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 […]

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 […]

‘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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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, […]

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. […]