Wild, free and coming back?
Report from the Reintroductions Conference
 Kenny Taylor giving his presentation during the conference. |
In September 2008, Trees for Life and the Wildland Network jointly hosted a conference at Findhorn, exploring the potential for reintroducing missing species to Scotland. Around seventy people attended, and we had some excellent speakers and fruitful discussions. Here is a glimpse of what proved to be a rich and exciting event.
Roy Dennis started with a presentation on the lessons learned from bird reintroductions. Roy was a key player in the reintroductions of the red kite and white-tailed eagle, as well as helping to encourage the return of the osprey. Among his key messages were the need for local people to be very much involved in reintroduction proposals from the outset, and the importance of having in-depth knowledge of the species being advocated. He also felt that the conservation world can be too conservative, and should seek to emulate business and commerce, that are more inclined to 'just get on with it'.
Iain Valentine of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland then gave an overview of the beaver trial that will begin in Argyll next year, which if successful, will result in the first ever reintroduction of a mammal to Britain.
Peter Cairns, wildlife photographer and one of the founders of Tooth and Claw, asked the crucial question: 'Facing the predator - are we ready?'. He felt that the issue of reintroductions isn't really a scientific one, and has more to do with people and their perceptions. He concluded that, in his view, the public aren't ready for large predators - just yet.
When would be the best time for reintroductions? Alan Watson Featherstone presented some targets to stimulate discussion, including 2043 (300 years after the local legend says that the last wolf was killed by the River Findhorn) as a target date for the return of the wolf.
Alan presented the concept of 'stretch goals', a principle that guides a lot of TFL's work. The idea is to set a target that may seem overly ambitious judged by the conventional mindset, and then looking at what steps would be needed to reach that goal, rather than just being limited by current thinking.
I enjoyed how interactive the conference was and we tried to ensure that as many people as possible got the opportunity to contribute. Workshop sessions went into more depth with the different species, discussing 'What? Where? How?' for beaver, lynx, wolf and herbivores.
On the first evening a local storyteller wove spellbinding tales, giving a glimpse of how our ancestors might have viewed some of the beasts they lived alongside.
Day two began with updates on some of the habitat restoration projects underway in Scotland, with reports on Carrifran Wildwood, and other forest restoration work in the Borders. There were presentations on the Alladale Project, as well as the work in Glen Affric, including the Guisachan Wild Boar Project. Such work obviously has a bearing on discussions about reintroductions, even if indirectly at first.
 One of the conference workshop groups, with the Tooth and Claw exhibition visible behind. |
It became clear that the science and ecological benefits are just one component of the reintroductions debate, and that there are strong cultural and aesthetic elements to bringing these species back. Kenny Taylor gave a fascinating presentation on the 'Lore of Fauna Celtica', offering an insight into some of the cultural and linguistic history surrounding our missing fauna, although he emphasised how little knowledge there is of our ancestors' beliefs about the wildlife that surrounded them.
Various workshops then examined the 'new folklore' surrounding reintroductions and the politics of reintroductions, as well as issues such as livelihoods from reintroductions, farming, forestry and game concerns and how reintroduced species can drive ecosystem restoration.
Towards the end of the conference several groups were established to investigate how best to move the debate forward and the main event was cheerfully concluded with a debate entitled 'The return of the wolf - is Scotland's psyche ready?' which proved to be an interesting and good humoured finale.
The field trips to Glen Affric (hosted by Forestry Commission Scotland who have a neutral policy on reintroductions), Alladale and Carrifran, gave delegates a chance to discuss issues in some superb settings, adding a fitting touch of wildness to the event.
A huge thanks to the many people who help to make the event a success, including the speakers and delegates, the field trip hosts, the Findhorn Foundation and the many volunteers who helped with logistics.
To see the proceedings of the conference, please visit the Wildland Network and Trees for Life websites.
Dan Puplett
Return to Missing Species of the Caledonian Forest.
Related Pages
- Our Once and Future Fauna
- Wild, Free and Coming Back?: A two-day conference hosted by the Wildland Network and Trees for Life, 16 & 17 September 2008
- Postcard from Slovakia, from Caledonia Wild! Summer 2009
- Postcard from Transylvania, from Caledonia Wild! Winter 2007
- Return of the Wild by Roy Dennis
- The Meaning and Relevance of Rewilding in Scotland (abstract of MSc dissertation)