So what have we actually done?

Amongst other things:

• We have commissioned a scoping study into the jobs that are supported by the environment in South Scotland.
• We have held a series of seminars and meetings on bracken management and have had some influence on the shape of the new rural stewardship scheme.
• We have helped raise sufficient funds to employ two Red Squirrel Conservation Officers.
• We have drafted a £0.5 million bid for Heritage Lottery Funds to enhance upland habitats.
• We have held a seminar and developed the basis of a project which will seek to add value to hundreds of small woodlands that are currently unproductive and unmanaged.

• We have stimulated activity to promote the Southern Upland Way as a major tourism resource and we are working towards a major arts event along the SUW in 2002/3.
• We have stimulated discussions on the future of rural Post Offices and this may shortly lead to a pilot project in the Borders.
• We have raised funds for a pilot community consultation training event which will take place early next year.
• We have played a key role in establishing an inter-agency communication system called the Border Exnet.

Photo 1 - Uplands at Durisdeer

CONVENORS COMMENT

INTEGRATING
Minister Endorses Integrated Approach at Southern Uplands Partnership Public Meeting

Sarah Boyack Minister for Transport and the Environment addressed the Southern Uplands Partnership in June at the Moffat Academy. The Minister told the assembly that it is all too easy to romanticise the rural situation and consider the countryside as being far removed from urban problems. The reality was that many of the issues were the same and that there were additional problems in the countryside which required urgent attention. The Minister stressed the need for issues to be looked at with the long-term in mind, examined 'in-the-round' and discussed by a broad range of people and interests. The Minister emphasised that a partnership approach offered the best chance of new solutions being found and she endorsed the approach being taken by the Southern Uplands Partnership.

Welcoming John Davidson onto the Board of Directors, Barbara Kelly the SUP Convenor emphasised the need for the SUP to help tackle the most serious problems that were faced by upland communities. By bringing together a wide range of organisations and individuals to discuss issues, it is possible to get to the roots of topics and to look for new ways forward. The Partnership also offers a way of voicing concerns directly to those in positions of influence and authority.

Amongst other issues raised at the meeting were the form of the pending Rural Stewardship Scheme; the future of rural Post Offices; the need for high quality telecommunications to reach out to the most remote parts so that all people could benefit from the opportunities the "e-world" could bring; and the need to establish clear objectives for future land-use.

Photo 2 - Barbara Kelly welcomes John Davidson of Crosslee Farm, Selkirk to the Board

. . .Integrating

We are working to break-down the barriers that separate those who work within the constraints of local administrative boundaries. By bringing together people with shared ideas to examine issues that are not confined to particular Regions such as land management issues, communication and conservation.
  We are also keen to see "joined-up" working between agencies when it comes to addressing the major issues that are impacting on the Uplands such as forestry, farming, tourism and access.
  We are working to bring together and integrate the social, the economic and the environmental sectors, because these cannot be treated in isolation from each other. This approach is represented by the three overlapping circles shown on our display panels - we are trying to work (and encouraging others to work) at the centre where all three overlap. We are swimming with an increasing flow here, in that Community Planning, Local Agenda 21 and other national initiatives are also seeking to integrate these sectors much more closely, but there is still a long way to go. We hope that by involving a wide range of partners in all that we do, the links and overlaps will become more apparent and we can all benefit from the added value that this can bring.

. . .Informing

This is the fourth Southern Upland News. In these newsletters we are trying to show the huge range of new approaches to land-use issues that are being considered or tried-out in the Southern Uplands and elsewhere, and we hope that the newsletter will be an increasingly useful medium for the members to exchange views and ideas.
  We have established a web-site which again we hope will become a useful source of information as more people make use of the internet and we get trained in managing and updating a web-site.
  We have been closely involved with the development of a electronic system - currently called the Borders Exnet - which is designed to encourage the main countryside bodies in the Borders to share ideas and plans at an early stage in development of projects. We hope that this exchange of ideas will result in new and improved partnership projects with the added value this can bring. We anticipate that this system can, in time, be broadened out to provide a facility that will promote wider consultation with communities. As it is, we often find out about developments shortly before they actually happen by which time it is too late to alter them and opportunities are therefore often missed.

. . .Innovating

The SUP is not intended to replace or replicate any other organisation. We hope that we can provide a link between all those who share an interest in the use and development of the Southern Uplands. We believe that by involving new people in partnerships and by approaching issues in new ways, we will arrive at new solutions - the approach endorsed by Sarah Boyack at the meeting in Moffat.
  Objective 2 offers opportunities for new projects that stimulate economic activity and lead to sustainable jobs and also which support community and individual development through training and capacity building. We believe the SUP is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity and we are working in a number of areas to develop projects which may qualify for such funding.

. . . Initiating

The SUP is also initiating a number of projects, each of which brings in a number of partners and which we hope will lead to greater confidence in joint-working. Some of these are described on the following pages.

First Direct Jobs

Photo 3 - Sarah Oakley and Robin Fuller at the launch of the Red Squirrels in South Scotland project at Drumlanrig Castle.

The Partners are now considering commissioning further work into two areas: wildlife tourism initiatives and the scope for further developments in the Southern Uplands and secondly the economic value of biodiversity.

BRACKEN MANAGEMENT

We have brought together all those with an interest in bracken management including land owners, managers, the statutory bodies (SEPA, SERAD, SNH and Water Authorities), land-based and aerial contractors and academics. The results of this have been very positive, with the SUP now working towards a bracken management strategy, producing information leaflets and possibly updating the Bracken Management Handbook.

Photo 4 - The effects of poor bracken management - stripes of bracken left untreated will quickly recolonise.

