Tag: naturescot

Rewilding

Not Another One!

BY BERT BURNETT Scotland’s environmental agency NatureScot has unveiled a new twenty year strategy to restore its native wildcats, with the ambition of seeing populations recover and thrive by 2045. The strategy brings together 26 organisations to coordinate conservation efforts for one of Scotland’s most threatened native species. The plans include restoring and reconnecting habitat, establishing new wildcat populations, reducing hybridisation with domestic cats and … Continue reading Not Another One!

countrysquiremagazine
Conservation

The Great Rewilding Swindle

BY BERT BURNETT Let’s face it: this was never about finding a lost habitat or restoring a balanced ecosystem. It was never about bringing back the wildcats or the sea eagles for their own sake. No – somewhere along the line, genuine conservation got hijacked. What we have now is a carefully manufactured machine designed to make the public feel guilty, pass the blame onto … Continue reading The Great Rewilding Swindle

countrysquiremagazine
Conservation

The Peatland Paradox: When Restoration Becomes Destruction

BY CALUM CAMPBELL The Scottish Government has made peatland restoration a cornerstone of its climate change strategy. Through the NatureScot Peatland ACTION team, and in close partnership with the Cairngorms National Park and the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, a major programme of landscape-scale intervention is underway. With over 20% of Scotland’s land area covered by peat, the stated goals are ambitious: improve water … Continue reading The Peatland Paradox: When Restoration Becomes Destruction

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countryside

The Stoat Conundrum in Orkney

BY MARK PIERCE When we think of invasive species in the UK, our minds often go to non-native troublemakers like Japanese Knotweed or American Mink. However, there’s a lesser-known issue lurking in certain areas: invasive native predators. Take the stoat, for example, a familiar face in the UK but not typically found in some regions. Let’s delve into the peculiar case of the stoats invading … Continue reading The Stoat Conundrum in Orkney

countrysquiremagazine