Communities, conservation and change in Scotland’s wild places

Wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan meets up with our Director of Policy Mike Daniels to discuss the land ownership in Scotland, how nature restoration can involve communities and the complex issue of deer management. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDQHtnR6pCk&t=719s 

In Beneath the Baobab from Jamma International, wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan hosts cutting-edge conversations about conservation work led by communities around the world. 

In this special final episode for the series, Gordon meets up with the Trust's Director of Policy Mike Daniels. They take a walk through the beautiful landscape of East Schiehallion in Perthshire, and discuss the unique nature of land ownership in Scotland - and how that might be changing as more communities begin to take on stewardship of the land.

Mike also shares schemes that have been put in place to restore a pre-Victorian version of nature and biodiversity to some of the areas they manage. They discuss the complex issue of deer management and the impact of burgeoning populations on animal health and trees, as well as how rewilding can involve communities and begin to address the imbalances and problems created by past exploitative land practises in Scotland. The pair finish their walk with a conversation about the proposed Carbon Emissions Land Tax and how this pioneering new legislation might support land use models that allow people and nature to co-exist.

Prefer to listen? You can catch the interview on Acast or search 'Beneath the Baobab' from wherever you get your podcasts.