Nature

Loch Lomond & Trossachs camping ban consultation now open

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Helen Webster

The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park is seeking views on proposals to make wild camping illegal between March and October on most lochshores in the Park. The new byelaws will extend the current seasonal ban from East Loch Lomondside to include most of the lochs in the Trossachs, the majority of the the west side of Loch Lomond, the area around Balloch, as well as the north-east area of Loch Long. As well as an online consultation which will run until 12 January 2015, the Park will be holding a number of public drop in sessions in November…

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New tool to fight wildlife crime

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Helen Webster

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…

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Rewilding Scotland and return of lynx and wolf in spotlight in Edinburgh

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Helen Webster

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…

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Loch Lomond camping ban likely to be extended

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Helen Webster

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park plans to widely extend the current seasonal wild camping ban for East Loch Lomondside to much more of the National Park. The areas to be covered include most of the lochs in the Trossachs, the majority of the the west side of Loch Lomond as well as the north-east area of Loch Long. These proposals will be put the the National Park’s Board at a meeting next Monday (6 October) before a public consultation. However it is clear from the report that the Park Authority is very keen to get these new legally-enforceable…

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Bulldozed hill tracks – photos wanted

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Helen Webster

People following the contentious issue of bulldozed hill tracks may be aware that the Scottish Government has signalled its intention to change the law. The current situation is that planning consent is required for new tracks, or alterations to existing ones, unless they are for forestry of agricultural purposes in which case planning consent is not required. This has created a ‘grey area’ which has allowed some landowners to bulldoze often badly constructed tracks claiming that they are for forestry or agriculture when they are for sporting purposes, for example an estate which uses its tracks primarily to get access…

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Rannoch wind farm could damage Scotland’s global reputation says JMT

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Helen Webster

Leading conservation charity the John Muir Trust warned today (Tuesday 30th September) that the proposed Talladh-a-Bheithe windfarm in Rannoch, being discussed this afternoon in the Scottish Parliament, could have a disastrous impact on Scotland’s reputation for spectacular landscapes. If approved the wind farm will adversely affect views from 5% of Scotland’s 282 Munros, including Buachaille Etive Mor and Schiehallion, which the John Muir Trust has looked after since 1989. Celebrated in books such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped and films such as The 39 Steps and Trainspotting, Rannoch Moor is one of the largest remaining wild areas in Scotland and…

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Rannoch wind farm would kill golden eagles say mountaineers

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Helen Webster

Scotland's mountaineers have expressed concerns about the possible threat to rare wildlife from the proposed Talladh a Bheithe Wind Farm. Hundreds of residents, businesses and landscape protection organisations are actively opposing the scheme to build 24 wind turbines, each 125 metres tall, together with the wide access tracks, buildings and infrastructure, on moorland between Loch Rannoch and Loch Ericht. The impact on wildlife is a key concern for some including George Macdonald, who recently retired after 23 years as head gamekeeper on a local estate. His views are backed up by Scottish Natural Heritage whose own objection suggests that the…

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Glen Affric competing for cash award

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Helen Webster

Hopes of protecting and restoring a magnificent Highland glen and its rare wildlife, including golden eagles, red squirrels and Scottish wildcats, have received a major boost after conservation charity Trees for Life was named as finalist for a major European funding project, with the winner to be chosen after an online public vote. The charity’s Glen Affric Landscape Project is in the running to secure almost £20,000 in the European Outdoor Conservation Association’s ‘Outdoor’ funding scheme, with online voting taking place over two weeks until Monday 6 October at this website. The Trees for Life project will also create opportunities…

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Public to be consulted on future of Glenmore

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Helen Webster

Members of the public are being invited to come along to a drop in session on Thursday 25 September to find out about and give their views on the long term management of publicly owned land in Glenmore and Upper Rothiemurchus forests near Aviemore. This area includes land managed by Cairngorm Mountain and is the starting point for many walks both up onto the Cairngorm plateau and in Rothiemurchus forest itself. Earlier this year Forestry Commission Scotland purchased Upper Rothiemurchus Forest from the Grants of Rothiemurchus Esate for £7.4 million. The event will be held at Glenmore Visitor Centre and…

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Local councillor fears “monstrous” new power line over Monadhliath

Posted on September 13, 2014 by Paul Webster

A local councillor in Badenoch and Strathspey has expressed concern at the prospect of another new line of pylons over the Monadhliath. Cllr Gregor Rimmel told the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald newspaper that “I know it’s still early but alarm bells are already ringing over the prospect of a line of pylons from Creag Meagaidh – pylons the same size as the old Drumochter towers – further desecrating the previously unspoilt area towards Laggan. It’s not just the line, it’s the sub-station which it involves and that could be a 10-acre metal kit-and-kaboodle plant bang in the middle of our…

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