Environmental charities have welcomed evidence submitted to the Scottish Parliament outlining concerns about the impact that deer are having on the country's natural heritage. The evidence submitted to the Rural Affairs Climate Change and Environment Committee by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Forest Enterprise, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and former Chairman of the Deer Commission, Professor John Milne – comes ahead of the committee’s consideration of the issue today (Wednesday 19 November). Mike Daniels, head of land and science at the John Muir Trust, gave evidence to the committee last week alongside RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. He…

Ramblers Scotland has called for Scotland's third national park to be established on the Isle of Harris. In a briefing to MSPs before the debate on National Parks in Scotland planned for 13 November, the Ramblers have urged the Scottish Parliament to press the case for a third national park to be established as soon as possible. Ramblers Scotland Director, Dave Morris, said: “The SNP Government has been too slow in developing Scotland’s National Park system. Apart from extending the southern boundary of the Cairngorms National Park down to Blair Atholl they have done virtually nothing since then to promote…

Members of the Scottish Parliament are being sent a leaflet from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) reminding them of the huge benefits of Scotland's mountains. The leaflet challenges them to balance the need for green power with the need to safeguard a hugely valuable but finite and vulnerable resource. “To some the term ‘wild land’ just translates as emptiness – something without any value,” says MCofS Director of Landscape and Access Dave Gordon. “Scotland’s mountains are very far from being without value: they are among our greatest assets. But our uplands are also incredibly vulnerable. “Our mountains and wild…

New scientific research is giving hope to the future of endangered red squirrels after one animal survived the normally fatal squirrel pox. Scientists working at the University of Liverpool discovered that an adult native red squirrel that contracted the parapox virus was able to fight off the disease and survive. Research is ongoing to see if this holds the key to reds being able to gain immunity to the disease which has decimated red squirrel populations in southern Scotland and northern England. Rachel Miller, Red Squirrel field officer at the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire and North Merseyside, told the Liverpool…

The golden eagle has overwhelmingly topped the vote in a campaign to find the country’s favourite wild animal. The impressive bird of prey was competing against the red deer, red squirrel, harbour seal and otter. Thousands of votes were recorded online following the campaign launch in spring this year and voting closed yesterday . With almost 40 per cent of the vote, the eagle was well ahead of its counterparts. The next closest was the red squirrel with 20 percent, then the red deer and the otter, with the harbour seal in last place. The campaign was run jointly by…

Conservation charity, Trees for Life, received a double boost yesterday (30 October) when the conservation charity was announced as a finalist for the People's Millions televised vote to win up to £50,000 of Lottery funding, and its founder won the Outstanding Contribution to Nature category at the RSPB's Nature of Scotland Awards 2013. The Awards also recognised the innovative work of The Cairngorms Wildcat Project which has raised the plight of the ‘Highland Tiger’ in public consciousness and come up with a workable plan to conserve the species. The People’s Millions is a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and ITV,…

Drumochter and Ben Alder Estates have submitted planning applications to retain several miles of the temporary access tracks built for the construction of the Beauly – Denny powerline. Drumochter wish to retain 4.5km of track east of the A9, whilst Ben Alder wish to retain a shorter 600m of track to the west of the A9. The original permission granted for the Beauly-Denny powerline required that all temporary tracks must be reinstated once construction was completed. However, the documents submitted by the agents for Drumochter Estate state that “since the track was constructed, it has become apparent that it offers…