Norway planted a lot of sitka in the sixties. Now it is unwanted and cost a fortune and is a struggle to get rid of.

Meanwhile in Britain people are still wondering if we can ever learn to live alongside beavers or wild boar or lynx. I'm not saying this stuff is easy, but when people say in this country that we can't have any larger animals, we are basically saying we are too special - or too useless.

Experts call for restrictions on pet flea treatments that harm UK songbirds Chemicals known to affect brains of common garden birds, and to kill unborn chicks, found in most feather samples Conservationists have called for restrictions on pet flea treatments after research found songbird feathers widely contaminated with substances that can damage the birds’ brains and kill unborn chicks. Almost every feather sample tested from five common species of UK garden birds contained either permethrin, imidacloprid or fipronil – all insecticides that are banned for agricultural use but still common in pet tick and flea treatments. Continue reading...

Experts call for restrictions on pet flea treatments that harm UK songbirds

An undulating landscape covered in green woodland stretches towards the horizon. In the foreground, a man with a backpack looks into the distance, taking in the view. A bumblebee, cuckoo bird and a small tortoiseshell butterfly are overlaid. Text reads, "Starting tomorrow: DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT for a wilder Scotland." The logo for "Earth Raise Big Give" is in the bottom right corner.

⏳ It's on the horizon! From tomorrow, 22 April, you can double your impact for nature through the @biggive.bsky.social #EarthRaise campaign. Help create a wilder Scotland, one place at a time.

👉 Donate from noon on 22 April: https://biggive.pulse.ly/fhfftyworm

#MakingRewildingHappen

‘They come right past the house’: learning to live with rhinos as numbers soar in Nepal The country is seeing an increase in human-wildlife conflict as the number of megafauna, including rhinos and tigers, grows. But there are efforts to tackle the problem around Chitwan national park th...

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Wetter is better! 💦 ...at least when it comes to peatland.

Great to visit the team of excavators busy working away to rewet, restore and rejuvenate over 1,000 hectares of degraded peat on the high hills of Affric Highlands. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Read the story ➡️: rewildingeurope.com/news/a-peatl...

#rewilding

🦫 The last instalment of our 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 series shows the moment a beaver family is released into a new home. This outcome was made possible by a local community choosing to welcome and live alongside them – reflecting a more hopeful future for both beavers and people in Scotland.

David Attenborough takes on PHEASANTS!

“Native to Asia, but now released into our countryside on an industrial scale, over 30 million every year… eating vast numbers of insects, reptiles and amphibians every day.”

Time for the Government to regulate this out-of-control industry

#SecretGarden

Colin Murdoch is a deer stalker on Scotland’s west coast.

The notion of ‘people from the outside’ imposing their vision and values on what Colin refers to as ‘the native people’ is a recurring theme at the human-wildlife faultline.

Listen to episode 4 - People Like You: attheedge.org.uk/podcast/

🦫 In this second instalment of our 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 series, a family of beavers found living beneath a road culvert is relocated to a new home better suited to its needs.

Stay tuned for part three, coming very soon!

#BeaverDiaries #RewildingScotland #MakingRewildingHappen

Ireland’s hills are victims of policy that hurts farmers and nature Incentives to do the wrong thing have hindered habitats, wildlife and good farming practice

Sheep grazing is a sensitive issue but is also unavoidable if there is to be nature restoration on the hills.

www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

The Welsh are reclaiming rewilding Rewilding has been a dirty word in Wales. It's time to embrace it, writes Jon Moses of the Welsh Rewilding Alliance.

Today, we have published an essay by @jon-moses.bsky.social on why it's time to reclaim rewilding in Wales. Come for the Edwardian naturalist being astonished by massive snakes, stay for the assessment of why rural Wales needs nature restoration.
www.inkcap.co.uk/the-welsh-ar...

UK butterflies declining after 50 years of data Volunteers led by Dorset-based Butterfly Conservation have gathered more than 44m records.

More evidence that conservation is not working

I don’t mean conservation methods, which are often effective

I mean conservation as a socio-political endeavour

Vested interests, focussed on exploiting the natural world, outweigh the best efforts of conservationists
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Time for a Reset in Scotland’s Approach to Nature Restoration It's time to accept reality: private finance isn't going to fund the investment Scotland needs.

Surely this week's news about the breakdown of Scottish Government's nature finance pilot means its time for a reset in Scotland's approach to restoration? My latest blog for @futureeconscot.bsky.social ⬇️

www.futureeconomy.scot/posts/460-ti...

