Conservationists to ‘rewild’ 200 acres of Scotland over next century

Vast tracts of wetlands and native woodland will be restored across Dumfries and Galloway region

Threave Castle will be one location under the rewilding plans where biodiversity and wild species can flourish (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Conservationists are to rewild some 200 acres of southern Scotland over the next century under ambitious new plans.

Vast tracts of wetlands and native woodland will be restored across the Dumfries and Galloway region, the National Trust for Scotland has revealed.

Special attention will be paid to boosting biodiversity and creating conditions in which a range of wild species can flourish as part of the transformation at the trust’s sprawling Threave Estate.

The plans – named the Threave Landscape Restoration Project – comes after researchers spent four years investigating the best way to effectively hand the area back to the wild.

Dr Sam Gallacher, of the National Trust for Scotland, said: "We have put together both an immediate and long-term plan to help kickstart and support natural processes, but also use this site as a massive experiment to help us find best practice and methods that we hope will be useful and inspire others in similar settings whether in Scotland or further afield.

The project will see much of the land “undrained” as large chunks of it are a floodplain for the River Dee. Water will be allowed to “revert to more natural flow patterns”, leading to improved wetlands and the expansion of habitats for a wide range of waterfowl.

At the same time, some 74 acres of native woodland will be planted, while conservationists will investigate “how livestock can be managed in new ways to balance agricultural production with nature recovery,” said Dr Gallacher.

He added: “It will be an exciting experience for our visitors and members to learn and engage with landscape restoration in action and showcase the work our charity does to protect Scotland's natural heritage.”

Funding for the project comes from the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership Scheme and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It comes as the Scottish Rewilding Alliance continues to call for 30 per cent of public land across the country to be rewilded with long-gone species reintroduced into some areas. Some have suggested this could include wolves, lynx and even bears.