The landscape of the Scottish hills and mountains has been shaped over the millennia by grazing animals, whether by wild mammals such as the red deer and mountain hare, or by livestock brought over by people since the first human colonisation of these islands. As managers of great swathes of upland Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland has to determine how much grazing is appropriate on its land.

This is not always easy as it relates to the landscape objectives that the Trust is aiming for; for example, a grazing level that is suitable to maintain heather in good condition may be too high to allow the growth of trees. How, then, does the Trust decide what landscape pattern to aim for - an open, heather-clad moorland landscape, a wooded landscape, or some combination of both?

The answer is not simple, and does require an understanding of the influences that have shaped the landscape to date, including the area’s ecological and cultural history. It also requires agreement as to whether the landscape pattern in a given area should be determined by nature (i.e. letting nature ‘decide’ grazing levels and vegetation pattern), or should be determined by people (i.e. being prescriptive in grazing levels and vegetation pattern). This is currently an issue of active debate within the National Trust for Scotland.

The above points relate mostly to the uplands. On the National Trust for Scotland’s lowland properties it is easier to agree objectives and to set grazing patterns accordingly. For example, at St Abb’s Head sheep grazing is used to keep coastal grassland and heathland in good condition, at Wester Kittochside cattle grazing is managed to maintain the flower-rich grasslands, and at Culloden battlefield a ‘primitive’ breed of sheep (Hebridean sheep) is being used to prevent tree growth - so as to maintain the battlefield as it was at the time of the battle - unwooded moorland.