Introduction

The Braid Hills is a large semi-natural green space in the south of Edinburgh around 3.5 miles from the centre of the city. The hills rise to a height of 675 feet and offer the best views of the city with spectacular panoramic views across Edinburgh and beyond. They are partially covered with whin and patches of bramble.

The Hills are mainly used by walkers and golfers using the 18-hole and 9-hole courses. It is also the only park in the city where horse riding is permitted. There is a network of paths, trails and bridal paths, but some of these have deteriorated with use or have become inaccessible due to the spread of gorse.

In 1995, a stone cairn was erected on the highest point of the hills with a circular viewfinder. This maps the distance of a number of landmarks that can be seen in all directions from the top of the hills. It was designed and funded by local residents, George Russell and John Bartholomew. The original viewfinder was damaged and the Friends have recently organised its replacement

Object of the Management Plan

Our three priorities for 2015 are:

• Planting of wildflowers
• Improving paths
• Gorse management

There are two main objectives:

Access & Usage

Encourage increased use of the hill by improving signage, physical access and by arranging regular events. Surveys will be conducted to determine what interests local people about the hill and what changes they would like to see.

Biodiversity

Enhance the existing wildness by sympathic management of the flora and fauna of the hill.

Plan Life

The plan will be in place for 5 years starting Jan 2014. It will be periodically reviewed during this period and adjusted as required. At the end of this 5 years progress will be reviewed and a new plan established after consultation will all interested parties. Actions based on the plan will be updated on a yearly basis.

Access & Usage

Historically the Braid Hills has been the preserve of dog walkers and golfers. One of the primary objectives of the group is to increase usage of the hill particularly by the local residents. The hope is that this will lead to a virtuous cycle where as more people become involved more can be done to encourage even greater involvement.

Signage + Information

Whilst signage has improved over recent years the group recognises that more can be done. In particular:

• Post maps of paths and trails on entrances to the hill as well as via the group’s website. These maps will indicate the relative difficulty of the different paths.
• Provide regular updates on the group’s activities in particular actions on the hill and encourage wider participation.
• Post histories of the hill both human interest and natural.
• Encourage consideration and courtesy towards other hill users to improve safety.

Paths

The “Hill” is steep and covers a large area of rough ground. These factors make it impossible, or at the very least prohibitively expensive, to provide an extensive network of made paths. This being said there are a number of actions that the group will carry out.

• Survey the existing extensive network of informal tracks formed over the years by walkers and target particular areas where most benefit can be achieved.
• Organise the construction of new paths to complement enhancements in biodiversity.
• Investigate providing wheelchair access on lower areas of the hill.
• Monitor and attempt to maintain the accessability of existing paths and tracks.

Events

The group will arrange events aimed at encouraging local residents to enjoy the hill. These events will be tailored to the particular nature of the hill and based on the interests and opinions expressed by local residents. The Friends are also keen to promote educational and cultural events with for example local schools.
Events the group has organised so far:

• unveiling of a new View Indicator (November 2014)
• story-telling (October 2014).

Bio Diversity

The group recognises that the wild nature of the Hill sets it apart from many other green spaces in Edinburgh and that this brings with it particular challenges. In particular it is not the intention of the group to tame the hill rather the intent is to enhance the wild feel where possible. Particular care will be taken with clearance and replacement of existing areas. To provide just two examples:

• Whilst the group feels that there is too much gorse on the hill it is recognised that it has a role to play in providing cover for small animals.
• Replacing nettles with wild flowers may be appropriate but it must be kept in mind that nettles provide a food source for butterflies.

The group will perform a number of actions.

• Maintain the existing bird box sites and extend the number of sites.
• Promote a survey of the hill to establish areas where it may be suitable to place bee hives.
• Promote a survey of the hill with the intent of establishing areas suitable for gorse clearing. To this end, the group will investigate both short and long term solutions to the management of gorse on the hill.
• The group will arrange for planting of wild flowers and trees in strategic areas.
• Promote initiatives to reduce the rubbish levels on the hill by increasing the number of bins and by education.
• This latter is particularily important given the difficulty of access for rubbish collection over much of the hill.
• Promote and support educational initiatives with local schools to generate interest in the biodiversity of the hill.

Actions the group has taken so far:

• putting up bird boxes
• planting of trees and wildflowers.

Other plans relevant to the Braid Hills

The Friends of the Braid Hills recognised that they are part of a wider Edinburgh Friends forum and will aim to establish ties with other groups, in particular the adjoining groups.

City of Edinburgh Council

The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) has a Local Biodiversity Action Plan for 2010-2015. Its core objectives are to:

• protect and enhance priority habitats and species in Edinburgh
• raise awareness of biodiversity to local communities via education, engagement and promotion of access to natural and semi-natural spaces.

The plan recognises the importance of Friends groups across the city and their role in taking forward key aspects of the plan.

The Braid Hills is not highlighted in the plan under funded projects for priority areas. However, some specific actions listed under urban and lowlands habitat, including parks and greenspaces, apply to the area (these are all projects that have not yet secured funding):

Research Gorse control methods: It is anticipated that gorse Ulex europaeus growth rates will increase as a result of climate change and greater amounts of control may be required at sites where sensitive species are found. Research into control methods used in the UK and abroad (e.g. New Zealand) should be carried out and reported on.
Priority plant species seed programme: Develop a propagation programme for local provenance priority plant species (e.g. maiden pink and sticky catchfly) with the aim of producing enough seed for use in awareness raising and planting projects.
Ecology and conservation of Urban Pollinators: Support the Urban Pollinators project (as proposed by the University of Edinburgh alongside several other UK universities) which aims to increase our understanding of pollinator biodiversity and urban ‘hot-spots’. Outputs from this project should provide evidence to justify urban planning recommendations

There are also specific actions under priority species that may apply to area, including various birds, bees and sticky catchfly.

CEC has produced a Biodiversity Guide for parks and greenspaces to help park managers look at the features that make up their parks and make them better for biodiversity. This may be useful for the FOTBH when considering actions for biodiversity and how to implement them.

Braid Hills Association of Golf Clubs
The Braid Hills Association of Golf Clubs (BHAGC) has an Environmental Management Plan for 2013-2018. Its main aim is to ensure that the golf course playing conditions, and wider environmental issues relating to the management of the Braid Hills, are documented, evaluated and understood.

There is clearly overlap between this plan and the FOTBH’s plan and we should seek to work with the BHAGC where possible. The main area of overlap and potential duplication is its objective to maximise the wildlife potential and enhance the landscape of the Braid Hills. Actions include:

• development of grass areas in non-golf-playing areas of the hills
• development of indigenous tree and shrub planting
• planting of living landscapes (CEC improve it Initiative)
• management of wooded areas
• encourage wildlife
• development of natural habitat for wildlife.

Appendix A – Extent of Management Area

The figure below shows a satellite photograph of the Braid Hills. The area within the highlighted boundary indicates the area under the management of the group.

Figure 1 – Area under Management