In a significant policy step, Argaty Red Kites in Perthshire has been granted Scotland’s first edge-of-range beaver translocation licence. Argaty, a working farm which is home to the award-winning red kite project, has been awarded a licence by the Scottish Government’s nature agency NatureScot for the release of two families and one pair of beavers, without the need for enclosure fencing. The beavers will be relocated from areas of prime agricultural land in Tayside where lethal control licences have been issued. They will be released on selected ponds at Argaty later this year, supported by the charity Beaver Trust. The…

Following the lifting of most statutory restrictions and with the agreement of bothy owners, the Mountain Bothies Association has announced that the bothies they maintain in Scotland and Wales reopen for responsible use from Monday 9th August. Bothies in England reopened on 19 July following the lifting of restrictions there. MBA Chairman, Simon Birch, said: “Since the start of the Covid 19 pandemic, we have adopted the position that our shelters are closed and we would like to thank all those responsible MBA members and the general public who have complied with that request. “Covid-19 has not gone away and…

A Fife charity worker who runs a walking group to help migrants boost their health, social life and spoken English has been named as the first-ever overall champion of the Scottish Walking Awards. The panel of expert judges were wowed by Magdalena Augustyn-Lygas’ successful coordination of Sole Sisters community health walk project, run by Fife Migrants Forum. Magdalena scooped the Community Walking Champion and Overall Champion titles, following more than 160 entries being submitted to ten categories earlier this spring. Nominations included everything from businesses, councils, land managers and housing associations to the journalists, staff and local volunteers who are…

Efforts to save the Scottish wildcat from extinction have taken a major step forwards after the first cat was introduced to the Saving Wildcats conservation breeding for release centre at the Highland Wildlife Park. The project has also been boosted by a £9000 donation raised by a local fundraiser who rescued a potential hybrid wildcat kitten near Grantown on Spey. Nell, a young female, arrived from Alladale Wilderness Reserve and has settled well into the off-show centre, which provides breeding space, veterinary care, remote monitoring and training to prepare cats for life in the wild.   It is hoped that any…