An extremely rare moss, the round-leaved bryum, which had not been seen in the UK since 1987 outside of a single reservoir, has now been moved to two Scottish Water reservoirs near Stirling.

The move is a collaboration between NatureScot and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) to help the critically endangered species survive. The moss was originally discovered by a botanist at Threipmuir Reservoir, near Balerno, in December 2023.

Since its discovery, RBGE has taken a sample and successfully cultivated the moss from just a handful of clusters into a population of thousands. Horticulturists created a specially designed artificial mud habitat and carefully nurtured the plants to prepare them for translocation. The moss was moved to North Third and Loch Coulter reservoirs, which were found to have the right ecological conditions for it to thrive.

-- Advertisement --

According to NatureScot's Bryophyte, Fungi and Lichen Adviser, Kat O'Brien, the translocation was necessary because the moss is only able to reproduce by cloning itself, which limits its natural spread. She expressed hope that the effort would give the rare moss the "boost it needs to survive," with a five-year monitoring plan now in place.

Both Scottish Water and RBGE have praised the project as a strong example of collaborative partnership to help protect Scotland's biodiversity.

Technical team manager at Scottish Water, Euan Innes, said: "We are really pleased to have been able to work with NatureScot and RBGE to find suitable sites to host this very rare species and hope that the moss is able to thrive in its new homes.

"It represents a big positive for Scottish biodiversity, something which Scottish Water is focused on cultivating across its landholdings and is also a great example of joined up partnership working amongst the organisations involved."