Glenfeshie to Deeside and beyond: Wildland is building bridges
Scotland’s biggest private landowner has expanded on his plans to boost wildlife across the country.
The laird of Glenfeshie told the Strathy that the next phase of Wildland Ltd’s 200-year vision for landscape restoration and biodiversity regeneration was to create a wildlife corridor crossing the Cairngorms.
The Danish online clothing tycoon has long held a passion for restoring Scotland’s landscapes and acquired Glenfeshie in 2006.
He has since expanded his holdings to include 220,000 acres across 13 estates in the Highlands.
Glenfeshie Estate is a key part of his Wildland project, a 200-year vision for ecological restoration and rewilding of the Highlands with the focus on restoring woodland and allowing natural processes to take over.
His Wildland project also encompasses a network of other local estates including Gaick, Lynaberack, and Killiehuntly.
Mr Povlsen is committed to opening up the new habitat bridge across country.
While talking generally about Wildland’s ambitiously broad scope, he explained: “An objective of ours is to create a landscape scale habitat corridor between Speyside and Deeside.
“Our conservation team has a few meetings lined up to ensure we progress on this in close collaboration with our neighbour to the east.
“We are restoring the Pony bridge and the east Feshie path, to improve access to Braemar along the old droving route including the restoration of the pony shelter at the Eidart Burn.
“We do this with the outmost respect, to ensure we get it right, and are not overdoing any element of it, and it's historically correct.”
The company is reviewing and rewriting the forest plan covering the next 25 years for Glenfeshie and Tolvah.
Mr Povlsen said: “We were hit hard during the storms, and this has in an interesting way changed our plans, and progressed what we are able to do in some areas.”
Across the Wildland estates in the Highlands, the focus is on “supporting nature, encouraging the return of native habitats, and helping these places thrive quietly and naturally for generations to come.”
Working with local river and fisheries trusts, Wildland is dedicated towards projects giving fish stocks “the very best chance to replenish in numbers.
“Whilst verdant new growth of young birch, larch, alder, juniper and, of course, Caledonian pine, alludes to the forests that once covered this land for as far as the eye could see, it’s not the end of a successful story. In fact, it is only the beginning.
“The root systems of these young trees soon begin to bind the land and reduce erosion, sustain a more natural river course, attract insects, and provide shelter for a far more diverse mix of wildlife.”
The Wildland team also stresses, in its latest publication, that endangered animals – such as the red squirrel, pine marten, the iconic Scottish wildcat, capercaille and black grouse – should thrive again and as new woodlands across the estates connect, pathways are created for animals to breed.
“The cycle begins afresh. It’s not just these animals that are well known to anyone interested in Scotland’s wildlife that are increasing in numbers. Invertebrates such as the fresh water pearl mussel inhabit the rivers again, a sign that the water quality is improving too.”
