Rewilding news

Our response to the reshuffle announcement by the Scottish Government. In response to today’s reshuffle announcement by the Scottish Government, Karen Blackport, co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and chief executive of Bright Green Nature, said: “It’s shocking that, in the face of biodiversity and climate emergencies, the Scottish Government still has no nature minister. Sidelining nature is costing society dearly – we can see it on delays to marine protections, backtracking on beavers and abandoning a third national park.   “We call on the First Minister to stop dodging the fact that Scotland is one of the world’s most nature-depleted […]

A letter from the Scottish Government on the topic of beavers to Glen Affric.

By scrapping plans for a Galloway National Park, the Scottish Government has yet again proved it cannot successfully plot a path to a wilder Scotland. In response to today’s announcement by the Scottish Government on a new national park for Scotland, Karen Blackport, co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and chief executive of Bright Green Nature, said: “By scrapping plans for a Galloway National Park, the Scottish Government has yet again proved it cannot successfully plot a path to a wilder Scotland. This decision undermines efforts to restore nature, protect wildlife and support resilient rural communities. Amidst a climate and biodiversity […]

Today’s Programme for Government was a test of the Scottish Government’s willingness to set us on the pathway to a Rewilding Nation. This Programme for Government, with its reduced peatland and woodland restoration targets, weak commitments to consult on real protections for marine areas and nature targets that appear as an afterthought, fails that test.

It could take seven decades before large-scale nature restoration is underway across 30% of Scotland’s land, new figures from the Scottish Rewilding Alliance show.

We welcome the Scottish Government’s ambitions on nature recovery – but we need spending commitments to match. 

The Scottish Government’s new Natural Environment Bill is a welcome effort to set Scotland on the course to nature recovery through statutory targets. But 2030 –  a critical year for the government’s nature ambitions –  is now just five years away. We need clear, ambitious and updatable targets. We need legislation that prioritises ecological restoration.

An opinion poll conducted by Survation in January for the Lynx to Scotland Partnership shows that support for the return of lynx to Scotland has increased to 61%.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance condemns the abandonment or illegal release of any animals into any part of Scotland. We call on all stakeholders, from government bodies to conservation groups, to collaborate in establishing clear, legal routes for reintroducing species.

Nathan Evans announces his support to his 2.2m followers on TikTok and Instagram

A pioneering pathway for Scotland to become the world’s first Rewilding Nation, with nature recovery across 30% of its land and seas, has been presented to the Scottish Government by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance.

This week brings the Scottish Budget. Public spending is the bedrock of ecological restoration. So what do we hope for?