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Land
Broad Habitat Change: 1990-1998
Area (thousand hectares)
Habitat | 1998 | Change (1990-98)1 |
|---|
Woodland | 1,294 | 32.3 |
|---|
Intensive agriculture | 1,691 | 36.7 |
|---|
Semi-natural | 4,535 | - 88.9 |
|---|
Water | 106 | 0.8 |
|---|
Developed | 276 | 19.4 |
|---|
A classification of 'broad habitat' was defined for consistent reporting and monitoring of priority habitats that were identified under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. 2 The habitats range from developed land, such as built-up areas and gardens, to semi-natural land, such as grasslands, bog and bracken. The Countryside Survey 2000 3 reported the status of 16 of the 20 broad habitats occurring in Scotland.
Over the period 1990-1998, the largest change was the overall decrease in semi-natural habitats of nearly 90,000 hectares. There was a decrease of 5% in the area of dwarf shrub heaths. Grassland losses also contributed to the overall decline in semi-natural habitats. However, there is no clear evidence that any of these declines are statistically significant. Some semi-natural habitats increased over the period, with fens, marshes and swamps showing a significant increase of 19%.
Woodland, developed habitats and land used for intensive agriculture all increased over the period, with a significant 9% increase in the area of broadleaved, mixed and yew woodland.
SOURCE: COUNTRYSIDE SURVEY 2000 3
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