{{ubiquityData.prevArticle.description}}
{{ubiquityData.nextArticle.description}}
At Trees for Life, we believe that rewilding provides the opportunity for wildlife to flourish and communities to thrive. And we also believe the key to rewilding’s success is people: people to enable it; people to gain from it; and people to enjoy it. As 2020 draws to a close, it has been my great privilege to work alongside colleagues, funders, donors and supporters in these difficult times, to ensure that people remain integral in our vision for a rewilded landscape in the Scottish Highlands.
In the last edition of Caledonia Wild you will have read that, like businesses and organisations across the country, many of our operations were suspended. I am very happy to report that most of these are now back up and running. Throughout this edition of Caledonian Wild you’ll read examples of resilience, pragmatism and partnership from colleagues and funders alike. Whilst the future remains uncertain, I hope you agree that with your support and that of others, Trees for Life remains in good health, ready to face the many challenges yet to come.
You may recall that the nursery team remained at Dundreggan during lockdown to ensure the survival of the trees so many of you have so generously contributed. Having had a break, the team are now back at the nursery continuing the great work that happens there. The trees they looked after so well are now being planted in Carn na Caorach at Dundreggan and, beyond Glenmoriston, in Glen Affric. Your contributions and their efforts are combined in our bid to create woodlands that connect these two great glens.
Whilst bad news has dominated much of 2020, at Trees for Life we have been able to celebrate some very significant successes. In August a pair of golden eagles raised a chick at Dundreggan. This is the first time this has happened in 40 years. This is testament to the work of the team at Dundreggan. Managing the land in-step with nature means that wildlife will return when the conditions are right. What better evidence that this approach works than the arrival of this pair of iconic birds and their chick.
And again in August, as part of our work with the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, we petitioned the Scottish Parliament calling for alternatives to lethal control of beavers. Gaining more signatures than any other in the past 12 years, after a review by the Petitions Committee, the petition has been referred to the Scottish Government’s Environment Committee for further consideration. This is the first but important step for getting proper protections for beavers in Scotland and a heartening win for us as we look to influence policy-makers through the Scottish Rewilding Alliance.
Whilst most of our projects are now back up and running, with a heavy heart, we have taken the decision to cancel our Volunteer Conservation Weeks in spring 2021. This is a great disappointment to us and I know to a great many others. We continue to monitor the situation closely but as you would expect, the safety of our team and volunteers is an absolute priority.
We know that times may get tougher before they improve. I want to say a huge thank you from the team here at Trees for Life to all of our partners, donors and supporters. It is our hope that in these difficult times, your investment in our work in turn provides you with hope for the future. A great forest is returning to the Scottish Highlands and its return is thanks to you.