@jamesnairne
Project Lead - Northwoods Rewilding Network; enabling ecosystem recovery and local enterprise on crofts, farms and community woodlands across Scotland. https://www.scotlandbigpicture.com/northwoods#nrn-land-partners
EMAIL your MSP candidates TODAY✨: www.scottishwildbeavers.org.uk/take-action/...
Sean Davis - Independent Candidate has pledged to support restoring Scotland's river catchments and enabling coexistence with beavers.
You can take action today!✨
@beavertrust @scottishgreens @scottishwildlifetrust
After replacing sheep with free-roaming cattle, 5x as many butterflies were recorded, and 2x as many species, due to the increased floral diversity.
Interesting stuff. But unless stocking densities are *extremely* low, cattle are an ecological disaster too.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
First question is pretty tricky, depending on a variety of factors like soil fertility, length of grazing period, season, etc.
Second is easy: since they graze selectively, even a tiny number of sheep or goats is highly damaging to ecosystems.
A group of people in an open grassy field, some crouching and examining the ground while others stand around.
Left image shows people, including children, engaged in planting seeds outdoors at a table with soil trays. Right image displays a whiteboard covered in colourful sticky notes with handwritten ideas and plans.
Left image shows a hand holding a clump of matted material in an outdoor setting. Children in colourful clothing stand around smiling. Right image shows children gathered around a table outdoors, engaged in a painting activity.
Two smiling individuals are holding up a vibrantly painted wooden cutout of a cow.
Yesterday’s Seeds of Community event at our Northwoods partner site Denmarkfield brought together local residents to discuss how they’d like to hear about the rewilding work happening there. A big thank you to everyone who came along and shared ideas for Denmarkfield's visitor experience!
In just two weeks’ time - on #WorldRewildingDay - @scotrewilding.bsky.social are hosting a special, non-partisan hustings bringing together representatives from all major Scottish political parties 👉
⚠️ Rural payments shape 70% of Scotland’s land ⚠️
If we want healthier rivers, lower flood risk and thriving wildlife — including beavers — the ✨SYSTEM✨ must change.
Email your MSP candidates: www.scottishwildbeavers.org.uk/take-action/...
Episode 2 of At The Edge - Let’s talk about wolves - now available.
Listen here: attheedge.org.uk/podcast/
Do join me, if you can.
Rossacroo woods in Kerry is overrun by invasive sika deer, making natural regeneration of trees impossible.
A new fence will change that for some years, as another did in the past before it was breached, as this one inevitably will be.
Our native forests need natural predators like lynx back.
Attended the premiere of ‘An Irish Atlantic Rainforest’ yesterday, a terrific documentary based on @irishrainforest.bsky.social book of the same name.
It’s visually stunning & gives a tantalising glimpse into just how beautiful Ireland is, what we’ve lost & how it could be again via rewilding.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴? Join us on 23–24 April for Rewilding Through Storytelling – a two-day masterclass designed to help you engage, excite and truly captivate your audience.
Book here: https://bit.pulse.ly/swcpluwchj
With the leaves fallen, the difference is less striking, but I took the left-hand image in February 2022, and the other yesterday.
Not one of these trees was planted. All I did was prevent sheep and other grazers from getting at them, and the forest came by itself.
Re-peopling the glens with woodland crofts rather than subsidy fuelled hill sheep or ecocidal grouse shooting.
Eco-village with crofts and affordable homes planned at loch www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
beavers play a “vital role” in slowing water flow, creating and holding wetland habitats, reducing erosion and improving water quality.
We're less than 100 days away from elections in Scotland. But nature doesn't get a say.
Join the Hope for Nature hustings in Pitlochry on 20 March to help us put rewilding firmly on the national agenda👇
https://f.mtr.cool/peihkxqnkt
Feral goats in Killarney NP. A highly invasive species, goats are (per head) worse destroyers of nature than even sheep, sika deer, or any other herbivore.
That they are tolerated *at all* in any national park is a sign of gross ecological ineptitude.
Introducing Argyll Explorer – a brand-new rewilding journey for 2026, set along Scotland’s dramatic west coast. Be inspired, feel restored and connect with like-minded people. This is an intimate, small-group journey and places are limited.
👉 Secure yours: https://bit.pulse.ly/z6whmovewo
THIS FRIDAY!
scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-events/b...
Aerial view of temperate rainforest on a coastal escarpment, sloping down to a calm, blue sea under a clear sky.
A white-tailed sea eagle in flight, clutching a fish in its talons. The background features an overcast sky and distant mountains.
A moss-covered oak tree with twisted branches leans over a fast-flowing river. Ferns and lush greenery surround the tree.
A pine marten stands alert beside a tree trunk. Its fur is dark brown with a distinctive orange-yellow throat patch. Small flies hover above it.
Our latest Loch Abar Mòr Partner Portrait tells the story of Ardtornish Estate – capturing how traditional land use, wild grazing and habitat restoration are working together to drive nature recovery for wildlife, climate and local communities.
👀 Take a look: https://bit.pulse.ly/juwbiujaxs
Graphic of Şeniz Mustafa in front of a photo of a beaver in the water
Beavers are making a difference in London 🦫 Our Feb Lunchtime Lecture with Şeniz Mustafa, @senizdoesnature.bsky.social, explored how the Ealing Beaver Project restores habitats, boosts biodiversity & inspires communities. Learn to coexist with these ecosystem engineers: buff.ly/1OzcQbj
At the Edge explores our relationship with the landscapes around us — and the wildlife that shares our space.
Listen to Episode 1 of the new podcast series - How much wild is enough? www.attheedge.org.uk
Get the full story in episode 1 of the At the Edge podcast.
Listen here: attheedge.org.uk/podcast/
‘Habitat condition’: a measure of conformity to simple metrics (often composition), usually linked to policy
‘Ecosystem condition’: a measure of how an ecosystem is functioning, including its resilience to pressures
The 1st is easy but its utility is questionable
The 2nd is hard but what we need
‘We don’t have a plan’
Invasive species are an important pressure on biodiversity but confusion reigns about what qualifies as 'invasive' and whose job it it is to take action
www.irishtimes.com/environment/...
A woman stands outdoors in a forested area, holding a clipboard and pen, dressed in a colourful winter coat and knitted hat. She has binoculars around her neck and looks upward thoughtfully. Text reads "Careers in Rewilding, Free webinar, 24 Feb, 7pm." A logo for "Scotland The Big Picture" is also featured.
Our 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 is just two weeks away – and it’s 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹.
If you’ve been considering a career in rewilding, register now to secure one of the last remaining slots!
👉 https://bit.pulse.ly/vkmjsg7ghv
#EnvironmentalCareers #NatureCareers
A split-view image shows a Scottish river landscape with trees and mountains above, and an underwater scene with a large salmon swimming below. Overlay text reads: "Scotland The Big Picture - Riverwoods: An Untold Story, Narrated by Peter Capaldi."
𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵!
At home on Amazon Prime Video: https://bit.pulse.ly/uakvlfjikr
On the big screen at the Fort William Mountain Festival on 14 February: https://bit.pulse.ly/zbdtjiufyi
It's completely beyond me how authorities can continue to ignore this fundamental issue, especially given that we KNOW that with climate breakdown floods will only keep getting worse.
Pay farmers to rewild NOW.
