Conservation bodies are calling on outdoor enthusiasts to help them assess the damage caused to Scotland’s iconic mountains by controversial vehicle tracks. The Scottish Environment LINK Hilltracks group wants hill-goers to photograph or video any instances of upland tracks that are harming the landscape or environment. Anyone who comes across what they think might be a new or expanded track should email hilltracks@scotlink.org or tweet using hashtags #Hilltracks or #NoMotorsUpMountains. This evidence will help the group – which includes many of Scotland’s biggest outdoor and conservation organisations – compile a new report in spring 2018 into whether current legislation is…

One of the UK’s leading conservation bodies has today launched a new national campaign for greater protection of Scotland’s Wild Land Areas, amid concern that a significant legal case will threaten the future of Scotland’s unique landscapes. A recent YouGov poll found 4 in 5 Scots back greater protection for Wild Land Areas. The John Muir Trust’s “Keep It Wild” campaign calls on the Scottish Government to use the forthcoming Planning Bill to give Wild Land Areas protection from industrial-scale development, similar to the protection already in place for windfarms in National Parks and NSAs. The campaign comes as the…

RSPB Scotland has welcomed the announcement of the setting up of an independent enquiry into gamebird shoot licensing made today by the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham MSP. It follows the publication, this afternoon, of a Scottish Government-commissioned review of satellite-tagged eagles. The review was commissioned after the suspicious disappearance of eight birds in the Monadhliath mountains south-east of Inverness, between 2011 and 2016. The report, carried out by independent scientists and subsequently peer-reviewed, showed that approximately one third of tagged golden eagles fledging from Scottish nests are being illegally killed, with a…

Two scenic and remote beaches north of Ullapool in the North West Highlands have been treated to a makeover by almost 50 volunteers through the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Living Seas project. More than 300 bags of rubbish were gathered and taken out of the beaches at Dun Canna, which lies at the foot of Ben More Coigach – enough to fill a 25 cubic metre skip. Most of this rubbish was made up of fishing nets and ropes, plastic bottles and caps, as well as old toys and food packaging. Living Seas Communities Officer Noel Hawkins said: “Marine waste is…

The John Muir Trust is calling on its members, supporters and the wider public to help safeguard the future of a major UNESCO site which brings geologists, students, rock climbers, hillwalkers and other visitors from all over the world to the North West Highlands. The North West Highlands Geopark won its coveted UNESCO status in 2015, a designation estimated to be worth £8.7 million a year to UK economy through its seven UNESCO Global Geoparks. The North West Highlands Geopark brings in tourism revenue and project funding directly into scattered local communities who live in the area. The Geopark has…

In advance of a Holyrood debate on deer management, a coalition of environmental charities is urging the Scottish Government to move forward towards a modernised system that will help deliver national targets on biodiversity, climate change and woodland expansion. The Scottish Parliament debate – on Tuesday 2 May at 2pm – follows over four years of intense scrutiny of the current arrangements by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the cross-party Holyrood committees responsible for the environment – the Environment Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLR) – and its predecessor committee.   The most recent report, published on April 7…