Welcome to Caledonian Wildlands
We aim to promote the essence of wild places through active management of land and woodland. We will provide access to green space for recreation as well as participation in habitat enhancement projects that can improve the health and well-being of local communities devastated by the decline of heavy industry.
“Scotland’s woodland cover, although the highest in the UK, only sits at 17% of the total land area, compared to a European average of 42%. One of our core values is to promote and instigate the management and creation of native woodland.” Rob McAllan.
With the outbreak of Covid in February 2020 many people throughout Scotland have become distant and detached from their family and friends, it has become crucial more than ever before for local communities to come together to improve health and wellbeing. A key part of our ethos is to provide safe outdoor access for all members of the local community to enjoy and explore our wild landscapes and to reconnect with the natural world.
Our Journey
Our desire to tackle coalfield and landscape dereliction combined with our experience in forestry, habitat management and derelict land restoration, led us to establish Caledonian Wildlands.
The decline of heavy industry led to the closing of coal mining activities as well as former landfill sites across central and south-west Scotland leaving large areas of derelict land as well as devastating communities socially and financially. We recognised that these largescale derelict sites can also provide a source of employment, a focal and historical place of reference as well as a source of local pride.
We also recognised the need as part of the ‘climate emergency’ to help facilitate the expansion of native woodland to help meet the Scottish Government targets of 25% woodland cover by 2025.
Our Mission
With the backing of local communities and collaboration with a variety of strategic partners who have similar end goals, our mission is to address these areas of derelict land and provide landscape-scale restoration by way of new woodland creation, rewilding, managing open grasslands and moorlands with the purpose of opening these areas up for use by local communities.
Our Partners
