“By creating we think, by living we learn” Patrick Geddes
Scotland is a country with outstanding freshwater systems providing multiple social, economic and cultural functions as well as providing ecosystem services of global importance. Scotland's lochs contain more than 90% of the total freshwater resource and occupy approximately 3% of the country's land mass. With over 25,000 lochs (>0.1hectare) standing freshwaters are an important part of Scotland's landscape and they come in a myriad of forms and sizes contributing to habitats of international importance for numerous species. There is little comprehensive data covering the ecology of these areas with major gaps in knowledge relating to the distribution of physical types and current conditions. Predicting how these systems might respond to future climate changes greatly amplifies uncertainties and conflicts implicit in environmental management across the entire standing water resource base. This project will examine the potential impacts of climate change on the ecohydrology of lochs in Scotland - that is of the coupled changes in hydrological systems and the subsequent effects on freshwater ecology. We will explore the geodiversity of lochs (distribution of types and formative processes), their national and international significance, and will consider their conservation and management priorities in respect of current and future pressures.
Adapting our lochs to uncertain climate futures: management in the conservation interest
Muir, M.C.A., Rowan, J.S., Spray, C.J., Sime, I. and Owen, R. (submitted) Assessing the significance of climate change impacts on the ecohydrology and conservation interest of Scotland's lochs. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.
Muir, A.P. and Muir, M.C.A. (2011) A New Rapid Assessment Technique for Amphibians: Introduction of the Species List Technique from San José de Payamino, Ecuador. Herpetological Review 42(2): 184-187.
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