Rewilding news

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance hosted a landmark national hustings on World Rewilding Day last month (20 March), bringing together political leaders to debate the future of Scotland’s natural environment. Five of the six political parties represented in parliament took part in the Hope for Nature Hustings, with one notable absence. The Scottish Conservatives were unable to send a representative – so a Eurasian Lynx stuffed toy took the final seat on the panel to symbolise Scotland’s missing species.

Scotland’s government has made bold promises for nature. By 2030, we will be a nature positive country. By 2045, we will have regenerated and restored our biodiversity. Does Scotland’s new Land Use Strategy, published this week, provide a path to making these promises a reality?

Politicians from all major political parties are set to take part in the first ever hustings dedicated to debating rewilding issues, ahead of Scotland’s elections this May. The Rewilding Nation: Hope for Nature Hustings event is taking place at Pitlochry Festival Theatre on World Rewilding Day, Friday 20 March. It follows the public backing for rewilding last year by Scottish actor and Pitlochry’s Artistic Director, Alan Cumming, who shared details of the event with his 853,000 Instagram followers last Friday.

We are delighted that the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill has been voted into law. This truly landmark legislation will create a much better legal framework for nature recovery than Scotland’s current system – a shared victory for people and nature.  Statutory nature restoration targets, reforms to deer management legislation, and improvements to our National Parks have been sorely needed for years. This Bill is the result of years of campaigning by people who care about Scotland’s nature. In the face of the terrifying decline of nature in recent decades and the despair that can cause, this moment is well worth celebrating. […]

Tom Bowser asks if nature recovery legislation will be transformative – or another missed opportunity? I love Scotland, but sometimes my country saddens me. We are a nature-depleted nation within a nature-depleted island. Our seas are hard-fished, our land hard-farmed. The badger is our largest terrestrial predator; anything bigger we’ve killed off and resolutely refuse to bring back. If you care about the environment, there is much to be disheartened by. Shockingly, Scotland is ranked 212 out of 240 countries and territories for the state of its nature. Our beautiful landscapes and seascapes have been largely stripped of their richness of […]

‘A win for people-led rewilding’ as MSPs in the Scottish Parliament vote to create a new hutting law compelling the Scottish Government to publish a model lease for hutting on public land. Last night (4 November) MSPs in the Scottish Parliament voted to create a new hutting law compelling the Scottish Government to publish a model lease for hutting on public land. The change to the law will make it easier for people across Scotland to access public land for low-impact, sustainable hutting in future. Huts are simple homes where people can reconnect with nature and experience the land off-grid. Reforesting […]

New law says large landowners need to set out biodiversity plans, in ‘big step towards a Rewilding Nation’ Yesterday MSPs in the Scottish Parliament voted to create a law obliging the owners of large landholdings to publish plans on how they will increase biodiversity, as part of the new Land Reform Bill – in what the Scottish Rewilding Alliance says is a ‘big step towards a Rewilding Nation’. The Scottish Rewilding Alliance has campaigned for the change as part of its Rewilding Nation campaign, supported by thousands of people across Scotland. The new law will require landowners of landholdings over 1,000 […]

High-profile campaign takes message to parliament in first event of its kind and follows public backing by Alan Cumming last week. Campaigners calling for Scotland to become the world’s first ‘Rewilding Nation’ have today (1 October) taken their message to the country’s politicians, in a colourful stunt outside Holyrood. More than 100 people – representing thousands of individuals, charities, community groups and businesses from across Scotland – gathered outside the Scottish Parliament, with a visual display of ‘stop’ and ‘go’ signs exposing the barriers holding back rewilding and spotlighting the readily available solutions. It follows public backing last week by acclaimed […]

The Traitors, X-Men and Avengers star announces his support for Rewilding Nation campaign to his 750,000 followers on Instagram. The Traitors, X-Men and Avengers star Alan Cumming has backed a campaign calling on the Scottish government to declare Scotland the world’s first Rewilding Nation and commit to rewilding 30% of the country’s land and seas. The acclaimed Scottish theatre and movie actor – who has just wrapped filming his role as mutant X-Man Nightcrawler in next year’s Avengers: Doomsday movie, the latest instalment of the blockbuster Marvel franchise – has posted a call for action to his 750,000 Instagram followers. Speaking […]

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance hopes to inspire local community groups to help Scotland become the world’s first ‘Rewilding Nation’, with the launch of a practical new guide. The Scottish Rewilding Alliance hopes to inspire local community groups to help Scotland become the world’s first ‘Rewilding Nation’, with the launch of a practical new guide. Available in both Gaelic and English, the guide to rewilding for community groups provides practical advice, case studies, and resources to help them start rewilding projects, and grow existing ones. The guide was developed in collaboration with community groups and features quotes and advice from the front […]

We welcome the Scottish Government’s interim evaluation of the Nature Restoration Fund, which highlights important progress but shows that current funding is insufficient to meet Scotland’s nature recovery goals. We urge all political parties to commit to restoring and significantly increasing the Fund in the next parliamentary session to secure lasting benefits for nature, climate, and communities. We welcome the Scottish Government’s publication of an interim evaluation report for the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) and urge ministers and all political parties to commit to continuing the NRF in the next parliamentary session, with significantly increased funding. This review provides a valuable […]