Lifescape Project

How do you move a hairy wood ant? No, it’s not the setup for a joke – it’s a question we tackled back in May, when we translocated a colony from a nearby estate to our #naturalcapital lab (NCL) at Birchfield Forest Rewilding in Scotland. A native species that’s currently in decline, hairy wood ants have a slow dispersal rate which makes them particularly vulnerable to the habitat loss that they’ve suffered in the UK. Hairy wood ants are important species for nutrient cycling and #forest health, so when this colony became vulnerable to some planned tree felling close to their original home, we took the opportunity to move them to the NCL. It was also a good opportunity to study the translocation process itself, as there have been very few studies about how these ants affect the ecology of a site once moved. We will monitor the ants closely and study how they affect other species in the trees, on the ground, and in the soil. The physical translocation and research design was led by Alex Dittrich at Nottingham Trent University, and the translocation carried out in collaboration with Highlands Rewilding, led by Penelope Whitehorn. After a successful move, the ants appear to be thriving, and already increasing their range by making satellite nests. Whether these smaller nests will establish as permanent nests with their own queens, time will tell… Many thanks to AECOM for sponsoring the translocation, hairy wood ant expert Jenni Stockan (The James Hutton Institute) who provided expert guidance during planning, and to Colin Leslie and Iain from Forestry and Land Scotland who provided permission to take the nests and access to their original site.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: it’s time to defend the #EU deforestation regulation by ensuring its timely and full implementation. Forest destruction is increasing across the world, fuelling the #ClimateCrisis and collapsing ecosystems. Global forest protection is the key to a cleaner, greener, more prosperous future for the next generations. The #EUDR is key to efforts to halt #deforestation and tackle the climate crisis. It's already improving forest monitoring and law enforcement in key producer countries. Delaying the Regulation would be a disaster for global forests and for the EU’s reputation. Environmental policy must not be determined by self-interest. President von der Leyen, it’s time to fully implement the EUDR! #DefendEUDR

We had a wonderful time hosting our exhibition at the beautiful Hexham Abbey. There were lots of interested visitors looking to learn more about lynx. We wanted to share some of their comments!   There’s still time to catch the exhibition for yourself at the Great North Museum: Hancock (20th July – 4th August) and Moffat Town Hall (15th – 18th August).   Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eEZ423Ne

Who funds The Missing Lynx Project, and which organisations are behind it? Find an explanation here, and at https://lnkd.in/gnG9A-jC

Now we’ve started our workshops and interviews, some common questions are emerging. One question we’ve been asked a few times is ‘are lynx a danger to people?’.   As lynx numbers have recovered across Europe over the last 20 years, this question has been well studied and there is no evidence that lynx are a danger to people. They are extremely wary of humans.

It's election day in the UK. If you'd like to make your vote count for nature, check out this helpful primer from Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) which gives a summary of what each of the parties has pledged: https://lnkd.in/e4iFV-KT #GE2024 #nature

Rewilding practitioners — did you know we've produced a guide with Lifescape Project to help you navigate legislation and regulation? Well, it's just been updated to bring you the latest on subsidies in England and Wales 🙌 We know it’s really hard to keep up with the changing legal landscape and understand how it applies to your rewilding project. That’s why we’ve created this evolving guide: to help you stay on track and guide you in the right direction. Download your copy 👇 https://lnkd.in/evnRq3VA

Dr Deborah Brady from The Missing Lynx Project spoke to Hexhamtv about our free Missing Lynx exhibition, currently at Hexham Abbey and coming soon to The Great North Museum: Hancock. You can find dates and entry times at https://lnkd.in/en_48g6J

The rewilding law team had a great day out last week visiting @chillinghamwildcattle to learn from this example of wild cattle. These animals live in natural herd structures and it was really interesting to witness the differences in behaviour when compared to traditionally domesticated cattle. This gives us hope for a future where de-domesticated large herbivores can be part of natural wild landscapes. We, Lifescape Project, will continue our work in rewilding law so more examples of herds coexisting and living naturally can become a common sight throughout Europe. #rewilding #wildcattle #largeherbivores #restorenature