Alladale 2013
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Transcript of Alladale 2013
A L L A D A L EW i l d e r n e s s R e s e r v e
R e s t o r i n g t h e B a l a n c eo f N a t u r e
Ten Years On
A V i s i o n
“I’ve been on both sides of the debate about land use in the Highlands. In the early 1980s my family invested in commercial forestry during which time I learned about deer management and grew to love these wild uplands. Over the following decade, however, I came to understand that the ecosystem of the Highlands was broken; the natural forests were gone, the soils depleted and large predators were extinct.
When I acquired Alladale in 2003 the aim was to repair
some of that damage by restoring the native flora and fauna and provide environmental education rather than focusing on the activities of a traditional sporting estate. This publication lays out what has been achieved during the last decade and what our plans are for the future.
Of course none of this would have been possible without the dedicated support of our staff, stakeholders and partner organisations. To all of you, I am very grateful.
We live by a simple ethos here at Alladale: Leave the land in a better condition than you received it”.
F o r e w o r d
Paul Lister, owner of AlladaleSeptember 2013
Ten years of achievement
Ten years of inspiration
• 800,000 native trees planted
• Peatland restoration
• Outdoor education for 1,600 local children
• Deer management
• Red squirrel reintroduction
• Wild boar research
• Highland cattle initiative
• Renewable energy and self-catering lodges
• Wildcat conservation
• Increased public debate over rewilding
W h a t h a s b e e n d o n e
R e f o r e s t a t i o n
Working towards our aim of
extending forest cover, we
have planted eight hundred
thousand native trees.
The ancient forests of
Scotland have been
shrinking for the last 4,000
years. First a cooler and wetter
climate,thentheaxe,fireand
livestock reduced natural forests
to remnants scattered across
the landscape. Along with the
forests went much of the fertility
of the soil, leached out by heavy
rainfall. The hills turned sour.
So far over 600 hectares (ha) of
new woodland - 800,000 trees -
have been planted. They will, in
time, provide the seed bank for
wider natural regeneration. The
species mix includes Scots pine,
birch, juniper, oak, rowan, alder,
willow, aspen and holly.
Much of this work has
been funded under the
Scottish Government’s Rural
Development Programme.
Alladale Wilderness Reserve
is also working with Highland
Birchwoods to expand coverage
further, which will include more
wildlife food sources such as
hawthorn and hazel.
Restoring its woodland is
central to the vision for the
Alladale Wilderness Reserve.
Trees provide the foundation
for everything else: Humus to
enrich the soil and a home for
the fungi, plants and insects
that are the building blocks of a
sustainable ecosystem.
“The way we manage land at Alladale is complex and exciting. The biggest kick for me is seeing the return of roe deer, squirrels and black grouse.” Innes MacNeil, Alladale Reserve Manager.
P e a t l a n d R e s t o r a t i o n
To further our land
management aims, we
successfully trialed a
peat restoration scheme,
restoring 224 ha of
degraded peatland as part
of the voluntary carbon
capture programme for UK
companies.
Healthy peatlands
sequester billions of
tons of carbon in layers of
decaying, moist vegetation. In
contrast, drained peatlands
in the United Kingdom
alone emit approximately
10 million tonnes of carbon
a year. Alladale Wilderness
Reserve hosted a pioneering
scheme run by PEATLANDS+
that links owners of drained
and damaged peatland with
companies wishing to “mitigate
their carbon footprint”.
Working with ICAP, a market
operator based in The City
of London, we initiated an
economically viable model by
blocking 20 kilometres of hill
drains, improving water quality
and regulating run-off.
Sphagnum moss, the plant that
drives peat formation, has re-
colonised. As each successive
season’s growth is subsumed,
so the carbon it contains is
locked away in the developing
peat. Landholders across the
UK can now derive an income
from the degraded peatlands
they commit to restoring. At
Alladale net revenues from
the scheme are retained by
The European Nature Trust,
PEATLAND+’s parent, to help
fund conservation and youth
education projects in Scotland.
ICAP CEO, Michael Spencer, agreed to finance the restoration of Alladale’s drained peatlands which now act as a carbon sink and will store all of ICAP’s emissions for 2011 & 2012.
O u t d o o r E d u c a t i o n
In the last 5 years we have
provided high quality
outdoor education to
children in south east
Sutherland, with 1,600
participants so far.
We need nature. Not
just for the “ecosystem
services” it provides but because
time spent in the wilds gives
usthechancetoreflectand
refresh. In the course of just
two generations, however,
the majority of children have
migrated indoors, taking less
interest in the natural world,
and growing less knowledgeable
andfitintheprocess.
