SNH Area News South Highland


Correspondents: Kenny Nelson, Cathy Mayne


Going wild in the west


Enjoy the stunning beauty of the west Highlands this summer by taking part in two wildlife festivals supported by SNH. The ‘Wild Lochaber Festival’ celebrates the land of the highest mountain, deepest loch and longest glen. Developed by the Outdoor Capital of the UK (OCUK), the festival kicks off with a weekend fair in Fort William between 1-3 June, followed by a week of guided walks, talks and childrens activities. Frazer Coupland, project officer with OCUK explains: “We see the Festival being of great interest to locals, who may be unaware of what there is on their doorstep, and a major boost to tourism. Lochaber has some fantastic wildlife, from whales, dolphins and basking sharks on the coast, to rare butterflies, orchids and alpine plants inland. There’s a whole range of events taking place, and people stand a good chance of seeing iconic Highland wildlife, whilst enjoying the great outdoors of Lochaber.” Farther north, in Wester Ross,


‘Wild about Gairloch’ is running for a second year. The main festival runs from 20-28 June. Several events will take place on Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve, including deer stalking with a camera, photography workshops, and wild food events. For more information go to


www.outdoorcapital.co.uk and www.wildaboutgairloch.com


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Helping the Highland tiger Making space for dolphins


A recent survey of gamekeepers as part of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project has shown how important they can be in helping to conserve the Scottish wildcat. The major threat to wildcats is inter- breeding with domestic cats, and the project has been expanding the neutering of pet and feral cats to conserve wildcats (see Nature of Scotland winter 2010). Many gamekeepers in the Highlands routinely control feral cats to protect gamebirds and other wildlife. There is a risk, however, of wildcats being shot through cases of “mistaken identity” and the project has been training gamekeepers in wildcat identification and encouraging them to report sightings. David Hetherington, wildcat project


manager, was pleased with the survey responses: “Although it’s a small sample, these results suggest that keepers in the Cairngorms National Park now feel more confident in their wildcat identification and are less likely to shoot a wildcat inadvertently. We’ve had a lot of records supplied by what is a small number of keepers, so it really goes to show the value of using gamekeepers’ experience in helping monitor and conserve this elusive and endangered species. It’s been very useful having the Scottish Gamekeepers Association as a partner on this project.” Click on www.highlandtiger.com


A wildlife project promoting sustainable and educational dolphin-watching opportunities in the Moray Firth has won a top conservation prize. Dolphin Space Programme was named the winner of the Marine Award at the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards. The project was recognised for its good partnership working and its ability to deliver a sustainable wildlife- watching tourism experience. The 190 Moray Firth dolphins are the last remaining resident population in the North Sea and are under pressure from increased tourism activity, new developments in oil and gas exploration and planned offshore windfarm developments.


Kathryn Logan, Manager of the Moray Firth Partnership said: “This recognises the achievements of Moray Firth dolphin tour boat operators, environmental, regulatory, tourism and other bodies over many years to promote exciting and sustainable wildlife-watching experiences while helping to protect the iconic bottlenose dolphin population. “We’ve developed voluntary codes of conduct among tourist boat operators, and since 2004/2005 all wildlife watching boats in the Moray Firth have been members of the Programme.” See www.dolphinspace.org for more information.


The Nature of Scotland


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