Plans to protect and restore one of Scotland’s most iconic and beautiful glens, alongside wildlife such as golden eagles, Scottish wildcats and red squirrels, received a double boost last week when charity Trees for Life won funding of almost £80,000 for new forest conservation projects in Glen Affric near Loch Ness. The initiatives will involve the planting of 20,000 trees, opportunities for hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds to gain health benefits and conservation training, and the creation of an eco-friendly wilderness base at a remote mountain bothy. Shona Robison, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Commonwealth Games and Sport, announced…

Landowners are likely to have the right to legally shoot or trap birds taken away if there is evidence of persecution of birds of prey on that land. Currently Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) issues licences allowing landowners or land managers to trap or shoot birds such as crows and pigeons which are deemed harmful to crops. SNH will now ask the Police if there is evidence of wildlife crime taking place on that land and if so, the licence to legally shoot pest species of birds will be withheld. Crucially, the evidence submitted by the Police will be on the…

Visions of a rewilded Scotland – from restored forests to the return of predators such as the lynx and wolf – will be in the spotlight today at a topical lecture featuring acclaimed writer George Monbiot and award-winning conservationist Alan Watson Featherstone of Trees for Life, at the University of Edinburgh’s George Square Lecture Theatre at 6.00 pm. With enthusiasm for rewilding – the large-scale restoration of damaged natural ecosystems – spreading quickly in the UK, the Rewilding the World event will highlight the significant benefits that this could bring to Scotland, together with a discussion on its global and…