud of the Reserve and are actively involved in its management.

Management for Natural Heritage

Objective 1: Heath habitats: To progress towards restoring 78ha of bearberry heath into favourable condition ensuring suitable habitats for important heath communities are retained.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH1.1	Restore habitat connectivity between the north and south of road by removing all scrub regeneration from approximately 4ha. of heath by 2016.	Not Achieved
NH1.2	Establish the management requirements for restoration of the remaining area of bearberry heath to favourable condition and draw up a phased management plan.	Partly Achieved
NH1.3	Implement phased habitat improvement of the bearberry heath at approximately 3ha per year.	Achieved
NH1.4	Share expertise on the management of bearberry heath for application at the wider landscape scale of management in the Cairngorms National Park.	Achieved
NH1.5	Remove gorse from the bearberry heath by 2015 and control future spread through rotational burning	Partly Achieved
NH1.6	Maintain 32ha of existing bearberry heath and all restored heath habitat by rotational burning and swiping	Partially Achieved
NH1.7	Co-ordinate annual muirburn with colleagues from other NNRs to ensure additional staff resources are available to successfully bring mature areas back into appropriate rotation.	Partially Achieved
NH1.8	Update burning equipment to allow greater capacity for burning	Achieved
NH1.9	Map heath extent baselines and establish a monitoring programme to record management and habitat condition, including an assessment of bearberry re-establishment. Repeat monitoring every 3 years	Not Achieved
NH1.10	Undertake Site Condition Monitoring (SCM) for lowland wet heath in 2015 and a Site Check for all heath features in 2019	Achieved

 
Objective evaluation:

Controlled muirburn was undertaken on the bearberry heath almost annually from 2014 – 2020. Areas of heath north and south side of road have been burned in rotation through this period. There was no controlled muirburn 2020/2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and there was no muirburn in 2022/23 due to change in reserve staff and training requirements.

Gorse has been controlled annually using herbicide and burning. Gorse abundance has declined since 2014. Further work is being completed throughout the winter of 23/24 to eradicate it from the northern section of bearberry heath. Throughout the period of annual burning 2014 – 2020, colleagues from other NNRs routinely helped with controlled muirburn sessions on the bearberry heath.  An Argocat with a fire tender attachment was purchased in 2016 and has been used when controlled muirburn has taken place.  Muirburn expertise has been shared with RSPB staff on the bearberry heath also.

NH1.1 has been on hold to allow discussions between Scottish Forestry, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and NatureScot over this proposal.

Objective 2: To maintain the water quality of the lochs in favourable condition whilst ensuring suitable habitat for wetland species are also maintained.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH2.1	Collate water quality data from SEPA to identify changes and requirements for adaptive management.	Partly Achieved
NH2.2	Collate Logie Burn management improvement monitoring results from Hutton Institute to identify change and requirements for adaptive management	Achieved ongoing
NH2.3	Carry out annual geese and waterfowl monitoring, including collating WeBs counts and Site Check in 2019.	Partly Achieved
NH2.4	Remove all non-native invasive plants including Himalayan balsam annually.	Achieved ongoing
NH2.5	Undertake SCM of otter in 2017 and record signs of presence.	Not  Required
NH2.6	Undertake Site Check for loch features in 2018	Not Achieved

 
Objective evaluation:

Annual management has been done to try and keep Himalayan balsam at bay on the Logie Burn. There has been no increase of Himalayan balsam on the reserve. James Hutton Institute has been involved with annual monitoring of Logie Burn.

SEPA have undertaken macrophyte survey work on Loch Davan and Kinord annually. Fixed point photography was also undertaken by James Hutton Institute on Logie Burn. Staff resource meant that site condition monitoring could not be achieved during the course of the plan.

Objective 3: To maintain 48ha of mire and bog habitats by improving the condition of mire habitats on the reserve and maintaining Parkin's Moss in favourable condition.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH3.1	Establish the management requirements for improving the condition of Black and Ordie Mosses and draw up a phased management plan.	Not Achieved
NH3.2	Implement phased habitat improvement at Black Moss, largely consisting of tree felling and ditch damming on priority areas of the moss.	Achieved
NH3.3	Establish current scrub cover at Black Moss using stereo imagery and use this to develop a phased approach to scrub removal so that scrub cover is scattered across the moss at less than 10% cover in total. Repeat stereo imagery every 5 years to monitor progress.	Partly Achieved
NH3.4	Maintain the existing dams at Parkin's Moss	Achieved
NH3.5	Maintain 6ha of Parkin's Moss free from scrub encroachment & remove a further 1ha trees from potential bog habitat.	Achieved
NH3.6	Undertake Site Check for mires and bog features in 2019.	Not Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Work has been done extensively on Black and Parkins Moss to remove scrub and dams have been implemented on Parkins and Black Moss. Contractors were out on site on Black Moss in 2015 removing trees from 17 hectares of the moss. Parkins Moss has been managed in-house with NNR staff and external volunteer groups as has Black Moss. Imagery of Black Moss scrub removal was also undertaken. The removal of trees and implementation of dams has allowed improvement of the bog habitats and associated species. Parkins Moss is a lot more saturated and the raised bog feature is now in better condition.

