Heather moorland loss on the Northern Islands of Orkney

Summary Orkney's moorland resource has declined substantially since the Second World War, largely due to agricultural policies geared towards reclamation. Aerial photographic interpretation and GIS analysis was used to calculate moorland loss on the islands of Eday, Rousay and Papa Westray since 1946. Significant amounts of moorland on Eday and Rousay have been lost. Further analysis of SSSI boundaries showed that providing high protection for small, separate pockets of land rather than the countryside as a whole can contribute to fragmentation of the moorland resource.