The way that Scotland’s land is owned and managed has a huge impact on the country’s ability to tackle twin crises of the climate emergency and biodiversity. With the amount of land in community ownership now larger than the size of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, community landowners have a vital role to play in the just transition to net zero. No one has more of a connection with their land than the local community and, in this Meet the Pioneers, we heard from three Members about what community-led ecological restoration looks like for them.
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Michael Hunter of the North Harris Trust shared learning from their habitat restoration project that aims to plant 200,000 native trees. The Trust will work with crofting townships on this project.
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Angela Williams and Jenny Barlow of the Langholm Initiative told us how upland moor, ancient woodland, meadows, peatlands and river valley on the edge of the town are being developed into the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve.
- Ben Inglis Grant, a Peatland ACTION Project Officer based with Urras Oighreachd Chàrlabhaigh / the Carloway Estate Trust talked about the work he is doing to support peatland restoration in the Outer Hebrides.
Following presentations from the speakers, participants engaged in a short Q&A session.
About Meet the Pioneers
This event was part of our Meet the Pioneer series which showcases the achievements of community landowners across Scotland and provides a platform for them to share their experiences and learning with others.