Argaty Red Kites

15/09/2026

“Why rewilding isn’t to blame for Cairngorms wildfires, it’s part of the solution.”

Excellent piece by Steve Micklewright in The Scotsman. With climate chaos no longer a distant threat but a real and present danger, Scottish Rewilding The Scottish Rewilding Alliance is asking Scottish The Scottish Government to bring together land managers, conservationists and communities to find shared solutions to shared problems.

Full article in link 👇

By restoring nature and working together, we can create more fire-resilient landscapes

15/09/2026

There are red squirrel photos and then there are red squirrel works of art… well done Kiz , you just nailed the latter!

As summer slips into autumn and the days begin to turn, why not book an Argaty wildlife photography experience. Visit our website for more details.

15/09/2026

There are red squirrel photos and then there are red squirrel works of art… well done Kirsten Ferguson Photography, you just nailed the latter!

As summer slips into autumn and the days begin to turn, why not book an Argaty wildlife photography experience. Visit our website for more details.

15/09/2026

Leaping red squirrels - taken by Ian Roberts Photography on his recent visit to The Studio Hide. Thanks for sharing Ian!

15/09/2026

In a time of ecological collapse, is the Scottish Government merger of its environmental agencies into one super quango an example of decisive action? Or will it plunge Scotland into years of bureaucratic chaos, extinguishing hopes of hitting biodiversity targets?

For a government with a record of treating nature as a “nice to have” rather than the foundation of all of our lives, the latter seems more likely.

My thoughts in Sunday’s The National (link in today’s story)

Derek Gow NatureScot Scottish Wild Beaver Group Charlotte Maddix Trees for Life Lorna Slater Mark Ruskell Mark Ruskell Ariane Burgess MSP Karin Blackport

15/09/2026

In a time of ecological collapse, is The Scottish Government’s merger of its environmental agencies into one super quango an example of decisive action? Or will it plunge Scotland into years of bureaucratic chaos, extinguishing hopes of hitting biodiversity targets?

For a government with a record of treating nature as a “nice to have” rather than the foundation of all of our lives, the latter seems more likely.

My thoughts in Sunday’s The National Newspaper (link in comments below)

NatureScot The Scottish Rewilding Alliance Trees For Life Little Green Space Rewilding Britain

At this critical time for the future of our beleaguered ecosystems, the very last thing that the Scottish Government should do is continue with this doomed experiment, Tom Bowser ✍️

15/09/2026

The Scottish Greens have announced they will force a Holyrood vote on halting AI data centre applications

13/09/2026

In the year of record temperatures and wildfires, with climate change impossible to ignore, The Scottish Government announces the merger of agencies charged with protecting Scotland’s environment.

Could it reduce bureaucratic burdens and make government interventions more impactful? Possibly… few could argue that our nature agency experiment has worked. But for a government whose environmental record is often hard to endorse, the agency amalgamation could plunge us deeper into environmental chaos.

In this time of ecosystem collapse, surely it’s time for a new, nature-first agency, adequately funded and independent from government.

My thoughts in today’s The National Newspaper (link in comments below)

Scottish Wild Beaver GroupThe Scottish Rewilding AllianceTrees For LifeRewilding Britain

11/09/2026

“For many people, the wolf is either God or the Devil… and maybe those of us who work to support them are seen the same way.” Marc Wilbers

This week Peter Cairns and I travelled to the Netherlands to learn about one of Europe’s most talked about wildlife comebacks.

Following an absence of 150 years, wolves crossed the Dutch border in 2015, and began breeding 3 years later. What followed is an ongoing coexistence challenge not dissimilar to those the UK faces with sea eagles, beavers and boar - but on a much greater scale.

Inconsistent political policies that promote compensation over lasting solutions, animals illegally killed in shadowy “shoot, shovel and shut up” pacts, death threats for those seeking ways of living well with them again. The wolf has become a God and a Devil, a lightning rod for wider societal divisions.

The trip, which will feature in future At the Edge outputs, brought home writer Adam Weymouth’s words: “When speaking about the wolf… we are never only speaking about wolves.”

But it was also a powerful reminder of their importance to the future wellbeing of our planet. Where they roam, deer and boar flee, forests regenerate, life returns. In an environmental crisis fast outpacing us all, such self-sustaining ecosystems are needed more than ever.

Huge thanks to Marc Wilbers for his time, insights and brave championing of coexistence.

Thanks too to Pauline Verheij, whose brilliant report Back in the Crosshairs: Wolf Poaching in the Netherlands (link in comments below), even-handedly explains the stark realities of this wildlife comeback.

The English Channel prevents wolves from reaching the UK, and no-one is actively pursuing a reintroduction. But we can learn much about the wider topic of wildlife coexistence from mainland Europe.

11/09/2026

“For many people, the wolf is either God or the Devil… and maybe those of us who work to support them are seen the same way.” Marc Wilbers

This week Peter Cairns and I travelled to the Netherlands to learn about one of Europe’s most talked about wildlife comebacks.

Following an absence of 150 years, wolves crossed the Dutch border in 2015, and began breeding 3 years later. What followed is an ongoing coexistence challenge not dissimilar to those the UK faces with sea eagles, beavers and boar - but on a much greater scale.

Inconsistent political policies that promote compensation over lasting solutions, animals illegally killed in shadowy “shoot, shovel and shut up” pacts, death threats for those seeking ways of living well with them again. The wolf has become a God and a Devil, a lightning rod for wider societal divisions.

The trip, which will feature in future At the Edge outputs, brought home writer Adam Weymouth’s words: “When speaking about the wolf… we are never only speaking about wolves.”

But it was also a powerful reminder of their importance to the future wellbeing of our planet. Where they roam, deer and boar flee, forests regenerate, life returns. In an environmental crisis fast outpacing us all, such self-sustaining ecosystems are needed more than ever.

Huge thanks to Marc Wilbers for his time, insights and brave championing of coexistence.

Thanks too to Pauline Verheij, whose brilliant report Back in the Crosshairs: Wolf Poaching in the Netherlands (link in comments below), even-handedly explains the stark realities of this wildlife comeback.

The English Channel prevents wolves from reaching the UK, and no-one is actively pursuing a reintroduction. But we can learn much about the wider topic of wildlife coexistence from mainland Europe.

The Scottish Rewilding AllianceScottish Wild Beaver GroupRewilding Britain Trees For Life