Member Profile

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture

25

https://www.scotlandbigpicture.com

  • 29%
  • 3
United Kingdom

Why Scotland?

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 native woodland covers just 2% of its former range, many species that were once prolific now teeter on the edge and our large carnivores are long gone. Over-grazed grasslands and treeless moors have become our signature landscapes. Scotland has become a nature-depleted nation.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Rewilding is an opportunity to help nature heal after centuries of impoverishment. It’s an opportunity for Scotland to lead the way in transforming its land and seas to merge people’s needs with the restoration of habitats and species.

50% by 2050

Why 2020?

We can stop the sixth mass extinction if we protect approximately 50% of the 846 ecoregions that provide habitat for all of Earth's biodiversity. That means finding leaders and organizations around the world willing to align exisiting efforts around protecting and interconnecting nature in the region.

Learn More
Over centuries, the ability of Scotland’s land and sea to sustain life in the long term has been diminished. We believe that improved ecological understanding will allow us to see new opportunities in the emergence of a wilder landscape where:

Our Vision For A Wilder Scotland

  1. There is an expanding network of wild forests supporting improved biodiversity, soil quality, water absorption and climate regulation.
  2. A greater diversity of wildlife is thriving, including key species such as beaver and lynx.
  3. Natural processes are understood and valued, and are shaping significant parts of our landscape, providing tangible benefits to a wide range of people.
  4. Extensive areas of peatland have been restored to store carbon and are hosting a full complement of moorland species, including raptors.
  5. At sea, a wider network of Marine Protected Areas is established and a healthier marine environment is supporting a greater number of indicator species such as whales and dolphins, as well as sustainable local fisheries.
  6. Vibrant communities are thriving by integrating their economic and social needs with the long-term restoration of species and habitats.

Allowing natural processes to flourish at a landscape-scale is a key element of our advocacy work. In Scotland, this requires a change in societal mindset - the winning of hearts and minds. By creating compelling visual media across a wide variety of platforms, we strive to do exactly that.

We advance that goal by informing, inspiring and influencing a wide range of people through books, films, syndicated photo stories, presentations and educational resources.

Get Involved

We encourage anyone to join our Think Like A Mountain community, named after the American conservationist Aldo Leopold.

Thinking Like A Mountain is having an understanding and appreciation for all living organisms and their connectedness, from the tiniest of bacteria to an apex predator and everything in between. The more of us who commit to Think Like a Mountain, the louder our voices become and the stronger the case for a wilder Scotland.

Join Here

How to Help

If you believe that we have a window of opportunity to end the Sixth Mass Extinction by protecting half of nature, act today and become a part of a global community transforming society's relationship with the natural world!

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Become a Member

Building political will for nature starts with building community. When your organization joins Nature Needs Half you create new opportunities for change in your region.
Donate

Support our work to protect half of nature. Your contributions go towards expanding and strengthening local coalitions around the world working to protect half of their regions.
Sign the Declaration

When you sign the Nature Needs Half Declaration you publicly declare your support for a respectful relationship with nature and build momentum for change!