Question reference: S5W-26207
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 7 November 2019
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Current status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 November 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being taken to protect Clashindarroch Forest wildcats from the impact of logging during kitten season.
Answer
The following measures are being, or have been, taken in Clashindarroch Forest:
- During the winter of 2015-16 and again in 2017-18, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and Scottish Wildcat Action (SWA) partners employed extensive camera trapping surveys to gain a picture of wildcats presence throughout Clashindarroch Forest.
- All actual or potential wildcat sightings are recorded on the FLS conservation database to inform future management.
- At least six months prior to any tree felling or thinning operation, camera traps are deployed on all operational sites. The cameras are placed at potential den features (e.g. stone dykes, windblown trees or scrub) within each management area.
- Four to six weeks prior to any forest operations, walk-over surveys of each site is carried out by an FLS environment specialist and SWA field staff. If evidence of wildcat presence is found expert advice is sought over appropriate mitigation.
- Pior to operations commencing, all operators are briefed about wildcats being present in the forest, and are provided with an FLS/SWA guidance note.
- Operations such as clear felling, thinning and site cultivation are undertaken out-with the period March to June inclusive in areas where wildcat activity has been previously identified by camera trapping or GPS collar tracking.
- On all thinning and clear fell sites, potential breeding sites or dens (e.g. rock piles) are protected from damage, and all patches of windblown trees are retained as potential future breeding sites and resting places.
- In addition to these measures, FLS is also supporting research on wildcats within Clashindarroch, and more widely in the Scottish Wildcat Action Strathbogie Priority Area, by the University of Oxford Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. This involves fitting GPS tags to wildcats and is resulting in unprecedented knowledge on their use of forest habitats.
- It should be noted that no confirmed wildcats with high genetic purity have been identified in Clashindarroch to date. As a consequence, all the above measures represent a comprehensive, precautionary approach.