The John Muir Trust today congratulated the Scottish Government on making the right decision to refuse consent for wind farm developments at Glencassley and Sallachy in the far north of Scotland, thereby upholding the principles of the Wild Land Areas map. Stuart Brooks, Chief Executive at the John Muir Trust, said: “This is tremendous news for everyone who has worked to highlight that these developments were proposed in the wrong place. “We are particularly delighted that the Scottish Government is following through and using the Wild Land Areas map to provide protection to Scotland’s nationally important wild land areas.” Helen…

Conservation charity Trees for Life has launched an emergency rescue appeal to protect tens of thousands of young trees on West Affric from grazing deer. A new generation of trees, many planted by Trees for Life volunteers, has become established on West Affric over the past 20 years, after Trees for Life and the National Trust for Scotland created a series of 10 fenced areas. These areas keep large grazing animals out and were designed to boost the recovery of native woodland by preventing the pressure of browsing deer. But recent damage to the fences has left many of these…

A new four-part Channel 5 TV series is set to showcase the landscapes and wildlife of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. The first episode of the four week series will be broadcast on Tuesday, November 10 at 8pm. “Loch Lomond: A Year in the Wild” will capture the changing seasons in the magnificent landscapes in the Loch Lomond area. The documentary features some of Scotland’s finest wildlife including golden eagles, black grouse, red deer, ospreys and mountain hares. The first episode “Spring – the season of new life”, offers a rare glimpse into the lives of secretive…

Rewilding Britain has announced that David Balharry will join as Scotland Director on 2 November 2015. The environmental charity launched in July 2015 and campaigns to restore nature and reintroduce missing species. David joins from the Scottish Government, where he is currently a branch head in the agriculture and rural development division working on rural policy issues. David grew up in rural Scotland and his career includes two years in the private sector promoting sustainable management on sporting estates and over 20 years in the public sector. He has held roles in research, administration, policy development and regulation with Scottish…