A vision of hope for the next 30 years
Rewilding has come a long way since Alan Watson Featherstone founded Trees for Life in 1986. Last year, we celebrated 30 years as an independent charity, reflecting on the hopeful strides towards regeneration that have been made in Glen Affric and at Dundreggan since. In a special guest article, Alan now shares his vision of what the Scottish Highlands could look like 30 years into the future - and asks what part will you play in bringing his vision of hope to life.
By 2053, all of the remnant areas of the Caledonian Forest will have a significant growth of new trees regenerating in them, as part of their return to good ecological health and expansion from their previous highly restricted ranges. There will be substantial habitat corridors of young trees linking up the formerly isolated woodland patches. A greater diversity of trees will be growing there, not just Scots pines, but an abundance of the more palatable species such as willows, rowan, aspen, as well as oak, hazel, wych elm and ash in areas of better soils, where only bracken survived previously. Large, healthy tracts of montane scrub provide a woody habitat link over the higher ground between the glens, while the west coast contains large interconnected tracts of restored temperate rainforest.
Underneath the trees, there are vibrant communities of fungi and plants, with many formerly rare species such as twinflower now widespread and abundant, providing a nectar source for many insects. The healthy growth of plants will, in turn, be supporting a much greater diversity, and larger populations, of mammals and birds, from wildcat and capercaillie to the now widespread reintroduced beavers and wild boar.
Red deer are significantly reduced in number, but are in better health and larger in size, as they have a natural forest habitat to live in balance with again. Their improved health is due in part to predation of the weak and old by wolves, following a public-led campaign culminating in their reintroduction in 2043 - 300 years after their extinction in Scotland. The return of the wolf was preceded by the successful re-establishment of the lynx between 2025-2030, which led to a public acceptance of the vital role that apex predators play in healthy ecosystems.
All of this has come about because of a greatly increased public awareness of, and involvement with, rewilding. This included the principles of ecological restoration being integrated into the curricula of all schools, along with site visits and participation in practical work projects. University courses and vocational training schemes feature placements with charities and local communities carrying out rewilding work, enabling young people to gain the practical experience and skills needed for a career in ecological restoration. Their work will increasingly be focussed on the removal of now-redundant deer fences, the conversion of former forestry plantations back to native woodland, the removal of invasive non-native species such as rhododendrons, and supporting rewilding projects worldwide.
With planning underway for the return of the other missing mammals such as the brown bear and elk, Scotland is once again a land of healthy native forest ecosystems. It is viewed as a great success story and is a leading inspiration for what is now agreed internationally to be the essential global task for the rest of the 21st century, uniting all nations - restoring the Earth.
If all of that seems unlikely or impossible, it is in fact no less probable than how far we have come today from when I made the commitment to launch a project to restore the Caledonian Forest in 1986. With so many people and organisations now committed to rewilding, we can achieve all of the above, and more.
What part will you play in making this vision of hope a reality?