Can a barren Scottish glen be restored to a healthy ecosystem where native trees, shrubs, eagles, wild salmon, red squirrels can once again thrive?

On the 9th September 2024, our Principal Researcher in Process & Systems Modelling Helen Kettle attended a workshop for scientists organised by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and RESAS to discuss the science and research potential of FLS’s new public landholding in the Angus Glens. The vision is to “achieve a landscape fit for the future in the southern Cairngorms – through large-scale habitat restoration - to benefit people’s well-being, nature’s recovery, and climate resilience”. 

The Scottish Government funded the initial acquisition to help deliver outcomes and demonstrate how to tackle the biodiversity, climate, and public health emergencies via integrated land management at a landscape scale. Background to the project and future plans are available here. This includes a 3-minute video summarising the outcomes FLS hope to achieve in this landscape.

At the workshop the group were asked to consider:
• How we can work together to create an “outdoor living lab” for upland ecological restoration from natural, economic, and social perspectives;
• Providing evidence to monitor progress, demonstrate change, and inform adaptive management of this, and other similar, upland and montane environments;
• Connecting with wider projects and enable comparisons with other studies;
• Promoting scientific experimentation, teaching, discovery and learning;
• Informing policy development.
 

Emerging themes of the project, which could form the basis of scientific study and research are:
• Nature restoration and recovery – hydrology and rivers/ deer management/ peatland restoration, native woodland creation; species population changes and interactions; seed and plant genetics and sourcing
• Natural capital and ecosystem services – carbon/ flood mitigation/ recreation and access/ well-being/ socio-economic impacts and responses
• Climate change impacts, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience
• Policy testing including biodiversity net gain, green finance mechanisms, carbon and water codes, community asset transfers, public private partnerships, cross-ownership working.

Helen Kettle says: "This is an exciting opportunity and the workshop brought together people with a wide range of skills and ideas for how this project may progress – a very enjoyable and stimulating day and a chance to walk through a beautiful area!"