Scotland: The New Wild

Nearly 800 islands lie off the coast of Scotland, and these are some of the most biodiverse places in the country where the mix of low intensity agriculture, wild spaces and a diverse and rich ocean has benefited numerous species. From the Shetland Isles in the north to the Inner Hebrides in the south, these isles are teeming with life.

More than 80 per cent of Scotland’s population live in the Lowlands, a vast swathe of the country stretching from Aberdeenshire in the north east to the border with England in the south. This is a landscape characterised by sprawling urban centres, huge areas of agricultural farmland, fragmented forests and mighty rivers. The Lowlands are the most intensely managed part of Scotland’s landscape. But wildlife still survives here, clinging on, and in some places a few species are beginning to stage a comeback.

The Highlands are a vast landscape covering much of Scotland. Dominated by mighty hills, glens, lochs, rivers and forests, it’s a landscape that has been heavily altered by people and climate. Once a great forest covered much of this land, but little now remains.