By Gareth Powell, Species on the Edge People Engagement Officer for Shetland, RSPB Scotland
Urafirth, Shetland. The clouds have found another place to gather and the sun glances off the sea and onto the sand pebbles that form the shore. The Species on the Edge team jump out the car. Wrapped up warm, we follow the path as it leads us across the top of the beach, a narrow stretch of land separating salt water from the brackish lagoon sitting pensively in awe of the sea. A hand points out, we all stop. We crouch and stare at the black remains of this coastline jewel. A gift from the sea, dried out and waiting for the touch of spring. The Oysterplant.
My first interaction with this wonderful plant in Shetland in no way captured it at its best but certainly at one of the most important times in its growth cycle. Best known for its beautiful mixing of blues and purples interspersed amongst its silvery green leaves, Oysterplant is a species on the edge. Once known to grace our strides through sand and shingle across Scotland, these mats of silver have been pushed to the far reaches of the west and North, holding on by their roots to scoured beaches that still offer some refuge. Shetland is one of those places, holding several populations in the North Mainland, Skerries, out to the Northern Isles and further south in Fair Isle. Though even here the population has declined. How? There are multiple theories, from overgrazing to climate change. To understand its decline, we must first understand its ecology.
Let us return to the brown husk, and how it came to be in Urafirth. Oysterplant is a maritime plant, lover of beaches and very rarely rocky cliff edges, lacing its roots through the sand and shingle, through cracks in rock, matting itself into the very fabric of its substrate. It arrives upon the sea, a peerie seed, tear dropped shaped, carried away from the beach of its mother, dancing in currents through storms, to new land. Cast out in this new land, the seed germinated in the cold of winter begins to grow, searching through the sand and stone to grip its new surroundings. One new plant can build a new population and a beach once absent of Oysterplant can become its new hotspot. This transient nature of Oysterplant allows it to colonise beaches far and wide, however it also leaves it at risk. Populations of Oysterplant have been known to fluctuate with patches disappearing seemingly overnight and appearing elsewhere, but the losses are no longer being replaced.
The populations that remain are fragile. A tasty plant, used throughout history to delight many culinary experiments, the Oysterplant is an inviting target for beach combing herbivores, rabbits, and, in places, sheep. Even without the munching of a passing animal these plants are still disappearing. The very sea that it relies on to spread around our coasts now pull it from our beaches. As storms grow in intensity and frequency in our rapidly warming climate, our beaches are exposed to a ferocity of destruction that leaves Oysterplants hanging on in more sheltered locations. With no clear sign of this warming abating, will these sheltered locations really be enough? What can we do?
Fast forward eight months. We were back at Urafirth, the sun again accompanies us but also offers its warmth. In our arms are 140 Oysterplants grown from seed by Shetland Amenity Trust. In a joint project, Species on the Edge and Shetland Amenity Trust have been collecting seed from Oysterplants across Shetland, growing them in a nursery to be placed back out in sites across the islands. Urafirth, as one of our historic sites and free of grazing and sheltered from the worst of the storms, is the first. Awaiting keenly on the shore were six volunteers. They had all come out on a Sunday to help these jewels of the coast. Splitting into two groups we divided the plants and trailed the strandline of the beach. Every 20m the stones were parted, the shingle dug, and replaced with the plug of plantlets accompanied by seaweed from the beach they would now call home. At each stop 20 plants were planted, a new colony, companions against the struggle for survival that was to come. After planting we gathered for biscuits and cakes, chatting, laughing. In thanks one Oysterplant was given to each volunteer, a connection to the population at Urafirth.
The connection between people and these flowers runs deep with many an eye glistening when talking about sightings of it on the beaches when they were young. That connection drives the survival of this plant in Shetland. Communities helping to restore and protect these plants in the future – that is Species on the Edge’s aim. Be it through planting or protection from grazing, or through sharing those memories of silver coated beaches, the life of this plant coexists with that of the communities that enjoy it. The volunteers that joined us at Urafirth were from many walks of life; the youngest, a keen amateur botanist, marvelled by the plants he grew up around, eager to donate his time to helping restore one of Shetland’s most precious plants. Another, an enthusiastic new arrival, passionate to involve themselves in community and place. All had different stories but were brought together by community and purpose: to protect the Oysterpant.
A month on, that Oysterplant population has not been left alone. One volunteer continues to watch it, scouting the beach every week to check on the population, recording changes in health and impacts from the recent storms. This beach lies 200m from his house, where we first met him with a bag in his hand, kneeling down to pull another piece of plastic from amongst the seaweed. Caring for this beach is not a part-time endeavour for him. Recently a storm hit Urafirth, burying a majority of the plants in shingle and seaweed. 39 were left. Before the upheaval of the beach, the pictures and data supplied by the volunteer gave us hope that these plants had grown enough to shore them up for the winter. The leaves will wither as the cold seeps in, changing from silver to brown. Underneath the ground however, life persists. The roots now grasp tightly to their new home, waiting for the warmth to return. When the winter ends, a small leaf will emerge and a new season begins. All we can now do is wait. Until then, with the help of the community, Species on the Edge will sow more seeds, plan methods of protection and identify new sites to boost the population of Oysterplant in Shetland, so future generations can enjoy the gift of the sea.
