Nine of Scotland's leading environmental charities are calling on the Scottish Government to put an end to the unregulated system for hill track construction which allows landowners to build tracks without any public oversight. Instead, they want hill track construction brought within the planning system. Working under the umbrella of Scottish Environment LINK, the organisations today published ‘Track Changes’. This report shows evidence of the huge damage caused to landscapes, wildlife and habitats across Scotland by some of these tracks, carved across the landscape for motor vehicles. The aim is to persuade the Scottish Government to remove ‘permitted development rights’…

Trees for Life is urging people to help it win £50,000 of Lottery funding in a televised public vote on Thursday 28 November, to help restore Scotland's ancient Caledonian Forest and protect its rare wildlife from extinction, while benefiting hundreds of disadvantaged people. The conservation charity is a finalist in the People's Millions, a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV, in which the public decide which local community projects will receive Lottery funding, for its plan to establish a pioneering volunteer training programme at its Dundreggan Conservation Estate near Loch Ness. “We are asking people to vote for…

Environmental charities have welcomed evidence submitted to the Scottish Parliament outlining concerns about the impact that deer are having on the country's natural heritage. The evidence submitted to the Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environment Committee by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Forest Enterprise, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and former Chairman of the Deer Commission, Professor John Milne – comes ahead of the committee’s consideration of the issue today (Wednesday 19 November). Mike Daniels, head of land and science at the John Muir Trust, gave evidence to the committee last week alongside RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. He…