The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) has urged Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to allow the licensed killing of pine marten or face losing the iconic Capercaillie Scotland for a second time. The call comes after the fourth national survey into the estimated size of the Scottish population of the woodland grouse has shown a decline of 35 per cent from the previous study. The new survey estimates the number of individuals to be 1285, a marked drop from 1980 birds recorded using similar techniques in 2003/2004. Efforts to increase Capercaillie numbers had set an initial target being to increase the population…

SSE Renewables, SSE’s renewable energy development division, has submitted an application for consent to build a huge new pumped storage hydro electric scheme to the north-west of Loch Lochy in the Great Glen. The scheme would help meet peak demand and would extract, store (up to 30GWh) and release energy to and from the electricity transmission system to help balance supply and demand for power at a national scale. The scheme would be the largest hydro project to be built in Scotland and the first brand new pumped storage scheme to be developed in Great Britain since work began on…

In a first for the UK, a new map detailing Scotland’s wild areas has been published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Some of the country’s wildest landscapes are already identified and protected if they fall within national parks or national scenic areas. But many other wild areas are not identified in any way. The Scottish public view wild land as an important priority: a recent SNH study found that 91% of respondents agree that Scotland’s areas of wild land are important and should be protected. Another study found wild land provides even more economic and employment benefit than agriculture and…

The enigmatic water vole may be associated with our water and river systems but scientists have revealed it is it thriving almost 700 metres up a Scottish hill. Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve in Wester Ross managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is home to some of Britain’s rarest wildlife. And a recent survey of water voles found the inhabitants quite happily defining territory at that altitude. Water voles are chunky rodents up to 25 cm in length. They live along the edges of burns, rivers and ditches and feed on grasses and sedges while inhabiting burrow systems among waterside…