THE TREES & THE WOODS

Woodland on the Brink
SUP member James Pringle hosted a meeting held at Torwoodlee in April which was attended by a range of foresters, conservationists, contractors and the statutory agencies. We discussed the development of a project which could add value to small-scale woodland products. There is a large resource of under-managed woods in the South of Scotland often on difficult slopes. In other parts of the UK, efforts have been made to utilise these in a co-operative way so that economic benefits as well as environmental improvements are gained. Charcoal is an obvious product that could be produced but there are others which would allow the woods to be brought into appropriate and sustainable management. The group agreed to meet again to look for ways of taking the idea forward and we hope to find a way of commissioning the preparation of a development plan possibly in partnership with the Forestry Action Groups of Borders and D&G.
   Last winter we put together a bid which we hoped would attract European funds to allow us to develop a native woodland strategy for part of the uplands in partnership with SNH and FC, local communities and the private sector. This bid has not been successful, but it is hoped that a smaller scale project will go ahead anyway. The idea is to promote best practice in woodland and forestry design, support the Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) and we hope stimulate new woodland plantings in appropriate locations.

Biodiversity on the Edge We have brought together all the bodies with an interest in conservation of black grouse and the habitats they depend on. We have now submitted a bid for Heritage Lottery Funding towards a £500,000 project to take this forward. This work has been supported by the Biodiversity Officers of SBC and D&GC, the RSPB, Game Conservancy Trust, Forest Enterprise and SNH. If successful this project will create two full time posts and generate significant groundwork contracts.

Photo 5 - The edges are often of vital importance to species as well as the landscape.

ACCESS AND RECREATION

Marking the Way

In partnership with others we are now looking at a project which will seek to promote the Southern Upland Way. The route is a wonderful resource and yet we believe it is under-used and could bring greater benefits to those who live and work along its length. We hope to raise the profile of the SUW through a series of arts events. We plan to work with communities along the Way to maximise the economic benefits that can come from walkers. There are exciting plans for the next two summers.
   The SUW is one of only 4 Long Distance Routes in Scotland and it is regarded as the toughest. It attracts a large number of walkers to South Scotland each year, but it does not receive the same attention as paths such as the West Highland Way.
    A number of businesses are trying to develop the SUW and an

ambitious web-site is currently being developed which will highlight services available along the whole length. Links will be included to other recreation facilities such as golf-courses, fishing sites and riding centres. Visit the site on www.southern-upland-way.com.
   Efforts are being made to develop a project to promote horse-riding across South Scotland and especially in the Uplands in the hope that this will bring valuable tourist-trade to the remoter areas of the Region. Work has already been done by Solway Heritage looking at routes around the Forest of Ae and Drumlanrig, and the British Horse Society is keen to see further networks established and links developed between these networks.
   The Tweeddale Local Paths Network Group has been developing the Paths for All principle and is looking for Heritage Lottery Funding to realise their ambitious and far-sighted plans.

Student Placement

The Shell Technology Enterprise Initiative is a scheme which encourages undergraduates to take on 8 week environmental projects during the summer so as to gain experience with a company or non-profit organisation. The SUP agreed to support Carmen Mayo, a Spanish student studying at the Scottish Agricultural College in Edinburgh, doing a project suggested by the Borders Forestry Action Group. She has been recording which woodlands around the main Border towns have footpaths and researching attitudes to access. This work has produced a useful database which will be of value to a range of partners including the Forestry Action Group, Tourist Board and the Forestry Commission. Carmen was runner-up in the Borders heat of the STEP competition.

Education for the Countryside

In partnership with Buccleuch Estates, the first Countryside Education Lecture was given by John Markland, Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, at Bowhill in May. The text of this fascinating talk has been sent to all SUP members and further copies are available from the SUP.

Community Consultation

We are working closely with other Partnerships (such as the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership and SWEAP) on a Community Consultation training initiative which has already attracted Rural Challenge funding. The aim is to develop a methodology which can be used to allow communities to establish their own local "land-use visions". We hope that these will form the basis of a land-use vision for the whole of the Uplands which all concerned can sign-up to.

Photo 8 - Community consultation at Whitsome earlier this year.

• help Southern Uplands communities shape our own sustainable future
• provide a cross-regional forum for Southern Uplands land use issues
• inform an integrated rural land use strategy for the Southern Uplands
• act as a catalyst for land use projects and initiatives within the
• Southern Uplands
• protect and enhance the countryside
• promote integrated farming, forestry, tourism and other sustainable rural businesses in the Southern Uplands
• encourage people to live and work in the Southern Uplands

We are in discussions with the NFUS, the Food Trust for Scotland and others, concerning a possible series of seminars to look at locally produced foods, the niche marketing of these products and links to local tourism initiatives. In England there is currently an initiative called "eating the view" supported by the Environment Agency and it would be good to see something similar happening here.

We are also investigating the idea of a carbon bank which would allow small landowners to benefit from the big carbon producers who wish to compensate for their production by planting trees. Some large forestry companies are already benefiting from these funds and we would like to see the smaller land-owner helped to benefit as well.

Wool Insulation: This project has grown out of the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership's Sustainability Group. It is looking at the feasibility of developing wool as a more "sustainable" insulating material. This is at relatively early stage but may offer an interesting future.

Also in the Borders, efforts are being made to establish a Credit Union. This would establish a fund which could be used to make low-cost loans to those who cannot afford to borrow from the commercial sector. The project is being encouraged by SBC, the Rural partnership and Heriot Watt University but it needs a lot of keen volunteers to make it work. If you would like to get involved, please contact the office for further information.