CHARITY LAUNCHES PROJECT FOR A MILLION MORE TREES IN NEXT FIVE YEARS

A remnant of Scotland's old Caledonian Forest
Scots Pine forest in the Glen Affric
National Nature Reserve

Reforestation could benefit Scotland’s economy by boosting wildlife tourism.

Conservation charity Trees for Life has announced an ambitious new goal to double its current rate of restoration work in Scotland’s Caledonian Forest, with the establishment of one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration within five years.

The charity’s new Million More Trees campaign is a response to environmental problems including deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss, but could also bring significant benefits to

New discoveries in charity’s ‘Lost world’ Highland estate

Larva of sawfly
(Amauronematus sp.)
feeding on dwarf birch
(Betula nana)
 on Dundreggan. 

Biodiversity surveys carried out on Trees for Life’s Dundreggan Estate, in Glen Moriston, Inverness-shire in 2011 – the first year of the United Nations Decade of Biodiversity (2011-2020) and also the International Year of Forests – have revealed a range of rare and endangered species.

The new discoveries on the 10,000-acre estate include the first Scottish record of one species of sawfly and what may be the first British record of another; the second-ever British record of a waxfly species; and species of spider, cranefly and dragonfly all listed in the UK’s Red Data Book of endangered species.

At least 60 priority species for conservation have now been identified on the site........Read more

The Co-operative offers a lifeline for endangered and protected species

Endangered and protected species are being offered a lifeline by Britain’s largest farmer, The Co-operative Group.

The Group has set up a team of “Habitat Heroes” on six of its farms across the country, to help preserve some of the UK’s most iconic species, including water voles, otters, bats and red squirrels.

By launching the national wildlife initiative, The Group’s farming business joins leading environmental campaigners who are taking direct action to help preserve species under threat, in response to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and continuing concerns over a global decline in biodiversity. 

The Habitat Heroes project aims to identify whereThe Co-operative Farms can make investments and adaptations on the six farms to improve the habitats, feeding and breeding opportunities for endangered or protected species, helping to safeguard them for the future.

The Co-operative Group is funding the project, whilst its farming business has harnessed the support of farm managers, local environmental groups and volunteers to carry out the vital environmental work to improve and sustain the habitats of species that are indigenous to the farms.                                               

Christine Tacon, Managing Director of The Co-operative Farms, said: “As Britain’s largest farmer we feel we have a responsibility to lead the way environmentally. The Habitat Heroes project gives us the chance to look at ways we can really make our land work for local wildlife.”

She added: “The beauty of this scheme is that we can keep on re-visiting and revising it. As part of the scheme, we will conduct regular surveys into the wildlife on our land to find out what is working and where we are seeing positive results, to help guide the environmental work we commit to in the future.”

The six farms taking part in the Habitat Heroes project are Goole in Yorkshire, Coldham in Cambridgeshire, Tillington in Herefordshire, Blairgowrie in Perthshire, Down Ampney in Gloucestershire and Stoughton in Leicestershire.  Several of the sites have webcams to study the targeted species.

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