Fugla Ness - North Roe
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Condition (NatureScot)
| Unit | Feature | Condition | Area (ha) | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Quaternary of Scotland | Favourable | — | 2009-10-14 |
Climate exposure
This is about exposure to a nationwide pressure this habitat type carries — not a verdict on this site's own management.
Peat habitats store centuries of carbon and depend on a stable, waterlogged water table. Warmer, drier summers dry out peat, making it far more vulnerable to wildfire and to carbon release — a pressure that can undo years of restoration work regardless of how well the site is otherwise managed.
Coastal habitats are exposed to sea-level rise and storm erosion. Where hard sea defences sit behind them, there's nowhere landward to retreat to — a squeeze that keeps compressing the habitat no matter how well it's managed.
Geology & landscape
Geological Period: Quaternary
Landscape processes: Coastal, Glacial, Peatland / Mire
Description
FUGLA NESS – NORTH ROE Fugla Ness is approximately 5 miles west of North Roe in the north of mainland Shetland. The geological site here contains the oldest known interglacial deposits in Scotland, exposed as a sequence in the cliff face. The sequence comprises 1) a basal till, 2) peat, 3) slope deposits and 4) till (at the top). The pollen, spores, seeds, leaves and wood remains preserved in the peat indicate open coniferous woodland alternating with heath and grassland communities developed under mild, oceanic conditions. There is also evidence for progressive climatic deterioration throughout the time period represented by the organic deposits. The peat has been ascribed to the Hoxnian Interglacial, but this correlation is not unequivocally established. The tills indicate episodes of glaciation both before and after formation of the peat, the upper one probably relating to the last (late Devensian) glaciation c. 20,000 year ago. The slope deposits indicate a phase of cold, non-glacial conditions at the site. The deposits at Fugla Ness therefore provide a key record of environmental changes during the mid and late Pleistocene.