Farmland

Farmland is a highly significant part of the natural heritage of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park and provides much of its wildlife habitat, landscape interest, recreational and sporting resource. Farming is the major land use in the National Park, with registered agricultural land accounting for around 55% of the area, compared with 28% for forestry and woodland.

The main farming activity is livestock production as the landscape conditions of the Park are most suited for this. The northern and western reaches of the Park are mountainous, and have very limited ploughable and fertile soils. Almost all (98%) of the Park’s agricultural land is classified as an agriculturally Less Favoured Area. This means that the land is of low productivity and farming is necessary to prevent depopulation of the area. Agriculture is therefore an important economic activity within the local economy.

Many of the farms in the Park are extensive and remote, with limited road access, extremely steep and rugged terrain and heavy rainfall. The steep slopes, thin soils and harsh climate of the uplands restrict farming to extensive sheep and cattle production. More intensive lowland livestock farming and some dairying are practiced in rural Stirlingshire and around the southern end of Loch Lomond.

Natural Heritage Value

The National Park’s farmland offers a rich variety of habitats for wild animal and plant species to thrive. These include a variety of moorland and grassland habitats and hedgerows, dykes and boundary features.

Historically wet flood-prone grasslands on the floors of glens such as Glen Dochart and Glen Fruin were significant areas in the National Park for holding high numbers of breeding waders such as lapwing, redshank, curlew and snipe. However, in recent years their numbers have declined dramatically. There are proposals to work with land managers to improve areas of wet grassland and thus the fortunes of the waders. Other birds to look out for include skylark, reed bunting, yellowhammer, tree sparrow and the iconic barn owl.

Agriculture is the main land use in the National Park, and has a strong influence on the landscape and other land uses as well as wildlife. It therefore has a vital role to play in helping to deliver the aims of our National Park.

However, falling farm incomes have led to a reduction in some activities which result in conservation benefits. For example, maintaining drystane dykes, hedgerows and hedgerow trees is costly and labour intensive resulting in a move towards less expensive alternatives such as wire fencing.

There is a proposal to map and evaluate all of the hedgerows, dykes and other boundary features in the Park. This project would highlight where hedgerows could be better planted or managed and where other boundary features need to be restored, thus helping to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of our beautiful National Park and the animal and plant species that live within it.