Responses of peatland waders to large‐scale, non‐native forestry removal: measuring changes in edge effects after 20 years

Introduction Restoration of afforested peatlands aims to recover biodiversity, but evidence for long‐term bird responses remains limited. In Scotland's Flow Country, conifer plantations established during the 1970s and 1980s displaced breeding waders and created edge effects on adjacent bog. Forest‐to‐bog restoration began in the 1990s and expanded during the 2000s. Objectives To assess whether relationships between breeding wader occupancy and historical forest edges differ between standing plantations and areas where forest has been removed for restoration. Methods We surveyed 171 km 2 of open peatland during 2022–2024, approximately two decades after an earlier survey. We recorded 1951 species‐by‐square occurrences of Dunlin ( Calidris alpina ), Golden plover ( Pluvialis apricaria ), and Greenshank ( Tringa nebularia ). Presence–absence models assessed associations with forest proximity, environmental characteristics, and historical forest edge status. Results Golden plover showed a weaker occupancy relationship with distance from restoration edges than standing‐forest edges. Dunlin showed a similar pattern, although evidence for differing distance relationships was weaker. Forest proximity remained associated with occupancy for both species. Greenshank showed limited evidence of a strong overall forest edge effect. Conclusions Contemporary occupancy patterns are consistent with reduced historical forest edge effects following plantation removal, particularly for Golden plover. However, these observational comparisons cannot establish causal effects or directly quantify temporal occupancy change.