Great habitat creation from Deadwood. The @ark-rewildingnl.bsky.social illustration showcasing the key role in natural processes is available in 12!!!! languages. Not Irish for @irishrainforest.bsky.social specifically.

winkel.ark.eu/sites/defaul...

Tonight Wednesday 15th April.

It's hard to square the economics of private finance + nature restoration, which don't stack up, with the hype from the sector and Scottish Govt (who really want this to work).

That's why this guest blog from Tom, who has been on the other side of these attempted deals, provides crucial insight ⬇️

Repeatedly we get stories about how groups like pollinators, fungi or top predators are critical for ecosystems

All species functional groups are important, through their roles in the ecosystem and interactions with other groups

Nearly 1 in 6 UK species are threatened with extinction.

We've lost 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930s.

We have 73 million fewer birds than in the 1970s - a decline of almost a third.

And yet some politicians still just see wildlife as a blocker to progress.

Rewilding farmland, soon after the trees spring up unplanted, a host of wildflowers and other ground flora move in, like this wood sorrel. Then come the insects, followed by birds and other animals.

It's all just so beautiful, and so *hopeful*.

They used to say 'no farmers, no food.' Now it's 'no fuel, no food.' Both miss the point.

The truth is simpler: No nature, no food. Everything else is secondary.

Significant that this post has no likes, no re-posts, but 13 previous quote-posts, every one of which is rightly critical to varying degrees of the bs 'we put the food on the table' narrative.

It's time for a mature national conversation about nature loss, climate breakdown, and REAL food security.

A promotional poster for "Rewilding Learning Days" in May 2026. The design features several segmented images: a vegetable garden; a woman in a purple shirt working on a laptop by a window; a landscape with young trees in a fenced enclosure; and a sunset over a wetland. The images are arranged against a grey background with a stylised logo of a mountain and river forming a leaf shape.

Split image. On the left side, a vibrant vegetable garden is pictured, with trees in the background. The text overlay reads, "The Sustainable Food Garden" with details about an event on 08 May 2026 at Faldonside Eco, Melrose, focused on sustainable food in a rewilding context. On the right side, A woman in a purple top sits in a wood-panelled room with a large window overlooking a green landscape. She is working on a laptop, with the screen displaying charts and text. The lower part of the image features a graphic promoting an event called "Principles of Rewilding," scheduled for May 9, 2026, in Edinburgh City Centre, focusing on ecological restoration.

Split image. On the left side, tree saplings grow in a fenced enclosure, with distant mountains under a blue sky. The scene is overlaid with text: "All About Trees," with details of an event on 28 May 2026 at Lynbreck Croft, Grantown-on-Spey, focusing on tree planting and cultivation. On the right side, an aerial view of a landscape in the Cairngorms is featured, with a winding river surrounded by dense green forests and open fields. The sky is partly cloudy, and hills stretch into the background. Text overlay reads: "Letting Nature Lead. 29 May 2026 | Ballintean Lodge, Cairngorms. Discover the impact of 30 years of letting nature lead on a 120-acre farm holding in the Cairngorms."

Our one-day, expert-led training courses help you build practical knowledge and deepen your understanding of key rewilding themes. May dates are filling fast, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Secure your place now 👉 https://scotlandbigpicture.pulse.ly/xpv7g3ayfo

I can’t recommend these courses enough.

TAKES TWO MINS!
Pre-written email HERE✨
www.scottishwildbeavers.org.uk/take-action/...

If you care about river restoration, help us by emailing your MSP candidates before the election later this year.

#Holyrood2026
#ineligiblefeatures

@ariane-burgess.bsky.social
@scottishgreens.org

Aside: great to see some regenerating forest but despite what I know has been a huge effort it's mostly patches within fences for now. The whole landscape should be alive with trees, montane scrub, bog, birds, small mammals, amphibians & reptiles – not grazed to ruin by deer & the occasional sheep

A rainforest in Costa Rica

In 1983, 75% of Costa Rica's forests were gone. Today it's a biodiversity haven - half the country is covered in trees.

They abolished their army in 1948 and spent the money on schools, healthcare and forests.

That bet changed everything for the better.

If Costa Rica can do it, anyone can.

A deer stalker in outdoor clothing uses binoculars to scan a moorland landscape with trees and snow-capped mountains in the distance, under a blue sky. They have a rifle slung over their back.

This Saturday, 11 April, we’re taking part in a panel discussion at the Stalking Show. Hosted by The British Deer Society, the panel explores how rewilding and modern deer management intersect – and where they clash.

More details and tickets here 👉 https://thestalkingshow.pulse.ly/udjfakl4qw