Emergency plan to save capercaillie in Cairngorms National Park
An emergency bid to save a population of capercaillie in the Scottish Highlands has been launched.
The rare species of woodland grouse has been in decline for decades and is expected to become extinct in the next 20 to 30 years.
Cairngorms National Park is home to 85% of the UK's capercaillie population, with only 532 remaining in Britain.
They are a ground-nesting species, with pine martens and badgers among the animals that eat their eggs and chicks.
In the early 1990s, it was predicted that capercaillie would be extinct in Scotland by 2010 and efforts were kickstarted by conservationists to save them.
NatureScot commissioned its scientific advisory committee to investigate the "critical" situation and a five-year emergency plan was drawn up with the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA), after being initiated by the Scottish government.
A report addressed factors such as human disturbance, predation of young, and fence removal, which, if tackled together, could improve capercaillie survival and breeding success.
In the past five years, efforts have been made by mountain bikers and dog walkers to avoid disturbing the birds.
Studies show that the species may miss out on 40% of suitable habitats due to human disturbance.
Andy Ford, director of nature and climate change at CNPA, said: "Protecting capercaillie has always been a collective effort. Thanks to the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project, more people than ever before are now actively helping the species alongside the longstanding efforts of land managers and organisations.
"Given the scale of the task ahead to boost capercaillie numbers in Scotland, we remain realistic but optimistic that a huge collective effort will make a positive difference."
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The plan identifies clear priorities across a range of areas, underpinned by the continued commitment to woodland creation in the national park with a minimum of 35,000 hectares of new woodland cover to be created by 2045.
Eileen Stuart, NatureScot's deputy director of nature and climate change, said: "With such low numbers, the species is predicted to become extinct in the next 20 to 30 years unless more action is taken at scale and on all fronts.
"The emergency plan will do just that and is the result of intensive work with over 100 stakeholders who are all committed to safeguarding the future of capercaillie.
"Requested by Scottish government, the plan will tackle the multiple issues facing capercaillie at a pace and scale to help the species recover."
