It’s known as one of Scotland’s last true wilderness areas, and now a new film is highlighting the threats it faces to remain protected.
Merrick Peak is widely known as southern Scotland’s highest peak, and now it is to be the focus of a new film commissioned by Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership in an effort to raise awareness of the unique challenges facing.
Also focusing on the surrounding area, ‘Heart of the Biosphere—A Year in the Life of Merrick-Kells and Silver Flowe’ takes viewers on a captivating exploration to discover the unique beauty and complexity of one of the hardest-to-reach areas at the core of the Biosphere in southern Scotland.
The film, which premieres on October 16 is calling for urgent action to secure a future for all living things in the area which is one of Britain’s most remote and fragile natural habitats.
It was shot over a continuous 12-month period to capture the seasonal changes at Merrick-Kells and Silver Flowe.
Anthony Howell said: “It was a privilege to spend a year working with the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership, immersed in this truly astounding location and having the privilege to capture sights and sounds that so few people get to experience in real life.
“The project was very much a team effort and one which had a very light touch on the ground, with a single-member crew filming on site supported by partner organisations and the Biosphere’s officer team.
“The landscapes within the UNESCO Biosphere are incredible, which is also the perfect word to describe their importance in supporting communities and people’s way of life as we follow the rivers that flow out of the Galloway Hills.
READ MORE:
- Scotland: UNESCO Biosphere makes National Geographic's 'cool list'
- How the central reservation of the A9 became an unlikely beacon for rewilding
- Galloway set to become Scotland's next National Park as consultation begins
“We are thrilled that Heart of the Biosphere is bringing these wild uplands alive and sharing the area’s very special sense of place with a hugely diverse audience here in Scotland and around the world, helping connect people with the location and with ideas for positive action that secures its future.”
Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere is recognised as a Special Area of Conservation under the international RAMSAR convention for the habitats and species it supports.
Merrick-Kells and Silver Flowe are home to some of the country’s most iconic species including peregrines, golden eagles, otters and wild goats, as well as the rare and beautiful Azure hawker dragonfly, a species only found in Scotland.
After its premiere at the community-run Newton Stewart Cinema later this month, Heart of the Biosphere will be screened at community hubs and festivals around the Biosphere area and further afield. Its second showing will take place on October 22 at the Robert Burns Centre in Dumfries as part of the Wild Goose Festival 2024.
Speaking ahead of the Newton Stewart Cinema event, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Director Ed Forrest spoke of the impact he hopes the film will have.
He said: “Heart of the Biosphere is a call to action to protect the precious upland landscapes and habitats of Galloway, which are vital to sustaining life as we know it. Patterned blanket bogs are globally important for their incredible carbon-storing properties and the phenomenal diversity of plant and animal species that they support, but there is a huge amount of work to be done to ensure their continued survival.
The film had the backing of a range of local and national agencies and conservation charities across Scotland. The production team was supported by expertise and logistical support from organisations including Forestry & Land Scotland, NatureScot, South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre, and RSPB Scotland.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here