Kinloch Castle on verge of sale

KINLOCH Castle, the landmark property on the Isle of Rum, is on the verge of being sold. Businessman Jeremy Hosking is setting up a trust to buy the castle from NatureScot, the successor organisation to the Nature Conservancy Council, which bought the island in 1957 as a national nature reserve. The castle was used as…

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Cairngorms wants to bring back ‘lost’ beavers

THE Cairngorms National Park Authority is to lead an application to reintroduce beavers to the area. The park’s board voted to take the lead in the process, while working with other public bodies, charities, landowners, and residents. Sarah Henshall, head of conservation at the authority, said: “We will be doing work around supporting land managers…

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Quiraing paths reopen after upgrade

PATHS at Quiraing on the Isle of Skye have reopened following upgrades led by the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS). Routes measuring 300 metres in length have been created or upgraded to make the site safer for locals and visitors. The work is part of the £1 million Skye Iconic Sites Project (SISP), which…

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A look at Scotland’s work on nature restoration

A new report examines what lessons can be learned from large-scale nature restoration and rewilding projects in Scotland and beyond. With increased attention on these approaches as a solution to the twin crises of nature loss and climate change, the NatureScot report reviews 25 case studies from Scotland and further afield across Europe to highlight…

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Cairngorms Connect has successful start on 200-year plan

The biggest habitat restoration project in Britain has announced the positive impact that has been made during its first years. More than 7000 broadleaf seedlings have been successfully germinated, 526 hectares of peatland habitats restored, and invasive native conifers have been removed from over 1000 hectares of forest by a partnership of neighbouring land managers…

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The great outdoors is boosting learning for children

The Learning in Local Greenspace project has supported 115 schools across 12 local authorities to use nearby green spaces, such as parks and woodlands, for outdoor learning. Led by NatureScot, this collaborative project worked with more than 20 partner organisations with the aim of embedding outdoor learning in schools, with more than 500 teachers taking…

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Scotland’s rivers in recovery after £3.7m investment

Scotland’s rivers, lochs and wetlands are being restored back to good health, thanks to support from NatureScot’s Biodiversity Challenge Fund. In the past three years, the Scottish Government has invested £3.7m in 27 freshwater and river restoration projects across the country, using innovative, nature-based solutions to help reverse biodiversity loss and mitigate against the effects…

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Celebrating the beauty of Beinn Eighe

The UK’s first National Nature Reserve, the stunning Beinn Eighe NNR, recently celebrated its 70th birthday. To mark the event, NatureScot has revealed the winning pictures from a photo contest commemorating the landmark anniversary. In 1951, Beinn Eighe was designated as the UK’s first NNR to protect its precious ancient pinewood, the largest fragment in…

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New funding for Scottish river restoration training

Organisations and businesses are being urged to apply for a share of new funding to support development of nature-based skills in river restoration. The Working with Rivers training scheme will fund up to 20 paid placements of 12-weeks duration. The placements will offer training and high quality, on-the-job experience in river restoration, natural flood management,…

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Plans for Scotland’s seagrass restoration advance

Scotland’s first handbook for seagrass restoration has been published as trials in the innovative technique gather pace. The handbook has been developed by NatureScot in collaboration with Marine Scotland and Project Seagrass as a result of increasing interest in the potential of restoring marine habitats to store blue carbon, enhance coastal defences and increase biodiversity…

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