by Holly Chapman | 09 May 25 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Affric Highlands has launched as a new independent charity to restore nature across the UK’s largest landscape.
More than 200,000 hectares, the charity aims to restore the central highlands over the next 30 years to benefit nature, climate and people.
A community-based initiative, it banded together landowners and local people in support of restoring native woodland, peatland and riverside habitats.
Consisting of 19 landowners, the charity already covers 58,000 hectares within the vast landscape.
Wildlife such as golden eagles, red squirrels, black grouse, mountain hares, salom, trout, ospreys and otters are amongst those the charity is looking to help.
The rewilding project will boost wildlife to create economic benefits for communities, supporting re-peopling and tackle climate and nature emergencies.
The area is ecologically damaged after years of overgrazing and deforestation, while peatlands emit rather than absorb carbon. Also, lochs and rivers are depleted of salmon.
Stephanie Kiel, Affric Highlands executive director says, “we want to create new opportunities and real benefits for local landowners, communities and rural economies, so nature, people and livelihoods can all thrive together.”
Riverwoods Habitat. Credit: James Shooter
Potentially covering 700mi², the restoration area could stretch from loch Ness to Kintail in the west, including Glens Cannich, Urquhart, Affric, Moriston and Shiel.
Initially part of Trees for Life’s East-West Wild project for three years, Affric Highlands became the ninth member of Rewilding Europe’s network of large rewilding landscapes across the continent in September 2021.
by Aidan Williams | 30 Aug 24 | Nature & Biodiversity, News
Habitat restoration is creating an upwards trend in black grouse numbers in the Scottish Highlands, offering hope for the endangered birds.
The study recorded 405 lekking males, a slight increase since the last survey in 2021, and the highest recorded over the past 17 years.
Black grouse are an important indicator species for ecosystem health, and use a wide variety of habitats for feeding, shelter, nesting, lekking and rearing chicks.
Nicola Williamson, field officer for Affric Highlands, says: “Our initial findings are a cause for optimism. Restoring a mosaic of habitats to health appears to be offering much-needed hope for black grouse numbers – and so for nature more broadly.
“The project has been a constant source of inspiration, including the positive engagement of the local community and landowners, the nature recovery action underway at several estates, and the amazing team of volunteers who have made the study possible.”
It comes as the result of the first year of a new citizen science study in the Affric Highlands which shows black grouse populations are recovering well at sites carrying out large-scale nature recovery.
This recovery work includes the restoration of native woods, peatlands and wetlands of the highlands, near Inverness.
The birds have suffered long-term UK-wide decline, due to threats such as habitat loss and intensive land management and are now locally extinct in many regions.
The black grouse is one of the UK’s most rapidly declining bird species, and on the ‘Red’ list of conservation concern as it needs a mosaic of habitats including woodlands and moorlands.
Simon McLaughlin, RSPB site manager, says: “The support from local volunteers, estates and other organisations this year has inspired optimism that these birds will be well looked after into the future.
“We hope we will see even more of this community involvement going forward and to continue working together to implement measures to safeguard this amazing species.”
Black grouse populations are measured by counting numbers of males attending mating display sites called leks and between April and May of this year, 14 sites in the Beauly area were assessed.
With black grouse numbers fluctuating over time, and data lacking for some past years, the project aims to confirm through future surveys whether the overall rise is steady.
