Thursday 20 November, 2025
The world-renowned Glen Affric National Nature Reserve, managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), has officially joined Affric Highlands, the UK’s largest rewilding landscape. This marks the 20th landholding to join the ambitious community-focused initiative.
Affric Highlands aims to restore nature across more than 200,000 hectares of the central Highlands, through a coordinated effort of landowners, local communities, charities, businesses, and other organizations. The initiative spans from Loch Ness to Kintail and includes Glens Affric, Cannich, Moriston, Shiel, and Urquhart.
The recent agreement between FLS and Rewilding Affric Highlands brings the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve and other FLS landholdings in the area, totaling 17,604 hectares, into the partnership. Glen Affric is also a Caledonian Forest Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest, National Scenic Area, and holds several European conservation designations.
Executive Director of Rewilding Affric Highlands, Stephanie Kiel, stated, “This is a significant step towards enriching the area with nature and creating new opportunities for people, including jobs, re-peopling, and improved health. Glen Affric is a central part of Affric Highlands, and FLS’s involvement in this special place is crucial.”
Alex Macleod, FLS North Region Manager, who signed the agreement on behalf of the agency, said, “We are thrilled to join this important coalition to allow nature to thrive across such a vast area of the Highlands. As stewards of Glen Affric, we hope our involvement will play a key role in ensuring the long-term health of nature, communities, and livelihoods.”
Glen Affric is often hailed as the most beautiful glen in Scotland and is home to one of the best, and third largest, examples of the globally unique Caledonian forest. FLS has been working on public forestry conservation efforts in the glen for 75 years and has collaborated with landowners and rewilding charity Trees for Life in restoring the Caledonian forest.
FLS estimates that this work has protected and restored hundreds of hectares of Caledonian pinewoods, including through deer management to protect young trees. They have also restored wetlands, peatlands, and other open land habitats.
The Barrisdale Estate, covering 5,800 hectares, has also joined Affric Highlands this month, bringing the total number of landowners in the partnership to 21, covering over 81,000 hectares.
Each landholding in the initiative has signed a memorandum of understanding and is making its own decisions on nature recovery interventions, with support and guidance from the Rewilding Affric Highlands team.
Restoring native woodlands and peatlands is a key focus, not only for boosting biodiversity but also for carbon absorption. Riverwoods are being created by returning woodland to the banks of upland streams and rivers, providing essential shade, nutrients, and shelter for Scotland’s struggling Atlantic salmon.
This habitat restoration is benefiting a wide variety of wildlife, including golden eagles, red squirrels, black grouse, mountain hares, salmon, trout, ospreys, and otters.
Efforts are also being made to strengthen land-based rural livelihoods and create nature-based economic opportunities, with the aim of making the region a hub for sustainable timber, fishing, farming, venison, and wildlife tourism.
Rewilding Affric Highlands is encouraging more landowners to join the initiative, as the Affric Highlands landscape aims to span over 700 square miles. The initiative is a member of Rewilding Europe’s family of flagship rewilding landscapes, which span from Sweden’s Nordic Taiga to Italy’s Central Apennines.
In April 2021, Rewilding Affric Highlands launched as an independent charity, following extensive preparation and local consultation. It had previously operated since 2021 as a joint venture led by Trees for Life, with support from Rewilding Europe.
For more information, visit affrichighlands.org.
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