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Inside this issue FEATURES


26 30 32 14 LAND TRANSFORMED


Ida Maspero takes a look at what the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill could mean for ecosystem restoration.


26 SUCCESS ON THE ISLE OF EIGG 30 NATURAL CAPITAL


Twenty years on from the famous community buy-out, there is much to celebrate on the Scottish island of Eigg.


With growing recognition of the economic benefits of protecting nature, Professor Dieter Helm looks at how making the financial case could help halt nature’s destruction.


32 FEWER MONARCHS, MORE GLEN? REGULARS


4 21 4 LATEST NEWS


News round-up from the Trust and the world of conservation.


21 CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE 35 Q&A


Gifts for your loved ones, or treats for yourself.


Artist Wendy Patterson inspires a new generation of wildlife lovers.


35


Jamie Grant reflects on a visit to the stunning Glenfeshie, which is returning to good health thanks to a careful reduction in deer.


WELCOME Jonny Hughes, Chief Executive


How can we get better value from Scotland’s land? As the Land Reform Bill makes its way through the Scottish Parliament, this question is being thrown into sharp focus. Historically, most land in Scotland was modified to produce a single product: sheep, cattle, cereals, deer, grouse and, more recently, conifer plantations. This has taken its toll on nature, squeezing our native wildlife into small fragments of semi-natural habitat.


36 36 TOP SPOTS


REVIEWS A selection of reviews and top tips.


41


Find out where to go for your winter fix of Scottish flora and fauna.


40 VIEWS AND


What we are now beginning to realise is monoculturalism is not great for the economy either as it ends up degrading the natural capital stocks – water, biodiversity, soils – on which land-based enterprises ultimately depend. We urgently need a new approach to land use which protects and restores these natural stocks. The logic is simple and compelling: if our land is in good ecological health it will provide a whole range of valuable benefits including carbon storage, clean water, flood alleviation, productive soils and amazing places for people to experience wildlife. The last of these is perhaps the most important of all as more and more research links mental and physical wellbeing to regular contact with the natural world.


Scottish Wildlife magazine is published by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. © Scottish Wildlife Trust. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. All photography © Scottish Wildlife Trust unless otherwise stated. The Scottish Wildlife Trust accepts no liability for omissions or incorrect data in advertisements and letters. Views expressed in Scottish Wildlife are not necessarily those of the Scottish Wildlife Trust. ISSN: 0143 1234.


Registered office: Harbourside House, 110 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6NF. Tel: 0131 312 7765. Fax: 0131 312 8705. Email: enquiries@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk. Website: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk. The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland (no. SC040247). It is also a Scottish registered charity (no. SC005792). Scottish Wildlife is published three times a year: March, August and November.


The Scottish Wildlife Trust is affiliated to The Wildlife Trusts, a UK-wide network of 47 Trusts with more than 2,000 wildlife reserves.


NOVEMBER 2015 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 3


Deadlines for news and letters: 1 January, 1 June, 1 September. No unsolicited articles please. Scottish Wildlife is free to members. Membership rates from 1 April (excluding discounts for paying by Direct Debit): Individual (concession) £33 (£18); Joint (concession) £46 (£24); Family £53 (£48); Watch £18; Life (joint) £800 (£1,200); Senior Citizen Life (joint) £500 (£700).


Patron: HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay. Chairman: Robin Harper. Vice-Chairs: Jon Barnes, Amanda Forsyth, Karen Chambers. Chief Executive: Jonny Hughes. Editor: Jo Pike editor@swt.org.uk. Production Editor: Pete Haskell. Design: Connect connectcommunications.co.uk. Advertising: Elliot Whitehead 0131 561 0022, Clare Stebbing 0131 561 0024. Printing: Inkmark. Cover photo: © Fergus Gill/2020VISION


LUXURY BREAK FOR TWO IN A HIGHLAND CASTLE


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