Many walkers regard Suilven as being the most dramatic mountain in Scotland. Now the mountain – owned by the Assynt community – is in the race to win £18,000 in Euro-wide online poll. The
Nature
Mountaineers demand hydro scheme scars are healed
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has written to Heads of Planning in ten local authorities and the national parks urging them to act to ensure the negative impact of hydro scheme scars on upland areas is reduced. The organisation, which represents Scotland’s mountaineers, has expressed concern at the significant impact on upland landscapes due to the extent and pace of development of hydro schemes, which is largely driven by the potentially only temporary availability of financial incentives. In its letter, the MCofS recognises that any civil engineering project in a rural landscape will give rise to possibly significant short-term…
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Two more red kites illegally killed in Highlands
Two more red kites have been confirmed by Scottish Government testing to have been illegally killed in north Scotland. Both of these incidents took place in 2014 and are now being made public as the Police have concluded their enquiries. The first victim was found last June near Beauly, and was subsequently confirmed by post-mortem, at the SAC Veterinary laboratory in Inverness, to have been shot. The second red kite was found in September 2014, some 5 kilometres south-east of Cawdor village in Nairnshire. It was confirmed by Scottish Government testing to have been illegally poisoned with a banned pesticide.…
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Adapting to change
It’s hard to countenance, coming down from a wander in the hills, that things haven’t always been like this, that the great outdoors is not just a source of peace and quiet for humans, but also contested ground for plants and animals – the site of competing interests and debate. The hills are so unchanging. Aren’t they? But as I return to my fossil fuelled technology, my newsfeeds tell a different story. Our environment is changing, fast, and not for the better. Is the threat to wildlife and habitats accelerating; are we responsible for a sixth ‘mass extinction event’? A…
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Chris Packham to kick off Spirit of John Muir events
Naturalist, photographer and television presenter Chris Packham is the inaugral speaker for a series of events called the Spirit of John Muir which will kick off with a talk in London on 9 September. The events invite speakers to bring to life the legacy of John Muir – the naturalist, writer, adventurer, explorer and campaigner. Chris Packham will talk about his passion for nature and his vision of how the natural world should best be protected and managed including his views on ‘rewilding’: an approach to restoring ecosystems for people and nature. The evening talk will be held at the…
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Wild land protected as Allt Duine windfarm refused
One of Scotland’s most controversial proposed wind farms – on officially designated ‘wild land’ in the Monadhliath – has been rejected by Scottish Government ministers following a public enquiry and lengthy delays. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The Scottish Government’s policy on wind farms strikes a careful balance between maximising Scotland’s huge green energy potential and protecting some of our most scenic landscape and wild areas. We have been clear that wind farms can only be built in the right places and Scottish Planning Policy sets out rigorous steps to ensure wind farms are sited appropriately and sensitively. “I…
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Quinag footpath work starts
Local footpath repair company Mountains Made Accessible has begun work this week on a programme of repairs to the footpath that leads from the main saddle (the Bealach a’ Chornaidh) to the highest summit of Quinag. The mountain, which includes three Corbetts (over 2500 feet high), dramatic ridges and spectacular views, is one of the most popular in the north of Scotland, bringing vital cash into the Lochinver area However steady footfall combined with the mountain’s exposure to relentless Atlantic weather systems has begun to take its toll on the footpath. The work will be supervised by another Lochinver man,…
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Chris Packham joins Rewilding Britain campaign
Chris Packham, the wildlife writer and TV presenter, has thrown his weight behind Rewilding Britain, a new independent charity that aims to restore nature and reintroduce missing species such as wild boar, bison, lynx, pelicans and eventually wolves and sperm whales. On a straight-talking blog published on the charity’s website he describes the current state-of-play as: “a noxious blend of ignorance, ludicrous antipathy and insidious vested interests”. Mr Packham, a zoology graduate, states the case for rewilding: “How much more of our natural heritage needs to be destroyed before we accept that in plain terms that conservation as we currently…
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Posted in Nature
Rewilding Britain charity aims to reintroduce missing species
A new organisation, the first of its kind in Britain, was launched yesterday (Tuesday 14 July) and aims to reintroduce wolves, lynx, pelicans and other species. Rewilding Britain is looking to bring back these missing species as well as encouraging native forests and helping parts of the sea recover from industrial fishing. It will seek to restore species that used to live here but have since become extinct or very rare. These include beavers, wild boar, bison, cranes, pelicans, sturgeon, bluefin tuna, lynx and eventually wolves, grey whales, humpbacks and sperm whales. Rewilding Britain hopes to establish at least three…
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Trust hails rejection of Flow Country wind farm due to wild land impact
The John Muir Trust today welcomed the decision by Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing to reject an application for a major wind farm adjacent to the East Halladale Flows Wild Land Area in Caithness. The development would have led to the erection of 24 turbines up to 456 feet high, as well as foundations roads, tracks, transmission lines and other infrastructure in an area renowned for its unique landscape and ecosystem. But following a Public Local Inquiry, the scheme has been rejected because of its potential impact on the Wild Land Areas map, which was developed by Scottish Natural Heritage…
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