East Ayrshire is a landscape of contrasting land uses. Surface mines sit amongst lowland farmland, blanket bog and upland grouse moors, and at its heart is a 263km2 Special Protection Area (SPA), designated as one of the most important places in Europe for the rare birds that breed there.
The Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands Special Protection Area (SPA) comprises three adjacent upland areas (situated to the north and south of the town of Muirkirk, and the northern Lowther Hills), together with Airds Moss, a low-lying blanket bog situated between the two upland areas of north and south Muirkirk. The predominant habitats include semi-natural areas of blanket bog, acid grassland and heath.
The boundaries of the SPA are roughly coincident with those of North Lowther Uplands SSSI, Blood Moss and Slot Burn SSSI, Garpel Water SSSI, Ree Burn and Glenbuck Loch SSSI and coincident with those of Muirkirk Uplands SSSI.
The qualifying interest of the SPA includes regularly supported breeding populations of European important (Annex I) species; hen harrier Circus cyaneus, short-eared owl Asio flammeus, merlin Falco columbarius, peregrine Falco peregrinus, and golden plover Pluvialis apricaria. The hen harrier population on this site is one of the largest in Britain. The short-eared owl is widely dispersed across its British distribution and the population in Muirkirk and North Lowther Uplands is one of the largest in Britain. The SPA also regularly supports a wintering population of hen harrier.
The CEI’s focus is the East Ayrshire coalfield, principally the areas around Cumnock, New Cumnock, Muirkirk, Drongan and Dalmellington.
These communities have been affected by the decline of the deep mining industry, resulting in environmental dereliction, unemployment, and depopulation. They now have high concentrations of surface mining around their towns and villages and many are striving to improve facilities, job opportunities and their local environments.
