27/08/25 Water scarcity, Scottish harvest, grazing for butterflies

Three river catchments in the East of Scotland are now in a state of significant scarcity - that’s the most extreme level of water shortage issued by SEPA, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. It says the river Deveron in Aberdeenshire is at its lowest level since the 1970s and that unless there’s significant rainfall, other rivers including the Lower Tweed and the Don could also fall into that highest drought-alert category.

Farmers in Scotland have been harvesting cereals earlier than usual, and agronomists are warning that shifting weather patterns mean growers will need to change their farming practices to help deal with the impacts of climate change.

Butterflies are an important pollinator across farmland, orchards and gardens. However, their numbers have fallen dramatically over the last fifty years. According to the charity, Butterfly Conservation, they’ve dropped by 80% since 1970, due to habitat loss and changes in land management. We take a look at a project in South Wales where grazing cattle are helping to manage bracken and encourage rare High Brown Fritillary butterflies.

Presenter: Caz Graham
Producer: Rebecca Rooney