Objective 4: Maintain at least 400ha of woodland, improving the structure classes and tree species diversity, especially conditions for aspen, whilst maintaining suitable habitat for important woodland communities.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH4.1	Establish woodland structure and species diversity baseline using Native Woodland Survey Scotland methodology. Repeat monitoring in 2026.	Not Achieved
NH4.2	Prepare woodland management plan in conjunction with Dinnet Estate Forest Plan.	Not Achieved
NH4.3	Expand aspen woodland by protecting (tubing) existing suckers and fencing enclosures within neighbouring fields	Achieved
NH4.4	Remove all non-native invasive plants. Watching brief on rhododendron beside Cambus o May hotel.	Achieved ongoing
NH4.5	Implement woodland structure improvement management.	Not Achieved

Objective evaluation:

The aspen wood has seen significant regeneration since 2014, much of which is spreading south towards Loch Kinord. Tree tubing has been done to protect the regeneration, this has worked well. The majority of tree tubes used were biodegradable and all were recyclable, most of which have been used on more than one tree. Recently we have applied for the aspen wood to become a Genetic Conservation Unit. Genetic Conservation Units are a European network of sites, showcasing their importance of genetic diversity and natural processes. Our Aspen Wood is an important genetic source, and this will be recognised through this designation. Rhododendron has been controlled annually up until 2020 and is now at a record low. Staffing resource meant that undertaking some woodland management works was not achievable.

Objective 5: Maintain the diversity and distribution of heath, lochs, mires, bogs and woodland habitats for important invertebrate species across the reserve.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH5.1	Map important Kentish glory moth areas.	Partly Achieved
NH5.2	Maintain Kentish glory moth habitat by leaving patches of birch scrub to develop to approximately 3-4m in height before felling on rotation.	Achieved
NH5.3	Continue to cut bracken patches near New Kinord for pearl-bordered fritillary.	Achieved
NH5.4	Undertake Site Check for 6 species of dragonfly on the reserve and invertebrate assemblage features every 5 years	Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Birch scrub has been left on the bearberry heath and in small sections at Parkins Moss for the Kentish glory moth, which has been recorded almost annually on the reserve. Pearl-bordered fritillary are doing well and annual management by cutting bracken is undertaken.

The dragonfly SSSI feature was surveyed and is in favourable condition – a further 2 species have been added to the reserve list during the 10 years of the management plan. Common darter and blue-tailed damselfly have now both been now recorded on the reserve. Habitat creation around Loch Kinord has also boosted the northern damselfly population.

Objective 6: Maintain the diversity and distribution of heath, lochs, mires, bogs and woodland habitats for important breeding bird species across the reserve.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH6.1	Investigate management options for providing additional scrapes for breeding waders in 2018.	Not Achieved
NH6.2	Create additional scrapes for breeding waders if options for management are available	Not Achieved
NH6.3	Retain standing large moribund (dead) trees on Parkin's Moss for roosting waders.	Achieved
NH6.4	Maintain a variety of bird boxes throughout the reserve and record usage	Achieved
NH6.5	Undertake Site Check for breeding bird assemblage feature in 2018 & 2023, noting species presence on an annual basis.	Achieved
NH6.6	Create breeding bird habitat on Loch Kinord/Davan by provision of artificial island/s.	Achieved
NH6.7	Investigate the possibility of enhancing the wet grassland/ field areas at Bogingore & near Logie Burn.	Partly Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Goldeneye boxes have been put in place and have been used well with the best breeding season in over a decade in 2023. Breeding birds have been recorded annually and records have been sent to local recorder and North-east Scotland Biological Records Centre.

A great-crested grebe raft was put in place on Loch Davan in 2019 but succumbed to the bad weather. Dead trees were left on Parkins for waders. Scrapes were also implemented parallel to the Logie Burn during re-meandering work. Goldeneye had the best breeding season in over a decade in 2023, with 31 birds fledging from 7 broods. We implemented our  Local Access Guidance from June 2021. This is where we asked paddlers and other water users to keep off Loch Kinord. Our Local Access Guidance was put in place to manage disturbance for a variety of nesting species on Loch Kinord. This will be continually monitored over the next course of the plan to ensure that our actions are justified and we will assess its impact on the breeding interest of Loch Kinord by collecting data on nesting species.