Alladale Wilderness Reserve
provides the setting for children
to rediscover the world beyond a
screen and get a taste for a more
adventurous lifestyle under
canvas. The Alladale Challenge
is a 5 day programme where
children plant trees, scramble
in gorges, learn about wild
animal management, acquire
leadership and team building
skills, as well as hiking and
enjoying the great outdoors.
Alladale is also the exclusive
Scottish venue for the Bear
Grylls Survival Academy,
aimed at adults who want to
test themselves over a rigorous
week-long course.
“I was introduced to Alladale when my school participated in the Challenge. After that I was given the chance to learn more about the nature and history
of the Highlands. Now I work at Alladale doing something I love.”Ryan Munro, Alladale Reserve Ranger.
R e d D e e r M a n a g e m e n t
We wanted to manage our
red deer population better
to allow the forests to
regenerate naturally. We are
now seeing spontaneous
forest regeneration outside
the fenced areas.
In much of mainland
Europe red deer live in low
densities in forests, growing
much larger than their Scottish
cousins, who have adapted to
a harsher environment over
the centuries. Sporting Estates
here have tended to favour
higher numbers making it
hard, often impossible, for
trees to regenerate. At Alladale
Wilderness Reserve our aim has
been to regulate deer pressure
to encourage natural woodland
regeneration outside fenced
forestry enclosures.
Over the last ten years
our rangers have reduced
deer density by two thirds
to around 6 - 7 per square
kilometre. Now young trees
are already beginning to grow
outside fenced areas. In time,
established woodland accessible
to red deer will ensure better
winter survival, a healthier herd
and improved sport. Non-native
sika deer are heavily controlled
on the Reserve and thanks to
improved woodland cover native
roe deer have made a welcome
return to the glen.
“Our deer herd is much healthier now. Before, they had a much harder time throughout the winter and spring. We have stronger beasts and a better landscape”
Ronnie Macleod, Alladale Reserve Ranger.
R e d S q u i r r e l R e i n t r o d u c t i o n
We wanted to restore the
threatened red squirrel
to Alladale Wilderness
Reserve and a number
of neighbouring estates.
In 2013 we successfully
released 36 squirrels
and can witness the
first signs that they have
started to breed; further
translocations are planned
to augment the population.
From pest to national icon,
the red squirrel’s popularity
in the UK has risen as its
population has plummeted. Red
squirrels are poor competitors
with grey squirrels, especially
in mixed woodland. They are
also susceptible to the deadly
squirrel pox carried by the
greys.Overthelastfiveyears
The Highland Foundation
for Wildlife has worked with
Alladale and Dundonnell
Estates to re-establish red
squirrels in Sutherland and
earlier in Wester Ross. These
areas are all free from grey
squirrels and are likely to
remain so. The red squirrels are
collected, with a licence from
Scottish Natural Heritage, from
the strong populations in Moray
and Strathspey.
Translocations have been highly
successful: Radio tracking
shows that almost all the
squirrels survived and started
to reproduce in their new home
within months.
The Foundation, in partnership
with Alladale, is keen to
press ahead with further
translocations following the
protocols developed to date.
“We consider our translocation projects extremely successful; they have created healthy and robust red squirrel populations very well separated from the invasive grey squirrels.”
Roy Dennis, MBE. Highland Foundation for Wildlife.
W i l d B o a r R e s e a r c h
H i g h l a n d C a t t l eI n i t i a t i v e
We wanted to determine
the role of wild boar in
the ecology of Highland
woodlands. Our research
established a sound
scientific baseline.
To determine the true
extent of their role in
regeneration and potential use
in woodland management,
the University of Oxford’s
WildCRU set up a wild boar
research facility at Alladale
Wilderness Reserve. It was
found that, on average, one wild
boar works over about 42 square
metres of ground a week. They
were happiest rooting amongst
the trees but during the autumn
and winter they particularly
broke up bracken.
The research concluded
that boar do little to extend
woodland cover, but are
important for regeneration
within the forest. By suppressing
bracken and ploughing up
heather, biodiversity improves
and more seedlings are able to establish themselves.
Highland cattle at Alladale
are part of an Scotland Rural
Development Programme
funded moorland management
planandplayasignificant
“Our study showed that wild boar are a key part of woodlands, promoting beneath-canopy regeneration.”
Dr Christopher Sandom, Wild CRU, Oxford University.
role in changing biodiversity
through grazing and trampling.
Their dung encourages insect
life which in turn creates a
food source for many birds.
The cattle also enrich different
grasses in the riparian areas and
help break up the ground in
mature forestry enclosures.
