A rewilding landscape in Scotland, which claims to be the largest of its kind in the UK, has registered as an independent charity.
Affric Highlands, which started as fellow Scottish charity Trees for Life’s East-West Wild project, began work in September 2021 and became a member of Netherlands-based organisation Rewilding Europe’s network of large rewilding landscapes across Europe.
Until now, the community-focused initiative had operated as a joint venture led by Trees for Life with support and advice from Rewilding Europe.
Following the initiative’s growth, Affric Highlands registered as a Scottish charity on 16 April to “upscale its pioneering work”, with an aim to restore nature across the central Highlands landscape in the next 30 years.
‘Ambitious 30-year journey’
Currently, Affric Highlands supports a partnership of 19 landowners, local people and others covering over 58,000 hectares in Scotland.
These separate landholdings – which have all signed a memorandum of understanding – make decisions on nature recovery interventions, with Affric Highlands providing guidance and support for those seeking funding.
Affric Highlands plans for its initiative to expand to potentially 200,000 hectares stretching from Loch Ness to the Kintail mountain in the west of the Scottish Highlands.
It aims to make the region a hub for sustainable timber, fishing, farming, venison and wildlife tourism and create a network of businesses benefitting from rewilding.
Wildlife including golden eagles, red squirrels, black grouse, mountain hares, salmon, trout, ospreys and otters will benefit from restored habitats, the charity said.
Affric Highlands’ executive director Stephanie Kiel said: “It’s hugely inspiring to be setting out as a new charity on this ambitious 30-year journey to take large-scale nature recovery to a new level.
“We want to create new opportunities and real benefits for local landowners, communities and rural economies, so nature, people and livelihoods can all thrive together.”
Steve Micklewright, Trees for Life’s chief executive, said: “Affric Highlands’ success so far – coupled with the opportunities for people offered by its bold vision of landscape-scale nature recovery – has brought us to the point where it can now begin a new era as an independent charity.
“This is fantastic news for breathing new life into the highlands through rewilding.”
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