Below, you can see the changes in Goldeneye numbers from 2021 – 2022.  This was also reflected in breeding success. Numbers in 2022 are higher across the season than in 2021.

Number of Goldeneye during the breeding season during the years 2021 and 2022. 

Week no.	No of Goldeneye in 2021	No of Goldeneye in 2022
10	39	46
11	8	136
12	12	28
13	24	25
14	8	46
15	24	33
16	26	22
17	15	24
18	19	9
19	16	17
20	25	23
21	12	30
22	7	27
23	15	48
24	8	36
25	3	27
26	10	29
27	6	28
28	3	20
29	5	30
30	8	22
31	10	23
32	8	19
33	2	27
34	20	33
35	5	40
36	6	37
37	13	3
39	17	25

Objective 7: Maintain kettle holes, eskers and kames in favourable condition.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH7.1	Ensure the management of reserve does not damage or obscure important geomorphological features.	Achieved
NH7.2	Undertake Site Check for geomorphological features in 2019	Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Works have been done to ensure that the geomorphological features are not damaged or obscured. We manage this by clearing vegetation around the features and ensuring that they are visible to the public. We also have incorporated geomorphological interpretation and have also had educational sessions on the features.

Objective 8: Maintain important archaeological features clear of vegetation.

Tasks planned to inform and achieve Objective NH8

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
NH8.1	Clear bracken and trees from the hut circles and lime kiln annually.	Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Completed annually.

Management for People

Objective 1: Provide a high-quality visitor experience for at least 40,000 visitors ensuring that >85% of visitors asked rate their experience as good or above.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
VM1.1	Prepare new Visitor Management Plan by 2020, with a clear connection to complementing visitor experiences in the wider Cairngorms National Park.	Not Achieved
VM1.2	Replace bridges on Burn O'Vat trail by 2018.	Partly Achieved
VM1.3	Implement interpretation and seating along the Little Ord trail.	Achieved
VM1.4	Provide an orientation map in Dinnet village	Not achieved
VM1.5	Explore options for improving accessibility along part of the Bogingore trail	Achieved
VM1.6	Explore options for developing a family friendly cycle route.	Not Achieved
VM1.7	Replace Parkin's Moss boardwalk by 2023	Not Achieved
VM1.8	Use a variety of media, including Facebook, Blog & reserve leaflets to inform people about the reserve and maintain weekly updated information in the Visitor Centre.	Achieved
VM1.9	Distribute Reserve leaflets to local outlets including Tourist Information Centres at Ballater and Banchory, Loch Kinord Hotel, Victoria Tearooms, Craigendarroch Hilton, caravan parks at Tarland, Aboyne and Ballater, and to other centres within the National Park.	Achieved
VM1.10	Review and update information about the reserve on the Scotland's NNRs website every 6 months. Provide downloadable material, including information sheets on certain topics/species and its place within the National Park.	Achieved
VM1.11	Consider developing an "itour" (or similar) of reserve with QR codes at points of interest.	Not Achieved
VM1.12	Provide at least 5 guided walks per year for targeted groups.	Achieved
VM1.13	Organise and run an annual Muir of Dinnet NNR Open Day.	Achieved
VM1.14	Provide or support at least 5 demonstration events during the lifetime of the plan showing best practice management for heath, wetlands, mires and/or aspen woodland.	Achieved
VM1.15	Collate data from people counters.	Achieved
VM1.16	Carry out visitor survey to provide qualitative information on visitor experiences.	Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Visitor numbers have soared since the start of the plan, we know this due to the data collection from people counters. Up until 2020, numbers were gradually increasing, with NatureScot staff solely managing visitors. Post 2020, CNPA rangers and additional NatureScot seasonal staff were used as visitor pressure increased significantly after the covid-19 pandemic.

Our Local Access Guidance (LAG) was implemented in June 2021, and this appears to be a positive step towards achieving a balance between responsible access and protecting the species and habitats for which the reserve is so important. We will continue to monitor and review the LAG over the course of the next plan.

A wide variety of events and talks have been provided over the course of the plan, with over 3500 people attending these.  

Open days were run annually until 2020 Rather than installing a Muir of Dinnet NNR panel in Dinnet Village, Cairngorm National Park Authority installed an orientation panel in Dinnet village. Orientation Panel was instead put in by Cairngorms National Park Authority in Dinnet village. Various educational groups visited wetland sites, mainly parkins moss to learn about management, ecology and the importance of peatlands. Parkins Moss boardwalk is still in good condition and is not needing replaced in the near future. Options have been explored for an accessible trail around Bogingore but funding has not yet been identified for this.