R e n e w a b l e E n e r g y & S e l f - C a t e r i n g L o d g e s
At Alladale Wilderness
Reserve we realise the
seriousness of global
warming and continually
aim to reduce our
dependence on fossil fuels.
We have installed a
150kw hydro turbine
that has reduced the Reserve’s
traditional energy requirements
by 70 per cent. Additionally our
peatlands restoration project
providesasteadyflowof water
to the hydro catchment.
Two new self-catering lodges,
Eagles Crag and Ghillies
Rest, were built and designed
toenergyefficientstandards.
Future plans include the
construction of greenhouses
heated by the hydro turbine.
We aim to be an active
participant in the recovery
of the threatened Scottish
wildcat.
Persecution and cross
breeding with feral
domestic cats have combined
to threaten the survival of
the Scottish wildcat. Alladale
Wilderness Reserve has been
involved with various initiatives
intended to restore a viable
population. In partnership with
WildCRU at Oxford University,
studies have been carried
out to evaluate Alladale and
surrounding land as potential
wildcat habitat. The European
Nature Trust has built a
network of wildcat enclosures at
Alladale, providing a home for
individuals that have been tested
for genetic purity and paving
the way for a captive breeding
programme in the future.
Alladale has the potential to
play an important role in the
implementation of Scottish
Natural Heritage’s conservation
action plan.
W i l d c a t C o n s e r v a t i o n
M e d i a C o v e r a g eThe work done at Alladale
Wilderness Reserve has
been used to trigger a
wider debate about how we
manage the Highlands.
Alladale has attracted
extensive media attention.
While sometimes sensational,
the sheer number of column
inches, photos and broadcast
television hours has meant
that the Alladale vision and
the reasons behind it have
been well articulated to the
public. Alladale has played an
important part in introducing
the concept of rewilding to a
general audience. The particular
issues around reintroduction of
large carnivores and their role
in the landscape have also been
thoroughly aired and debated.
Articles have appeared in:
Scotland on Sunday; The Herald;
Press & Journal; The Sunday Times;
The Daily Mail; The Independent;
The Telegraph; The Guardian;
The Economist; Country Life; The
Evening Standard; Geographical
Magazine; Business Traveller; The
Scottish Field; Spears; Scotland
Magazine; Caledonian Mercury;
BBC Wildlife and Condé Nast
Traveller.
In 2007 the BBC commissioned
a Natural World documentary
and a 6 part TV series about
Alladale. Other coverage has
appeared on the Travel Channel,
Landward, Countryfile and BBC
News.
T h e N e x t 1 0 Ye a r s
We believe that an
ecosystem without
large predators is incomplete.
The wolf reintroduction in
Yellowstone has shown how,
by altering the number and
behaviour of grazing animals,
landscape-scale changes to
vegetation and biodiversity can
happen - and quickly.
Let us be clear: We’re not
proposing to have wolves
and bears running free on
Alladale or anywhere else in
the Highlands. Whatever the
actual risks, once these animals
disappear, a community forgets
within a generation how to live
alongside them and minimise
livestock losses.
We are, though, committed to
securing a substantial fenced
area so we can enjoy the
“Yellowstone Effect” in the
Scottish Highlands. We are keen
to work with other landowners
to realise this vision and achieve
significanteconomicbenefit
through tourism and related
activities in rural areas. This has
already happened elsewhere in
countries such as South Africa.
Across Europe, charismatic
species are returning unaided
to their former ranges and are
enriching the landscape. In The
United Kingdom we will need
to give them a little help.
At Alladale, we have established
a viable alternative to the
traditional sporting estate. If
you would like to speak to us we
would like to listen.
A l l a d a l e W i l d e r n e s s R e s e r v e i s p r o u d t o p a r t n e r w i t h
Design: Niall Benvie for the Wild Media Company.Photography: Niall Benvie - all, except: Pete Cairns p4, p16r, p20; Mark Hamblin p24tl; ICMI 18 & 19; Max Milligan p3, p11; Tony Ward, p10.
Produced by the Wild Media Company. [email protected]
A l l a d a l e W i l d e r n e s s R e s e r v e i s p r o u d t o p a r t n e r w i t h
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Alladale Wilderness ReserveArdgaySutherlandIV24 3BSScotland• [email protected]• +44 (0)20 7486 0800• www.alladale.co.uk
When one tugs at a single living thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world.
The European Nature Trust44 Welbeck StreetLondon W1G 8DY England• [email protected]• +44 (0) 20 7486 0800• www.theeuropeannaturetrust.com