{"id":{"repo_id":"uhi-uk","oai_identifier":"oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uhi-uk/oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480","repository":{"repo_id":"uhi-uk","name":"University of the Highlands and Islands","base_url":"https://pureadmin.uhi.ac.uk/ws/oai"},"display":{"title":"From landscape to freshwater invertebrates: understanding the effects of peatland restoration on Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) habitat in the Flow Country","abstract":"Peatlands are critical ecosystems that contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity, and water quality regulation. However, they have been severely impacted by various anthropogenic activities, including burning, drainage, over-grazing, and afforestation with non-native conifer plantations. These disturbances have led to well-documented negative effects on ecosystem services, particularly in terms of carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality. Restoration efforts have been initiated across many degraded peatlands to reverse these negative trends. Despite these initiatives, there is limited research on the effects of peatland restoration on freshwater ecology, particularly regarding Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) populations that inhabit many peatland-dominated upland river catchments. This study examines the effects of two common peatland restoration techniques, drain blocking and forest-to-bog, within the Flow Country blanket bog. We focused on how these restoration activities impact both stream and river water quality, and the potential consequences these changes could have for aquatic ecosystems, especially freshwater macroinvertebrates and salmon populations. We found that both restoration methods led to statistically significant declines in water quality within streams. However, these declines did not result in ecologically significant impacts for freshwater macroinvertebrates or salmon. Additionally, the water quality declines observed in smaller streams were effectively diluted when joining larger rivers, which continued to meet high water quality standards throughout our study. Our findings suggest that, while short-term water quality declines can occur following peatland restoration, the overall impact on freshwater ecosystems, including key species such as salmon, should not be detrimental when good restoration practices are implemented. We also found evidence that peatland catchments with anthropogenic modifications have salmon populations that are more sensitive to extreme weather events, such as droughts and heat waves. This highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring, adaptive management, and continuing landscape scale restoration efforts to ensure the long-term resilience of peatland ecosystems under climate change.","abstract_html":"Peatlands are critical ecosystems that contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity, and water quality regulation. However, they have been severely impacted by various anthropogenic activities, including burning, drainage, over-grazing, and afforestation with non-native conifer plantations. These disturbances have led to well-documented negative effects on ecosystem services, particularly in terms of carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality. Restoration efforts have been initiated across many degraded peatlands to reverse these negative trends. Despite these initiatives, there is limited research on the effects of peatland restoration on freshwater ecology, particularly regarding Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) populations that inhabit many peatland-dominated upland river catchments. This study examines the effects of two common peatland restoration techniques, drain blocking and forest-to-bog, within the Flow Country blanket bog. We focused on how these restoration activities impact both stream and river water quality, and the potential consequences these changes could have for aquatic ecosystems, especially freshwater macroinvertebrates and salmon populations. We found that both restoration methods led to statistically significant declines in water quality within streams. However, these declines did not result in ecologically significant impacts for freshwater macroinvertebrates or salmon. Additionally, the water quality declines observed in smaller streams were effectively diluted when joining larger rivers, which continued to meet high water quality standards throughout our study. Our findings suggest that, while short-term water quality declines can occur following peatland restoration, the overall impact on freshwater ecosystems, including key species such as salmon, should not be detrimental when good restoration practices are implemented. We also found evidence that peatland catchments with anthropogenic modifications have salmon populations that are more sensitive to extreme weather events, such as droughts and heat waves. This highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring, adaptive management, and continuing landscape scale restoration efforts to ensure the long-term resilience of peatland ecosystems under climate change.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Godwin, Liam John"],"institution":"University of the Highlands and Islands","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (awarded by UHI)","degree_level":"Doctoral Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Andersen, Roxane"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-11-14","date_published":"2025-11-14","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:12:10Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480"],"render_values":[{"text":"oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Andersen, Roxane"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.sponsor","label":"Sponsor","values":["Super DTP"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Godwin, Liam John"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-11-14"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-11-14"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Environmental Research Institute"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of the Highlands and Islands"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (awarded by UHI)"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480","https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/files/65408945/GODWIN_L_PhD.