Call for public support for a wilder Scotland

Golden eagles, beavers, ospreys and pine martens will all take centre stage in a landmark new conservation book aiming to inspire a change in attitudes towards a wilder Scotland. 'Scotland: A Rewilding Journey' will lay out a vision of how rewilding could transform Scotland and benefit its people and wildlife, and is written and edited by some of Scotland’s most prominent conservationists – including John Lister-Kaye and Duncan Halley, with stunning images from many of the country’s top nature photographers, who have spent three years capturing the beauty and drama of Scotland’s wild landscapes and wildlife. The book is due to be published this autumn, and is being supported by a crowdfunding appeal launched today by conservation charity 'Trees for Life'.

 Steve Micklewright, Trees for Life’s Chief Executive, said:

“Despite its raw beauty, the Scottish landscape is today an ecological shadow of its former self. It wasn’t so long ago that vibrant, wild forest stretched across much of Scotland, with beavers and cranes at home in extensive wetlands, salmon and trout filling rivers, and lynx and wild boar roaming in woodlands.

 “Yet now our large carnivores are extinct, our woodlands reduced to small fragments, and a degraded landscape supporting little life stretches across millions of acres. But it doesn’t have to be this way. This book will be a major rallying call for rewilding – helping to make Scotland a place where nature works, wildlife flourishes and people prosper.”

 Trees for Life is the main sponsor of the book, which is also being supported by Reforesting Scotland, Rewilding Britain, The Borders Forest Trust, and Woodland Trust Scotland. The book will be published by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, a non-profit social enterprise that includes many leading nature photographers and film-makers, and which promotes the benefits of a wilder Scotland for people and wildlife through stunning visual media.

 Trees for Life’s crowdfunding campaign runs from 25 June-23 July 2018, and offers people the opportunity to support publication of the book and its urgent conservation message by helping to raise £20,000. As an extra incentive for supporting the campaign, Trees for Life is offering a range of rewards for those who pledge including a stay in a wilderness cabin and wildlife photography workshops. To support the crowdfunding campaign, please visit crowdfunder.co.uk/rewilding.