An ambitious rewilding project which aims to create a “nature recovery area” of more than half a million acres is being recommended for global UN flagship status by the Scottish and UK governments.
The Affric Highlands project has a 30-year plan, which would restore woodland and peatland areas along with riverside habitats.
The project, led by Trees for Life, is being recommended for UN World Restoration Flagship status, ahead of a shortlist of 10 projects being announced this month.
It comes as those leading the work said it could show how “nature, local communities and livelihoods can help each other thrive”.
Those involved with the Affric Highlands scheme – which will cover a vast area of land from Loch Ness to the west coast – believe it will help protect native species, boost biodiversity, sustain jobs in the area and attract people there.
Golden eagles, red squirrels, red grouse, short-eared owls, mountain hares, trout, ospreys and otters will all benefit from the improvements to their natural habitats.
In the run-up to #WorldRewildingDay, today a message from the Affric Highlands!
The latest addition to our #rewilding portfolio, where we work with @treesforlifeuk to restore the landscape for nature, people and planet! 🌍
This is #WhyWeRewild 👉 https://t.co/LBApoTwR1s pic.twitter.com/UhLTtos3oW
— Rewilding Europe (@RewildingEurope) March 18, 2022
With the project having the Scottish wildcat as its emblem, it is hoped it could also help efforts to help save the species from extinction.
Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, said: “The huge environmental challenges of the coming decade need to be met with huge ambition.
“Affric Highlands is about scaling up ecological restoration, working collaboratively, and seeing nature as a key ally in tackling climate breakdown. We want to show how nature, local communities and livelihoods can help each other thrive.
“We’re delighted that both the Scottish and UK governments have given Affric Highlands their endorsement for flagship status.
“It’s increasingly clear that rewilding offers hope for nature, climate and people.”
Stephanie Kiel, Affric Highlands team leader, said: “We are working closely with a range of different landowners and land managers to develop and link-up nature restoration projects across the Affric Highlands area, which encompasses Glens Affric, Cannich, Moriston and Shiel.
“People are a central part of this vision, and more resilient ecosystems will support a greater diversity of job opportunities that can help sustain rural communities.
“We are providing the expertise to help restore native woodlands, including through natural regeneration, while returning much-needed trees to the banks of upland streams and rivers to provide vital shade, nutrients and shelter for Scotland’s struggling Atlantic salmon.”
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 hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel