Return of the lynx discussed in parliament

REINTRODUCING lynx to Scotland is being discussed at the Scottish Parliament today. Ariane Burgess, a Green MSP for the Highlands and islands, has sponsored a reception that was organised by conservation charities Scotland: The Big Picture, Trees for Life, and The Lifescape Project. Today’s reception follows a debate last Thursday, during which a motion by…

Read More

Loch Ness hosts world’s first rewilding centre

DUNDREGGAN, the world’s first rewilding centre, opens tomorrow at Glenmoriston near Loch Ness. The site will act as a visitors’ centre for the 10,000-acre Dundreggan estate, where conservation charity Trees for Life is restoring the Caledonian forest to help wildlife. The centre includes a café, a space for events, and 40 bedrooms. Steve Micklewright, Trees…

Read More

Scots want ‘wilder’ national parks

A MAJORITY of Scots want our national parks to be “wilder”, according to a survey by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance. An opinion poll conducted by market research agency Survation found that 74% of Scots agreed with a call to make national parks wilder, while 6% were opposed to the idea. In February, NatureScot – the…

Read More

Beavers could return to Glen Affric

BEAVERS could soon return to Glen Affric in the Highlands as early as this autumn. Conservation charity Trees for Life is applying to NatureScot – the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage – for a licence to reintroduce the creatures to the glen. The application is supported by four landowners and Forestry…

Read More

Scotland’s ‘ice age’ pinewoods on knife-edge

THE remnants of the Caledonian pinewoods could be wiped out within a generation, according to a study unveiled today. Four years of analysis by conservation charity Trees for Life – the first major research into Caley pines for more than 60 years – found that “high deer numbers, spread of non-native conifers, lack of long-term…

Read More

Beavers bid by Glen Affric

LANDOWNERS in Glen Affric hope to reintroduce beavers to the Highlands. Four estates and government agency Forestry & Land Scotland have launched a joint consultation on the plans, coordinated by conservation charity Trees for Life. Beavers are already found at the Aigas field centre near Beauly and at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kincraig. Reintroducing…

Read More

What’s up with whisky: June’s review

Mark Littler returns with his monthly look at the world of whisky auctions. WELCOME back. It’s been a month of highs, with plenty to talk about in the world of whisky investing. Last month we signed off with speculation about The Macallan jubilee bottling and, against all expectations, it is now pretty fair to assume…

Read More

Broad support for discussions on lynx in Scotland

There is sufficient appetite from a diverse cross-sector of rural stakeholders to examine whether potential barriers to a trial reintroduction of Eurasian lynx to Scotland can be overcome. That’s according to the first detailed study into the social feasibility of the species’ return. The research, commissioned by the Lynx to Scotland project, spent a year…

Read More

Planting 1000 new trees after climate change event

Four of Scotland’s much-loved hotels have come together to plant over 1000 trees this Christmas in partnership with Trees for Life – a rewilding charity which plants trees across the Highlands. In the spirit of COP26 the voco Grand Central and Kimpton Blythswood Square in Glasgow and Kimpton Charlotte Square and InterContinental Edinburgh The George…

Read More

Family farm saves death-sentence beavers

A family of beavers has been saved from a death sentence and relocated to a Perthshire family farm in the first such move in Scotland’s history. The beavers, including three kits, were moved to the Argaty Red Kite centre near Doune from prime agricultural land in Tayside, where the Scottish Government’s nature agency NatureScot had…

Read More