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The team have been working hard through lockdown to keep everything on schedule so that we are in a position to open the Centre in spring 2022. We had to quickly adjust to a new reality of working remotely to move forward and stay on schedule. It seems very ironic that most of our meetings and discussions have had to take place online instead of onsite, but we are pleased with how the team came together to bring our vision for the Rewilding Centre buildings and facilities to life.
The design is now at an advanced stage, with planning permission applied for in June and a decision expected from Highland Council imminently. Coming up with a design for buildings that are meant to encourage people to spend time outside in nature has been interesting and challenging, but we think that the buildings will entice visitors to go outside and explore the wild forest on the doorstep of the Centre. You can view more details about the planning application here.
We now have a clear idea of how we will provide information about rewilding to visitors and following expert help and advice, we are certain that the Centre will be welcoming to a very wide diversity of people, celebrating both the fascinating Gaelic heritage, as well as nature’s recovery, in the area.
It is very important that the Rewilding Centre becomes an asset for the local community and we undertook a second community consultation about our plans in May and June. Lockdown meant that we could not do this through events and face-to-face meetings, so we sent out a questionnaire to over 700 households near Dundreggan and also asked the wider community to provide feedback online. 94% of respondents supported the Rewilding Centre concept and we were delighted to learn that more than 70% of local people intend to use the Centre when it is open. A full report on the consultation results can be found here.
An important part of our work is to ensure the areas close to the Rewilding Centre are accessible to everyone, providing opportunities for visitors to explore the wild forest and learn more about it. A lochan will enable children to discover the life that lives under the water by pond-dipping, while a red squirrel themed forest experience area will ensure even the smallest child can discover nature. Trails will lead people into the juniper forest and wider landscape, with an all-access trail ensuring anyone with specific needs can enjoy the area. Inevitably, this will require sympathetic landscaping work, but even the car park will eventually feel like part of the forest. All the trees and shrubs we plant will begin life on the Dundreggan Nursery, ensuring everything is of local origin.
We have been learning a lot through the process and one surprising lesson has been about the parallel paths that nature and Gaelic culture have been following over the centuries. Like the disappearing Caledonian pinewoods that we work so hard to save, Scots Gaelic is in danger of becoming extinct as a language within ten years, with only about 11,000 people habitually speaking it1. We have come to understand that working to celebrate and contribute to the recovery of the cultural heritage of the Highlands can actually help us to make rewilding happen too. This is because of the incredibly close association there is between Gaelic culture and the natural world. For example, we have learned that Gaelic Highlanders in Glenmoriston used to make candles from the heartwood of pine trees instead of tallow (animal fat). This led to the description of: ‘Gleanna mìn Moireasdain – far nach ith na coin na coinnlean’ (Gentle Glenmoriston – where the dogs don’t eat the candles), because most dogs do not eat pine candles but love tallow. We are sure pine candles and this story will become one of the many fascinating things people will discover when they visit the Rewilding Centre in years to come, helping both a wild nature and a native language to recover.
Please visit the Dundreggan Rewilding Centre page on our website for updates on the project.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/02/scots-gaelic-could-die-out-within-a-decade-study-finds
The rewilding centre project is supported by the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Bòrd na Gàidhlig, SSE Sustainable Development Fund and the Audemars Piguet Foundation.