Wild Strathfillan
Wild Strathfillan is a bold project aimed at restoring an area of 50,000 hectares in the north of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park through habitat creation and restoration. Led by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Countryside Trust, it involves over 30 partners, including land managers, local communities, NGOs, and statutory bodies. The initiative focuses on habitat creation and restoration, enhancing a nature recovery network to support iconic Scottish wildlife and their habitats. This effort will also boost climate resilience in the area. Strathfillan’s unique habitats, such as temperate rainforest and Caledonian pinewoods, make it a crucial part of broader restoration efforts in Central Scotland, linking with projects like The Great Trossachs Forest.
Strathfillan
Over time, Strathfillan’s vital habitats have become degraded and fragmented, with heavy grazing by herbivores confining vegetation to inaccessible ledges and human impacts such as littering and fires further damaging fragile areas. Woodlands struggle to regenerate, and climate change exacerbates these issues. Strathfillan is a unique and biologically important landscape, home to the last Caledonian pinewoods in the National Park, rich montane flora, peatland, and riparian habitats. It includes designated sites like SSSIs, SACs, and the Breadalbane Mountains Important Plant Area, and is an SPA for Golden Eagles. Iconic species such as Black Grouse, Red Squirrel, and Osprey inhabit this precious area.
Vision for Nature
Wild Strathfillan aims to deliver successful nature restoration work alongside traditional rural industries that underpin the local economy and employ local people. Through targeted ecological restoration, Wild Strathfillan will create a nature recovery network across the landscape, restoring natural processes and ecological functions for a healthier, more resilient, and connected environment. Its strategic location and rich diversity of habitats make it a crucial part of a broader nature recovery network in Central Scotland. The project connects with Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve, The Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve, The Temperate Rainforest Zone, Forth Climate Forest, and Perthshire Nature Connections Partnership. These connections will enhance the impact on both nature and local communities.
Working for Nature
A key part of the project has already commenced with the establishment of a specialist plant nursery at Glenfalloch, where native tree species are thriving. Volunteers and staff have planted locally collected seeds, including Oak, Rowan, and Caledonian Pine, which are adapted to the local conditions. These trees will eventually be planted across the Strathfillan landscape, expanding native woodlands and creating wildlife corridors. The nurseries will also propagate some of the region’s rarer non-woody plants, such as Globeflower, known for its bright yellow, spherical blooms in early summer.
How you can help
If you would like to receive updates about this initiative you can download the Wild Strathfillan newsletter.
To find out more visit the community news website or the Wild Strathfillan project website.
Could spending more time among trees be good for us?🌳
Research into forests suggests natural compounds called phytoncides could promote a sense of wellbeing and that time spent in woodlands can help decrease feelings of stress and anxiety.
Forest bathing is the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku - which translates as ‘forest bath.’ It’s all about immersing ourselves in nature. Not to get steps in. Not to reach anywhere. Just to feel, be still and be present.
And our National Parks can certainly help. From pine forests and wooded valleys to ancient trees. Our parks are helping people to slow down and reconnect with the natural world every day.
Have you ever tried forest bathing? Tell us below👇
1. Stanmer Woods - @southdownsnp
2. Whinlatter Forest - @lakedistrictnpa
3. Cairngorms National Park @cairngormsnationalpark
4. North York Moors National Park @northyorkmoors
#Mindfulness #ForestBathing #Wellbeing #NationalParks
Has the rain reached you yet? 🌧️
A change in the weather is making its way across our National Parks. And with it comes a different rhythm to the landscape - changing how our surroundings look, sound and feel.
The sound of rain. The smell of wet earth. The air feeling fresher. Wildlife finding shelter.
What do you notice most when the rain arrives?
#RainyDay #BritishWeather #NationalParksUK
They may look like windmills, but in The Broads National Park, they are actually windpumps.
Rather than grinding flour, they were built to pump water from the marshes, helping to drain the land for agriculture and grazing.
Today, these distinctive structures are part of what makes the Broads landscape so recognisable.
And while this is a story from the Broads, it’s one that can be found across all 15 of our National Parks - landscapes shaped by people finding ways to adapt to live and work within their landscape. Something which still remains the case today.
Did you know that one of these mills is said to be haunted? Comment down below which one you think it is 👇
In photograph order:
📍1. St Benets Mill
📍2. Horsey Mill
📍3. Turf Fen Mill
📍4. Thurne Mill
📍5. Bograve Mill
#NorfolkBroads #NationalPark #Windpumps
✨🌙 Look up!
With a partial solar eclipse taking place tonight across the UK, we’re reminded about how important it is for our dark skies to be protected. Our National Parks are home to some of the best places in the UK to enjoy them, due to low levels of light pollution.
These incredible photos capture another recent celestial phenomenon that has been on display for stargazers and is peaking tonight - the Perseid meteor shower.
The sightings were captured in @northyorkmoors - home to one of the UK’s largest areas of protected dark sky.
🌟Tag us in your eclipse photos across our National Parks. Just be sure to follow safe viewing and photography guidance while you snap!
📷 1. Perseid meteor shower at Skelton Tower by Richard Horsman.
📷 2. Milky Way and Perseid meteor shower at Sutton Bank by Russ Norman.
📍North York Moors National Park #DarkSkies #SolarEclipse #Perseid #MeteorShower
Just goats being goats. 🐐
These incredible animals call the Valley of Rocks in @exmoornp home - scaling walls and cliffs, grazing on the rich meadows and, occasionally, blocking the roads!
They’re a wonderful reminder of why our National Parks are so important, providing a home for such a diverse range of wildlife.
Have you ever spotted one?
📷 Exmoor National Park
#ValleyOfRocks #Exmoor #Goats #NationalPark
Look out for us at the cinema. 🎬🌳
Our latest Wild Spaces episode, screening before selected films, takes you to Northumberland National Park. Their team, alongside farmers, landowners and volunteers, is working together to create healthier, more resilient landscapes through woodland creation and hedgerow planting.
It’s a story of partnership, long-term thinking, and the small actions that can have a lasting impact.
Find out more about the project and watch the episode via the link in our bio. 🔗
@northumberlandnationalpark
#WildSpaces #Northumberland #TreePlanting
💭You might have heard of peatland, but what exactly is it and why does it matter so much?
Peatlands are our natural climate allies. They store vast amounts of carbon, support rare wildlife, improve water quality, reduce flood risk and preserve thousands of years of archaeological and cultural history.
Some of the UK`s most important peatlands are found within our National Parks, making them critical places for tackling the climate and nature crises.
Across the UK`s National Parks, peatland restoration projects are helping damaged peatlands recover, benefiting both nature and people.
📍Dartmoor National Park
#NationalParks #Peatlands #NatureRecovery
Our National Parks tell the stories of the people and places that came before us.
A new Joint Statement on the Historic Environment in the National Parks of England, Scotland and Wales has launched.
Bringing together the 15 National Parks and heritage partners, the statement sets out a shared commitment to protecting the historic places and features that help shape our landscapes.
From ancient monuments and archaeological sites to historic buildings and traces of past generations, our National Parks are home to thousands of years of history.
Together, we’re working to care for these special places so their stories can continue to be discovered, valued and enjoyed for generations to come.
Read the full statement via the link in our bio 🔗
#NationalParks #UKHistory #Heritage
