Balmoral Estate among wildlife award winners

THE Queen’s Balmoral Estate is among seven recipients of Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES) accreditation.

The international award recognises the estates’ and farms’ ongoing work in wildlife management and conservation.

Together, the seven estates cover nearly 170,000 acres.

WES accreditation needs to be renewed every five years.

Glenlyon Estate in Perthshire received its maiden accredition during the Scottish Game Fair last weekend.

Six estates were reaccredited:

  • Balmoral Estate on Deeside;
  • Candacraig Estate in West Aberdeenshire;
  • Dougarie Estate on the Isle of Arran;
  • Glendoe Estate near Fort Augustus;
  • Sorn Estate in East Ayrshire;
  • and Tulchan Estate in Moray.

The award marked a busy weekend for Balmoral Estate, which also won a hill pony competition at the Scottish Game Fair.

Chair Dee Ward said: “WES accreditation is a meticulous process that asks those in charge of managing land to strive for the highest standards of wildlife and conservation management.

“These farms and estates are undertaking exceptionally important work, benefiting our environment and biodiversity.

“It is pleasing that this work, often undertaken at significant cost to businesses, can be publicly acknowledged through WES.”

She added: “The accredited properties are diverse, both in location and the sectors they are involved in.

“However, they have all demonstrated a common approach to best practice and provide a broad range of information, including species data and conservation projects, which helps to provide significant insight on what is working well and where our collective conservation efforts need to be targeted.”

Read more conservation stories on Scottish Field’s wildlife pages.

Plus, don’t miss the July issue of Scottish Field magazine, in which we examine the reintroduction of the lynx.

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