Last Tuesday at Tayvallcih, a group of 13 people could be spotted peering closely at the trees in one of the fragments of temperate rainforest on the estate. Led by Dr Oliver Moore, Plantlife International's Lichen and Bryophyte Specialist for Scotland, this group was taking part in a training day on their Rapid Rainforest Assessment (RRA) tool. This blog explores the variety of species that were spotted and our plans for ongoing rainforest monitoring.

When species reintroductions are mentioned in the context of a rewilding project, thoughts tend to turn to wolves or lynx. However, we have reintroduced a much smaller species back into our pine woodland, but one which plays a disproportionally big role in the ecosystem: the wood ant.

We recently had a thermal imaging drone survey of Bunloit estate done by BH Wildlife Consultancy, to check the numbers of deer and boar on the estate. We share those findings here.

The Green Finance Institute has just published the Nature-related Risk Quantification Report, a first-of-its-kind analysis . It quantifies the impact that nature degradation, both domestically and internationally, could have on the UK’s economy and financial sector. The report’s analysis proves that nature-related risks are at a minimum on par with climate risks, and will compound with them.

Today, on the cusp of spring and as colour once again floods the land, we join rewilding movements worldwide to celebrate how we and many other projects are transforming hope into action through rewilding.  

A blog from our Head Ranger at Bunloit on fences in our landscapes: their uses, meanings and our approach.

Land reform in Scotland is long overdue. So too is nature recovery. We have one of the most nature-impoverished landscapes in Europe.

Can land reform and nature recovery make functional marriage partners? I believe so.

Dr Hannah Rudman joins the Highlands Rewilding team as Business Development Director. She is focussing on identifying more potential partners, investors, collaborators and customers: initiating conversations, negotiating deals and forging alliances that will ensure we are a sustainable nature-based solutions business.

We are delighted to share that we have completed the sale, at cost, of Turbiskill Farmhouse and land at Tayvallich to the local community body, Tayvallich Initiative.

Our Third Natural Capital Report - Building Natural Capital - outlines progress and plans across our three open air laboratories: Bunloit, Beldorney and Tayvallich, and gives an overview of the quickly developing natural capital landscape.

Our science team have written about Highlands Rewilding's approach to wild boar monitoring at Bunloit. The blog explores the results we have gathered and some key trends from this work so far as we look to expand this research and collaborate with neighbours to assess numbers and, where possible, monitor impacts. 

Soil science is crucial but can also be very resource-intensive, and working together is one important way of making it feasible. We host regular visits by scientists collaborating with us, including with Oxford University’s Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and Nature-based Solutions Initiative, recently exploring planned grazing, soil sampling, Mycorrhizal fungi and tree growth

Highlands Rewilding is delighted to announce that we have been successful in our bid for funding under the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS) scheme, co-funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with the Scottish Government and NatureScot.

Our Engagement Roadmap sets out the basic principles and main steps we want to embed in our engagement processes. This is very much a work-in-progress, and we welcome all feedback on it. Perhaps most importantly, our programme of monitoring on our estates will be used to check whether we’re really delivering the benefits that local communities want – and what approaches can best realise the many potential benefits from Scotland’s environments.

Last Friday was a particularly sunny day at Tayvallich, and the perfect day to undertake this year’s count of Marsh Fritillary (Euphydryas aurinia) butterfly - or rather their webs!

Memorandum of Understanding with Tayvallich Initiative: A roadmap to aligning community, nature and shareholder interests

The land behind the Data. A photo journal across three estates, by Cathy Atkinson, Chief Data Scientist.

Biodiversity cannot be fully accounted for economically, but by not accounting for it at all, we have totally undervalued nature and hugely increased its degradation.

We are putting biodiversity at the heart of our work.

Our Head of Operations, Kirsty Mackay, joins Elanor Harris on Galbraith’s ‘Talking Natural Capital Podcast.

Scotland's Rainforest: Our purchase of Tayvallich estate includes patches of ancient Temperate Atlantic Rainforest. Restoring these increasingly rare and incredibly biodiverse areas of Scottish Rainforest will be one of our most important priorities, write co-Chief Scientists Calum Brown & Penelope Whitehorn.