Humans and nature have an intrinsic relationship, rewilding cannot happen without each.
12/ The paper finishes by tying the concept of dùthchas with TEK, giving Gaels a vital perspective for rewilding initiatives in Scotland. Rewilding should embrace these perspectives of local Gaels to manage the landscape in a way that respects their culture and relationship with nature. 💚
11/ The author emphasises how TEK is instead a dynamic knowledge, changing in parallel with a rapidly developing world. TEK consistently adapts throughout time, maximising its compatibility with constantly evolving rewilding principles.
10/ Importantly, ‘traditional’ mustn’t be interpreted as something that is historic and unchanging as this would conflict with modern rewilding philosophies. Historic practices in Scotland have adapted to the absence of apex predators so much so, that they would be incompatible with reintroductions.
9/ The author defines TEK as a concept which recognises the cumulative, environmental knowledge held within Gaelic communities. As a valuable pool of knowledge, unique to Gaelic communities, it would help to increase the efficacy of rewilding strategies.
8/ Communities were worried that failure to consider their own tradition ecological knowledge (TEK) would not only hinder rewilding processes but may also erase their own Gaelic culture and traditions which are intertwined with their ancestral landscapes (dùthchas).
Scotland’s Wild Land map created in 2014
7/ Scotland’s Wildland Maps, which designated areas of wilderness that only existed due to the highland clearances, further exacerbated this divide. It created conflict between the Gaelic communities who historically occupied these areas and the organisations attempting to rewild these areas.
6/ The opinions of Gaels reinforced a lack of cooperation between rewilding organisations and their own communities. Management decisions were sometimes communicated only after they had already been made reinforcing a negative image of rewilding within Gaelic communities.
5/ Questionnaire interviews were carried out, asking these Gaelic communities about their
views on Highland rewilding organisations, methods, protected areas and their
inclusion in the decision-making process of rewilding these ‘wilderness’ areas.
‘Allt a’ Mhadaidh: Stream of the Wolf, at the foot of Schiehallion.’- my take on depicting the relationship between Gaelic and nature, dùthchas. These place names serve as a reminder of what once was found in Scotland, and how dùthchas can help inform rewilding.
4/ The Highlands represent deeply cultural landscapes, shaped by centuries of the Gaelic
language and history. For many Gaels, this relationship is expressed through the
concept of dùthchas, which refers to the deep sense of belonging to a place’s
landscape and culture. 🌱
The Last of the Clans, Thomas Faed (1825-1900) depicting people forced to leave their Highland homes.
3/ The paper focuses on the displacement of Gaels during the Highland Clearances
(1750-1860), moving them away from their ancestral land. This resulted in our modern
perception of the Highlands as a wild, empty landscape despite it’s ancestral, cultural
significance to Gaelic communities.
2/ The author identifies how the idea of ‘wilderness’ - wild areas devoid of human activity -
is creating a barrier between humans and nature. As anthropogenic activity increases,
the concept of wilderness will continue to be threatened unless coexistence with nature
becomes better valued. 🌍
1/ Today, we’re looking at a paper which explores the lack of inclusion of Gaelic
communities in rewilding management of historic Gaelic land. 🏴
The paper discusses:
1) The Gaelic concept of dùthchas
2) Traditional Ecological Knowledge
3) How these ideas relate to conservation and rewilding debates
*conservationist - person who works to protect the environment, not a conservative :))
any length which makes me reconsider why I’m doing this to myself…
hey friends! joining the bandwagon over here. I’m Katie, 20yo conservationist from Scotland 🌿
I study ecology and conservation at St Andrews, and work a lot with organisations like BTO and RSPB to increase youth engagement in the environment sector 🐛
I also love really really long hikes 👀