Article Source: Richard Bunting PR
Last Updated: 27 July 2019 12:12
Against a backdrop of global biodiversity crashes and climate breakdown, a major conference in Stirling this September will examine how Scotland can reverse its widespread depletion of nature and become a world leader in restoring its land and seas to good health, so wildlife and communities can flourish.
The Big Picture Conference will explore the potential for rewilding large parts of Scotland’s forests, peatlands, rivers, moorlands and seas, and the benefits this could bring for declining wildlife such as red squirrel, wildcat and capercaillie, as well as for people’s health, wellbeing and employment.
Hosted by communications group SCOTLAND: The Big Picture at the University of Stirling’s Macrobert Arts Centre on 21 September, the event will examine why rewilding – the repair and restoration of nature – matters.
The conference – the only event of its kind in Scotland – will focus on solutions rather than reinforcing problems. There will be inspirational presentations and examples from around the world, delivered by leading rewilding practitioners, policy makers and storytellers.
“Scotland is blessed with awe-inspiring landscapes, but huge areas have become ecologically depleted. Woodlands, wetlands and peatlands across the country are all shadows of what they could be. But with different thinking, Scotland could become a world-leader in restoring its ecosystems to good health, for both wildlife and people,” said Peter Cairns, Director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.
“We’re aiming for a great day of inspiring presentations and thought-provoking discussions.”
Scotland’s biggest habitat restoration project – Cairngorms Connect, a land manager partnership that is enhancing habitats across a vast area of Cairngorms National Park– will feature at the event, as will Lynbreck Croft, whose owners are farming with nature.
The keynote presentation will be from the inspiring American Prairie Reserve, where three million acres of public and private lands across Montana, USA are being reconnected to benefit nature and people.
SCOTLAND: The Big Picture says rewilding could provide employment, especially in the Highlands and Islands, where otters, deer, puffins and sea eagles already support a growing nature tourism economy. Nature’s benefits also include beavers reducing flooding, trees providing food, and peatlands soaking up carbon. Increasingly, studies show how nature boosts people’s health, and is good for children.
The organisers hope to encourage debate and discussion, and also cooperation between different groups. They say rewilding can co-exist well with farming, forestry and recreational activities.
Anyone can attend the conference, which is sponsored by The Woodland Trust and Ecosulis. Tickets can be purchased at www.scotlandbigpicture.com/conference
SCOTLAND: The Big Picture is Scotland’s first organisation wholly dedicated to rewilding advocacy and communications. Its mission is to help drive transformational change towards a vast network of rewilded land and sea, where wildlife and communities can flourish. See www.scotlandbigpicture.com
The young women of Wallace High School will have the support of an old hand when they attempt to make history next week at Hampden Park.
READ MOREThe Go Forth Stirling team are spearheading a drive to clean up the city’s streets and improve the environment with a series of litter-picking sessions. The first one is Saturday 11th May.
READ MORETop Dogs is back! Dog lovers invited to come and have a fun day out with their four-legged family members.
READ MORESterling Home and Woody want to bring people together at the Tillicoultry store on Thursday 9th May to celebrate the new Woody pizza oven launching across all stores and online.
READ MOREBritain's biggest independent craft brewer, BrewDog is giving beer lovers a chance to 'Drink Beer, Win Cash' with the return of its Cash Cans scavenger hunt this Spring.
READ MOREEuropean Ryder Cup stars Ludvig Åberg, Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland are set to reunite at the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open.
READ MOREStirling’s 900th anniversary celebrations got underway in style in the spring sunshine last Friday (26 April) as partners came together to launch an exciting year-long programme of events.
READ MOREEnvironmental charity FEL Scotland is celebrating five years of its school-based active travel hubs, marking a significant milestone for the innovative education programme.
READ MOREEnvironmental charity FEL Scotland is leading the charge against climate change with the launch of Forth Valley & the National Park Climate Action Hub.
READ MOREThe Thomas Graham Library in Strathblane, which opened last year, is to have its first Art Exhibition on 11th and 12th May.
READ MOREDementia specialist nursing charity, Dementia UK, is running its 14th annual 'Time for a Cuppa Fundraiser' to raise vital funds for the leading cause of death in the UK.
READ MOREDobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is inviting children aged four to 10 to a free workshop in May to learn more about trees and how to protect them.
READ MOREIt's just days until the opening of the Homebuilding & Renovating Show, which is back SEC, Glasgow on 11-12 May 2024.
READ MOREGlasgow to Loch Lomond was a sea of tartan today as the world's biggest ever Kiltwalk took place, with fundraising already exceeding £2.5m.
READ MOREA brand new artwork that celebrates Stirling’s people and its history will be officially unveiled in the city centre today for the launch of Stirling’s 900th anniversary celebrations.
READ MOREA spectacular multimedia show celebrating Vincent van Gogh's life and stunning artworks is coming to Glasgow this summer!
READ MORENational Theatre of Scotland launches a new interactive map for Scotland to demonstrate its love for the Big Yin, inviting people to share their own Billy Connolly memories.
READ MORETouring Scotland from June, the cast is announced for Hen Night Horror, an original musical comedy that promises to put the willies right up ye!
READ MOREAldi Scotland's popular 'Best Home Bar' competition has returned for another year, with a year's supply of beer up for grabs!
READ MOREPaisley Food and Drink Festival returns to the town this weekend for a two-day feastival with plenty for everyone to sample and enjoy.
READ MOREWith a staggering 14 million adults in the UK unable to swim, the team behind The Learn to Swim National Framework has launched a new campaign to encourage adults in Scotland to learn the life skill.
READ MOREStirling Highland Games and the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum Forge Historic Partnership to Commemorate Stirling's 900th Anniversary.
READ MOREStirling’s Remembering Together project is set to host a celebration of community, creativity and the changing seasons on Thursday 2nd May in the heart of Cornton.
READ MORENow in its 30th year, the show is the go-to exhibition for any self-builders or renovators looking for practical tips, expert advice, or the chance to view 1000s of products.
READ MOREStirling Council is thrilled to announce the creation of Stirling Studios, which will be among the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland.
READ MOREFamilies have been following a fascinating trail featuring life-size brick models of sea creatures around Stirling at the BRICKLIVE Ocean tour which runs until Sunday April 21st.
READ MORELatest investigations by National Trust for Scotland archaeologists at Culloden Battlefield have recovered a wide range of artefacts.
READ MOREThe Stirling Highland Games Committee is thrilled to announce that former Scotland International hooker Kevin McKenzie has been appointed as the Honorary Chieftain for the 2024 Games.
READ MORE17 year old Brodie Brown from Stirling goes head-to-head for ‘Song of the Year’ at The John Lennon Songwriter Awards despite life-long physical and mental health battles.
READ MOREThe Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Scottish Game Fair (SGF) is back for 2024, celebrating its 35-year anniversary at Scone Palace.
READ MORE