There are fears that capercaillie populations in the southernmost part of their range are no longer viable despite intensive efforts to save them. A cluster of small populations of capercaillie in the Trossachs and Argyll have steadily declined over recent decades. The last of these populations, centred on some of the Loch Lomond islands, has now dwindled to the point where there are only a few birds left. The nearest strong population is now in the Cairngorms National Park, well beyond the distance that capercaillie will travel to search for territory or a mate. This leaves any remaining birds on…

Four conservation charities, Buglife, the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, the Badenoch & Strathspey Conservation Group and the Cairngorms Campaign, have lost their legal appeal against plans for large new housing developments in the Cairngorms National Park. The charities were objecting to the creation of a new town of 1,500 houses at An Camas Mor near Aviemore, and a near doubling of the size of Kingussie as well as other housing developments in Carrbridge and Nethy Bridge. Following a previous unsuccessful challenge to the Local Plan, the charities appealed that decision. Today the Court of Session rejected that appeal with…

Conservation charity Trees for Life is holding a special Biodiversity Open Day at its acclaimed Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glen Moriston on 14 July, offering people the chance to explore this biodiversity hotspot and to discover the rare and wonderful wildlife of the Caledonian Forest. The event is part of the British Ecological Society's centenary Festival of Ecology and also celebrates five years of conservation action at Dundreggan, Trees for Life’s flagship forest restoration project which lies to the west of Loch Ness. Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Executive Director, said: “The weekend will be an inspiring opportunity to…

The Scottish Wild Land Group has published a special issue of its magazine, Wild Land News, dedicated to the issue of wind energy. The issue, 'Wind farms gone wild: is the environmental damage justified?', calls into question the Scottish Government's focus on wind power as an effective method of tackling climate change. It suggests that far more needs to be done to protect Scotland’s communities, environments and landscapes from opportunistic development. The magazine features contributions from respected scientists, naturalists and artists; a powerful consensus that wind energy policy has been inadequately justified and comprehensively mishandled. Contributors identify threats to Scotland’s…

The John Muir Trust has welcomed the decision of Energy Minister Fergus Ewing to refuse permission to the 17-turbine Dunbeath wind development as 'a potentially historic milestone in the battle for wild protection'. The Trust lodged an objection to the development back in 2007. The then Scottish Executive ordered a Public Local Inquiry after Scottish Natural Heritage also objected to the proposal. After years of deliberation, the Scottish Government has now refused permission to the scheme on the grounds that “the significant adverse impacts of this proposed wind farm on nearby wild land and key landscape characteristics in conjunction with…