Living Landscapes

What are Living Landscapes?

A 'Living Landscape' doesn't need to be a spectacular rural scene - our urban and rural environments are equally important in adapting to the threats of climate change. For nearly 100 years, conservationists have focused their efforts on a network of protected nature reserves, but we now know that this alone will not be enough to protect Scotland's wildlife for the future.

Red squirrels used to be able to get from one end of Scotland to the other without touching the ground. Now our woodlands are so fragmented this journey would be impossible. To tackle this, we need to be much more ambitious in the scale of our conservation efforts – piecemeal approaches simply will not work.

Current Living Landscape projects

In both rural and urban environments - north-west Sutherland and the central belt town of Cumbernauld - we are already working with a range of landowners, community groups and other agencies to create vibrant living landscapes. Our goals are ambitious. We want to transform these areas - covering over 66,500 hectares - into nature rich landscapes and in doing so bring long-term benefits for communities and wildlife.

But even these projects are part of a much bigger picture. The way land is managed (and mismanaged) is driven by policies and laws formed by parliaments and governments here and in Europe. Few of these hugely influential policies were designed with nature in mind, but by campaigning at Holyrood, Westminster and Brussels, we can achieve a truly living landscape.

How you can help

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is seeking support for our Living Landscapes initiative, helping reconnect Scotland’s wildlife and enable animals and plants to thrive, disperse and re-colonise our landscape. We have already secured £124,000 - over 70% of the funding required - for Phase 1 of this pioneering project. We now need your help to raise the remaining £50,000.

Click here to donate to the project, or become a member of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and add your voice to 36,000 others throughout Scotland. Alternatively, if you would like more information on the project, please contact Tony King - our Head of Policy - on 0131 312 7765, e-mail tking@swt.org.uk