Move over Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell!  Icons of a different kind have caught the attention of 20 of the UK’s most celebrated nature photographers, who are now pointing their lenses at Scotland’s wildlife as part of an ambitious two-year mission to inspire the general public about the benefits of repairing, restoring and reconnecting our natural environment.

Kicking off in Scotland this week, 2020VISION, a project aiming to communicate the importance of restoring Scotland’s biodiversity by using the emotional power of visual imagery on a scale never before attempted, will undertake its first Scottish assignment in the north west Highlands. A team of professional photographers will visit the remote and mountainous area of Coigach and Assynt, north of Ullapool, to capture the essence of the Scottish uplands and the communities that live and work there.

2020VISION chose this area to work in because the Scottish Wildlife Trust is already working with major landowners in the area, including John Muir Trust, Assynt  Foundation, Culag Community Woodland Trust, Tanera Mor and Eisgh Brachaidh, to look at the environmental issues facing the area on a landscape scale and plan how to work together to address them. 

The ambition is that Coigach and Assynt will become the focus of one of the biggest conservation restoration projects ever attempted in the UK thanks to this new and growing partnership of local organisations and landowners, working together towards a vision of sustainable thriving communities living and working in a healthy and resilient environment. 
 

Jonny Hughes, the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Director of Conservation, said:  “The Scottish uplands are an important and iconic part of Scotland’s landscape, but their beauty can sometimes mask dramatic declines in wildlife and natural habitats, particularly our native pine, oak and birch woodlands which have been lost and fragmented over centuries of exploitation.

“With the remnants of now rare habitats like peatbogs and native forests still remaining in isolated parts of the Coigach and Assynt area, there’s still time to restore and reconnect these lost fragments , and in doing so bring benefits to people as well as wildlife. 

“Ultimately our vision is to create healthy and resilient ecosystems across large areas of Scotland which serve the interests of visitors and local communities alike. Restoration of nature on this scale will create jobs; paths will be built, trees grown and planted, peatlands restored and land actively and sustainably farmed to provide livelihoods as well as places in which nature can thrive.  Partnership working is vital to achieving such an ambitious vision and everyone will have a part to play if we are ultimately going to bring about positive change.

“By working together to achieve a healthy landscape, communities will also benefit from so called ‘ecosystem services’ – cleaner water, productive soils, attractive landscapes – whilst also contributing to the storage of carbon through peatland and forest restoration.  Thriving wildlife also brings nature-based tourism benefits, currently estimated to be worth £1.4 billion a year to the Scottish economy with plenty of room for growth.

“We hope to launch a landmark project in Coigach and Assynt within the next six months, which will not only focus on improving the landscape to benefit iconic species like golden eagles, pine martens and basking sharks, but will take wildlife conservation in a new direction looking at the bigger picture of ecosystem scale conservation and including work which creates economic opportunities for local people.”

Mark Hamblin, 2020VISION photographer, added:  “This is the first 2020VISION assignment to get underway in Scotland and I can’t think of a better place to begin.  The natural landscape surrounding Coigach and Assynt is truly stunning; it really is a photographer’s dream.  

“Despite areas where evidence of habitat fragmentation and degradation are clearly visible, there are still remnants of an upland ecosystem functioning at its best here. The goal for the 2020VISION team working on this assignment is to capture the scale and varying condition of this landscape and to visually communicate why we must do more to protect and restore the natural environment here and across the UK.

“Like the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s determination to work in partnership with local communities, we will be working closely with local land owners and community organisations to find out their views about what action needs to be taken.”

A selection of images taken by 2020VISION's assignment to Coigach and Assynt will be released from www.2020v.org later this month, and the team plans to return to the area in June to continue to collect more stunning images to inspire the public.

***ENDS***
 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR IMAGE REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Nicola McGovern, PR and Communications Manager
nmcgovern@swt.org.uk
0131 312 4742

             
Notes to Editors

1. The Scottish Wildlife Trust is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 36,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. The Scottish Wildlife Trust seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.

2. The Scottish Wildlife Trust receives financial assistance and support from a range of organisations, funders and individuals including Scottish Natural Heritage and People’s Postcode Lottery.