Scotland’s shrinking wilderness mapped for first time

By FRANK URQUHART
Published on 09/09/2012 00:00

THE first map to show Scotland’s shrinking wilderness has highlighted what remains of one of the country’s most fragile natural resources.

Experts at Scottish Natural Heritage spent more than a year analysing research on every part of Scotland based on its natural qualities, ruggedness, remoteness and absence of modern artefacts.

• To see the map click here

The work they produced shows substantial swathes of wilderness remaining in the Highlands and islands, parts of Angus and Argyll – depicted in varying shades of green – with much of the rest of 
the country, including the Central Belt, most of Tayside and the north-east, dominated by urban sprawl, which is shown in brown.

Simon Brooks, at SNH, who led the project, said: “The map colours in the whole of Scotland in terms of relative wildness. But what it doesn’t do is make any judgments about which areas are more important than others.

“Capturing a subjective quality like wildness is challenging, as individuals respond according to past experience and expectations.”

Stuart Brooks, chief executive of the John Muir Trust, welcomed the research as a helpful addition to the debate over how to look after Scotland’s wilderness.

“The maps establish for the first time an accurate assessment of the qualities of wildness in Scotland,” he said. “It is only once we have established where the best wild land areas are that we can go about ensuring they are adequately protected.”