The above graph shows our increase in visitor numbers, sadly we don’t have any official numbers post 2020 as staffing during Covid-19 lockdowns and people counter failure meant that we couldn’t get an accurate figure. However, staff on the Reserve felt that 2020 & 2021 were the busiest years by far once the lockdown(s) had ended

Objective 2: Objective VM2: To engage the local communities and support volunteering.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
VM2.1	Establish and maintain a 'Friends of Muir of Dinnet NNR' through social media.	Achieved
VM2.2	Develop a list of volunteer tasks and provide volunteer opportunities for at least one work party per year.	Achieved
VM2.3	Engage 4 local volunteers annually for regular tasks on the reserve and provide training and financial support.	Achieved
VM2.4	Engage with and utilise local contractors.	Achieved
VM2.5	Support at least 10 school visits (including cluster primary schools) per year.	Achieved
VM2.6	Provide one familiarisation to Muir of Dinnet in April for local accommodation providers. Establish a dialogue that will help us understand what the NNR can offer to local tourism service providers and the Cairngorms National Park.	Achieved
VM2.7	Continue to hold Muir of Dinnet liaison meeting once every 6 months.	Partly Achieved

Objective evaluation:

Liaison meetings were held regularly, however attendance of these meetings started to decrease during the course of the plan and a decision was made for them to no longer be convened in 2017.

Schools from all over Aberdeenshire and further afield have visited the reserve. We have engaged with over 3700 pupils from over 25 different schools and education centres.

A volunteer programme has been on-going since 2014. We have had over 840 volunteer days on the Reserve, covering a variety of tasks. The tasks volunteers assist our staff with include; habitat management, litter picking, opening and closing of the visitor centre, general reserve maintenance and assisting with events and educational activities.

We are very active on social media, regularly posting on Facebook and writing an informative wordpress blog. We have more than 3,500 followers on facebook and on Wordpress we have 290 subscribers and more than 5,500 viewers read our blogs annually.

Management for Property

Objective 1: To manage the reserve property responsibly following best practice.

Projects to be delivered during life of plan

Task no.	Task description	Task outcome
PM1.1	Maintain the Visitor Centre and all visitor infrastructure (trails, car park, toilets, viewpoint etc) in good condition for visitors.	Achieved
PM1.2	Carry out quarterly safety and condition assessments of all visitor infrastructure and keep accurate records	Achieved
PM1.3	Ensure the management of the property conforms with Health & Safety Regulations including risk assessment and fire plan reviews	Achieved
PM1.4	Ensure retention of Green Tourism Business Scheme award.	Achieved
PM1.5	Ensure payments made for Nature Reserve Agreement and other annual payments to estate.	Achieved

Objective evaluation:

All infrastructure has been maintained to a high level. In 2019 we refurbished the toilets including a new sewage system, and a grey waste facility for use by motorhomes. Works were also completed on the car park to reduce flooding. This work was supported by the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund. A new bridge was put installed on the Burn O’ Vat trail.

Nature Reserve Agreement payments were made annually and health and safety records were collected quarterly and are on file.

Summary

Overall, the vast majority of objectives set out in the 2014 – 2024 management plan have been met.

Our habitat management has maintained and/or improved condition of the SAC habitats, namely; bearberry heath, raised bogs, quaking mires and freshwater lochs. Controlled muirburn was conducted annually until 2020. The proposal to re-instate further heathland and bog will be considered further during the development of the next management plan.

The aspen wood has been naturally regenerating over the course of the plan, we are seeing large amounts of regeneration which has been protected from browsing with tree tubes.

During the course of the plan, visitor pressure has increased drastically. We are now seeing many more campers, motorhomes, recreational users and visitors accessing the water. After the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddleboarding became much more popular and a large number of crafts were being launched on Loch Kinord in the summer months, especially at the weekends. Due to the sensitivities and features of Loch Kinord, we worked with CNPA, Scottish Canoe Association and other bodies to develop and implement our local access guidance which looks to have had a positive effect on our breeding birds and the SAC feature. We will continue to monitor this during the next plan.  

We have worked with local conservation organisations to run demonstration and awareness events on the Reserve. We have increased our species monitoring on Loch Kinord and also implemented various invertebrate surveys. Invasive species control continues to be done annually, and re-meandering of the Logie Burn has worked well to create different habitats and boost biodiversity.

Habitat management for specialist species such as the Kentish glory moth and pearl-bordered fritillary has proved successful and we are still finding individuals present in different areas of the Reserve.

In areas where objectives were not met, most were due to staffing shortages, change of reserve manager and money availability.

Social media has become more popular over the course of the plan, and our Facebook page is very popular. We continue to publish regular blogs on wordpress and we get a variety of positive engagement.

Document properties

Author: Simon Ritchie
Editor: Neil Mitchell
Approved by: Alan Monk
Date: 4^th March 2024