Wild Strathfillan is a bold project aimed at restoring an area of 50,000 hectares in the north of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park through habitat creation and restoration. Led by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Countryside Trust, it involves over 30 partners, including land managers, local communities, NGOs, and statutory bodies. The initiative focuses on habitat creation and restoration, enhancing a nature recovery network to support iconic Scottish wildlife and their habitats. This effort will also boost climate resilience in the area. Strathfillan’s unique habitats, such as temperate rainforest and Caledonian pinewoods, make it a crucial part of broader restoration efforts in Central Scotland, linking with projects like The Great Trossachs Forest.
Over time, Strathfillan’s vital habitats have become degraded and fragmented, with heavy grazing by herbivores confining vegetation to inaccessible ledges and human impacts such as littering and fires further damaging fragile areas. Woodlands struggle to regenerate, and climate change exacerbates these issues. Strathfillan is a unique and biologically important landscape, home to the last Caledonian pinewoods in the National Park, rich montane flora, peatland, and riparian habitats. It includes designated sites like SSSIs, SACs, and the Breadalbane Mountains Important Plant Area, and is an SPA for Golden Eagles. Iconic species such as Black Grouse, Red Squirrel, and Osprey inhabit this precious area.
Wild Strathfillan aims to deliver successful nature restoration work alongside traditional rural industries that underpin the local economy and employ local people. Through targeted ecological restoration, Wild Strathfillan will create a nature recovery network across the landscape, restoring natural processes and ecological functions for a healthier, more resilient, and connected environment. Its strategic location and rich diversity of habitats make it a crucial part of a broader nature recovery network in Central Scotland. The project connects with Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve, The Great Trossachs Forest National Nature Reserve, The Temperate Rainforest Zone, Forth Climate Forest, and Perthshire Nature Connections Partnership. These connections will enhance the impact on both nature and local communities.
A key part of the project has already commenced with the establishment of a specialist plant nursery at Glenfalloch, where native tree species are thriving. Volunteers and staff have planted locally collected seeds, including Oak, Rowan, and Caledonian Pine, which are adapted to the local conditions. These trees will eventually be planted across the Strathfillan landscape, expanding native woodlands and creating wildlife corridors. The nurseries will also propagate some of the region’s rarer non-woody plants, such as Globeflower, known for its bright yellow, spherical blooms in early summer.
If you would like to receive updates about this initiative you can download the Wild Strathfillan newsletter.
To find out more visit the community news website or the Wild Strathfillan project website.