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Peatlands are critical ecosystems that contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity, and water quality regulation. However, they have been severely impacted by various anthropogenic activities, including burning, drainage, over-grazing, and afforestation with non-native conifer plantations. These disturbances have led to well-documented negative effects on ecosystem services, particularly in terms of carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality. Restoration efforts have been initiated across many degraded peatlands to reverse these negative trends. Despite these initiatives, there is limited research on the effects of peatland restoration on freshwater ecology, particularly regarding Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) populations that inhabit many peatland-dominated upland river catchments. This study examines the effects of two common peatland restoration techniques, drain blocking and forest-to-bog, within the Flow Country blanket bog. We focused on how these restoration activities impact both stream and river water quality, and the potential consequences these changes could have for aquatic ecosystems, especially freshwater macroinvertebrates and salmon populations. We found that both restoration methods led to statistically significant declines in water quality within streams. However, these declines did not result in ecologically significant impacts for freshwater macroinvertebrates or salmon. Additionally, the water quality declines observed in smaller streams were effectively diluted when joining larger rivers, which continued to meet high water quality standards throughout our study. Our findings suggest that, while short-term water quality declines can occur following peatland restoration, the overall impact on freshwater ecosystems, including key species such as salmon, should not be detrimental when good restoration practices are implemented. We also found evidence that peatland catchments with anthropogenic modifications have salmon populations that are more sensitive to extreme weather events, such as droughts and heat waves. This highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring, adaptive management, and continuing landscape scale restoration efforts to ensure the long-term resilience of peatland ecosystems under climate change."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["From landscape to freshwater invertebrates: understanding the effects of peatland restoration on Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) habitat in the Flow Country"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Andersen, Roxane"],"dc:contributor.sponsor":["Super DTP"],"dc:creator":["Godwin, Liam John"],"dc:date":["2025-11-14"],"dc:date.issued":["2025-11-14"],"dc:description.abstract":["Peatlands are critical ecosystems that contribute to carbon storage, biodiversity, and water quality regulation. However, they have been severely impacted by various anthropogenic activities, including burning, drainage, over-grazing, and afforestation with non-native conifer plantations. These disturbances have led to well-documented negative effects on ecosystem services, particularly in terms of carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and water quality. Restoration efforts have been initiated across many degraded peatlands to reverse these negative trends. Despite these initiatives, there is limited research on the effects of peatland restoration on freshwater ecology, particularly regarding Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) populations that inhabit many peatland-dominated upland river catchments. This study examines the effects of two common peatland restoration techniques, drain blocking and forest-to-bog, within the Flow Country blanket bog. We focused on how these restoration activities impact both stream and river water quality, and the potential consequences these changes could have for aquatic ecosystems, especially freshwater macroinvertebrates and salmon populations. We found that both restoration methods led to statistically significant declines in water quality within streams. However, these declines did not result in ecologically significant impacts for freshwater macroinvertebrates or salmon. Additionally, the water quality declines observed in smaller streams were effectively diluted when joining larger rivers, which continued to meet high water quality standards throughout our study. Our findings suggest that, while short-term water quality declines can occur following peatland restoration, the overall impact on freshwater ecosystems, including key species such as salmon, should not be detrimental when good restoration practices are implemented. We also found evidence that peatland catchments with anthropogenic modifications have salmon populations that are more sensitive to extreme weather events, such as droughts and heat waves. This highlights the importance of ongoing monitoring, adaptive management, and continuing landscape scale restoration efforts to ensure the long-term resilience of peatland ecosystems under climate change."],"dc:identifier":["oai:pure.atira.dk:studenttheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480","https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/files/65408945/GODWIN_L_PhD.pdf"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher.department":["Environmental Research Institute"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of the Highlands and Islands"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/911d628f-4020-4ac7-878a-87cc11002480"],"dc:title":["From landscape to freshwater invertebrates: understanding the effects of peatland restoration on Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) habitat in the Flow Country"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Doctor of Philosophy (awarded by UHI)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:12:10Z"}