SCOTLAND: A Rewilding Journey

Thank you to everyone who made this publication of the book possible, copies can now be purchased through SCOTLAND The Big Picture here.

During our original crowdfunding campaign, we successfully raised £26,660 thanks to 480 wonderful supporters. We are now continuing to accept donations to help us to keep working towards a wilder Scotland, where wildlife and people thrive. Find out more about our original plans below.

SCOTLAND: A Rewilding Journey

It wasn’t so long ago that vibrant, wild forest stretched across much of Scotland. Beavers and cranes were at home in extensive wetlands. Salmon and trout filled the rivers. Lynx, wolf and wild boar roamed wooded glades. Today, although it’s easy to be seduced by the raw beauty of the Scottish landscape, it is sadly an ecological shadow of its former self. Our large carnivores have gone, our woodlands are small and fragmented, and a bare, degraded landscape supporting little life stretches across millions of acres.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The book ‘SCOTLAND: A Rewilding Journey’ is a rallying call for a wilder Scotland, where forests abundant with life are regenerating, where rivers lined with alder and willow run freely, where damaged peatlands are revitalised and where oceans support the great whales. This landmark conservation book portrays a vision for a wilder Scotland – a place where nature works, where wildlife flourishes and crucially, where people prosper.

Trees for Life is an award-winning charity working to restore Scotland's ancient Caledonian Forest and the spectacular wildlife dependent upon it. For over 25 years, we have been been pioneering and practicing the principles of ecological restoration, or rewilding. Our long-term aim is to restore natural forests to a vast area of the Scottish Highlands, including our 10,000-acre Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Invermoriston.

Why this book?

The book comes at a tipping point in the history of Scotland’s Highland landscape – with gathering interest and understanding of what the benefits a wilder environment can bring for nature and people. We will use the book to ignite fresh conversations, unlock new doors and forge new relationships with key landowners, policymakers and rural interest groups – the people who shape Scotland’s landscape.

We are delighted to be working with colleagues at SCOTLAND: The Big Picture to produce this visionary publication. This book will set a new standard in rewilding communications: to inform and inspire and to nurture a greater appreciation of the true value of a wilder Scotland.

The production of this book is also being supported by other organisations that share our aims –Reforesting Scotland, Rewilding Britain, The Borders Forest Trust, and Woodland Trust Scotland.

What will the book contain?

SCOTLAND: A Rewilding Journey portrays an evocative vision for a future Scotland, where sea eagles soar, where red squirrels forage and where beavers engineer new wetlands. Stunning photography, insightful text, maps and graphics are all contained within this beautiful book.

Introduced by Steve Micklewright, CEO of Trees for Life, edited by Susan Wright and Peter Cairns, and with essay contributions from key conservationists such as Sir John Lister-Kaye and Dr Duncan Halley, the authors answer two key questions:

• What should Scotland look like?
• How do we make the journey from here to there?

The photographs are provided by the team at SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, which includes many of the country’s top nature and conservation photographers. They have spent three years capturing the beauty and drama of Scotland’s landscape and its wild inhabitants - golden eagles, beavers, ospreys and pine martens all feature.

Why should you help?

Right now, across the globe, nature is losing a war in which short-term economics trumps everything. Our climate is changing, species are being lost and basic natural resources such as clean air and water are under threat.

By supporting the publication of this inspiring book you are helping to make the case for a new approach – one which would make Scotland a world leader in ecosystem repair and restoration.   

Ways you can help

We would of course be delighted if you could support this campaign by pledging to buy the book, a print or other reward. If you do any of these things, we’d be extremely grateful and you’d be making a genuine contribution to a wilder Scotland.

Equally important is to spread the word. Any help via social media or just word of mouth would be massively appreciated. Trees for life and its partners, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, Rewilding Britain, Woodland Trust Scotland, Reforesting Scotland, and Borders Forest Trust will be tweeting and posting on Facebook and Instagram over the next few weeks. It would be great if you could follow us and share news of this stunning new book with your friends and family.

Timetable

The design for the book is taking place right now. The book is scheduled for delivery in late September and all books purchased via this campaign will be signed and delivered shortly afterwards.

The official launch event will take place in Inverness in the Autumn.

Sponsor Partners

Reforesting Scotland’s vision is for Scotland to have a well-forested and productive landscape as well as a culture which values the contribution that trees and woods bring to our lives. Since its beginnings in 1991, Reforesting Scotland has helped bring about a transformation in the way we, as a nation, view Scotland’s forest resource and the level to which communities have become involved in managing their local woodland.

Rewilding Britain’s vision is to see at least one million hectares in Britain supporting natural ecological processes for the benefit of people and nature and it’s mission is to demonstrate a model for rewilding that works at a scale new to Britain while providing opportunities for communities to flourish.

The Borders Forest Trust’s vision for the South of Scotland is for a place where a rich tapestry of native woodlands and wild places flourish, cared for by local communities. It is reviving the Wild Heart of Southern Scotland through demonstrating excellence in ecological restoration of its own properties, and through partnerships encouraging the development of woodland culture, enabling people to access woodlands, developing habitats and supporting environmentally sustainable economic activity.

Woodland Trust Scotland vision is a UK rich in native woods and trees, for people and wildlife. It works to plant new native woods, restore existing ones to peak condition, and halt the loss of ancient woods and trees to inappropriate development.

Book specification

• Hardcover with spot varnish treatment
• 240mm x 290mm landscape orientation
• 216 pages
• Printed on satin matt 150gsm FSC stock

Should a problem occur with the printing process then this will be dealt with as quickly as possible so that the scheduled publication date is not delayed. Should there be a delay of more than 2 weeks for any reason, then those concerned will be advised accordingly. The full cost to produce this book is £25,000.

**Rewards 'Fine art print' and 'Day tour of Dundreggan' include an A3 photographic print of your choice from the following selection.

Red squirrel

Caledonian rainbow

Sunset

Gannets  

Any surplus funds raised by this appeal will be used by Trees for Life to fund other activities which help restore the wild forest habitat. Images on page © scotlandbigpicture.com