ROBIN HARPER Chairman
Wildlife Matters
During my visit to the breeding bird colony on Handa Island this year I was reminded of how important some relatively small pockets of land can be for
wildlife. The Trust’s reserves protect a huge range of different habitats and species; from the record numbers of migrating pink-footed geese that flock to the mudflats of Montrose Basin each autumn, to the delicate and rare small blue butterfly which can be found breeding once more in the wildflower meadows at Gailes Marsh in Ayrshire.
But protecting these precious, nature-rich spaces can only be successful in the long term when combined with efforts to manage and restore the wider landscape. Only this way will our wildlife be able to thrive across the country and be conserved for generations to come.
At this year’s AGM we launched a new publication, 50 for the Future, which I encourage everyone to read. Available on our website and listing 50 key things that the Trust would like to see happen over the next 50 years, it contains ideas from our members and asks what Scotland could look like if all 50 are achieved.
Our daily decisions, discussions and actions can all help to shape the future of Scotland, whether it’s using fewer carrier bags (which will help to reduce the huge amount of plastic in our seas) or talking to our neighbours about wildlife-friendly gardening. So why not take a read through our 50 for the Future and think about what together we can do to make Scotland a better place for wildlife.
DOWNLOAD 50 for the Future online at:
scottishwildlifetrust.
org.uk/50forthefuture
Latest news
News from the Trust, our projects and the wider world of conservation
AT this year’s Annual General Meeting, the Trust launched 50 for the Future – 50 things that we believe should happen in Scotland over the next 50 years to save wildlife, restore ecosystems and boost our prosperity and wellbeing. It is the result of a question that we asked members, partners, staff and volunteers as part of our 50th Anniversary celebrations: “What one thing would most help Scotland’s wildlife in the next 50 years?” From saving the Scottish wildcat in our uplands, to bringing back beavers to our lowlands for good, de-paving our urban areas and ending the overfishing of our seas, the final 50 cover a huge range of subjects, issues, species and habitats. As well as it being freely available to read on our website, we will be publishing an article on our blog each week for the next year that focuses on one of the 50 things. By delving deeper into
TO DATE All the latest Trust news is available on our website scottishwildlife
trust.org.uk
KEEP UP
Trust launches 50 for the Future
each of the 50, we hope to explain why we think every one of them is important.
For more information and to find out how you can become involved, please visit:
scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/50forthefuture
Image left- right: Karra, Connel, Hannah and
Damien
New teenage Watch group
THE Moray Wildlife Watch group has transformed into the first group for teenagers (12+) after a green woodworking workshop proved very popular last year. Since then, the group has been given permission to use land on a local estate
4 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE NOVEMBER 2015
for their meetings and has even secured a grant from a local business. Recently, the teenage Watch members received a full day’s training from Scottish Wildcat Action, where they learnt how to set camera traps for the project.
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