This study is open access for 50 days so get in quickly and read and inwardly digest it.
‘Protected’ areas in the UK don’t differ from the rest of the uplands in their number (density of tracks) which is slightly surprising.
Managed heather (grouse moor) landscapes have the highest densities of both surfaced and unsurfaced tracks in the British uplands. And That gives rise to the following quote:
These data indicate that wide-ranging vehicular track networks exist in ecologically sensitive environments across the British uplands, with implications for the integrity of sensitive habitats and soils. Land use and management activities that are not facilitating ecological improvement or conservation appear to be driving the presence of surfaced tracks in ‘protected’ areas. The findings suggest that: a) urgent review and revision of upland track legislation is required in Great Britain
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720337645?dgcid=author
It’s a very interesting paper with plenty of new data and findings in it. It’s a pity that the Glover review didn’t think along these lines.
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