Douglas MacQueen's blog

A petition has been lodged with the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) demanding ministers take action to give full legal protection to Scotland's ancient woodlands before Glasgow hosts the COP26 climate conference in November next year. The petition was created by Rhu (Scottish Gaelic: An Rubha) residents Audrey Baird and Fiona Baker, on behalf of the Help Trees Help Us campaign group.

The Peatlands Partnership has had approval to prepare a bid for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for an area of peatbog, lochs and bog pools called the Flow Country. The area stretches across Caithness and Sutherland in Scotland. The bid, if successful, would result in the special designation being in place in three years' time.

The increasingly unpopular Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Boris Johnson, has been visiting Scotland this week. In what is seen as an attempt to try and counter the rise in support for Scottish independence the visit has been widely thought of as a failure in regards to shoring up the Union. The Union in question being the 1707 Acts of Union that declared that the kingdoms of England and Scotland were "United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain".

Coire a'Bhradain is above Glen Rosa (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Ruasaidh) on the Island of Arran (Eilean Arainn). As reported by the National Trust for Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba) archaeologists have been investigating the remains of a small roundhouse located high up on Coire a’ Bhradain. First discovered in 2001 by Arran Mountain Rescue Team members Ali Hume and Henry Murdo, it is Arran’s highest round house at about 1270 feet (390 metres) above sea level.

Jules Molyneaux from Crieff, Perthshire (Scottish Gaelic: Craoibh, Siorrachd Pheairt), a pupil at Ardvreck school, has become the youngest person to climb the Matterhorn. The 11 year old undertook the climb with his father Chris. The mountain is in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is 14,692 feet (4,478 metres) high and is one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe. The Matterhorn is considered to be one of the most dangerous peaks in the World.

Loch Arkaig (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Airceig) is a beautiful freshwater loch in Lochaber, Scotland. It is approximately 12 miles in length and lies 140 feet above sea level, the maximum depth is some 300 feet. To the south of the loch is Loch Arkaig Pine Forest and consists of two areas of native Caledonian pinewood: Glen Mallie and the Gusach (Gaelic for ‘pinewood’). This normally peaceful setting has become something of an internet sensation, particularly over the last five weeks. The stars of the show are three osprey chicks.

Ailsa Craig (Scottish Gaelic: Creag Ealasaid or Aillse Creag) rises out of the seas of the outer Firth of Clyde to a height of 1,109 ft (338 m). It lies nine miles offshore from the coast of South Ayrshire (Scottish Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir a Deas) in the west of Scotland. Ailsa Craig geologically is all that remains of a volcanic plug from an extinct volcano and is 2.5 miles (4 km) in circumference.

It has been announced that plans for a £6m project to redevelop the Scottish Crannog Centre on the north shore of Loch Tay are one step closer to being realised, thanks to Forestry and Land Scotland’s Community Asset Transfer Scheme.

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; Scottish Gaelic: Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA)  have voted to ban the unlicensed culling of mountain hares and to make them a protected species. Mountain hares are Scotland's only native hare, where they could have existed since the last ice age. MSPs passed an amendment giving greater protection for mountain hares. It was proposed by Scottish Green MSP Alison Johnstone and now forms part of the new Animals and Wildlife Bill.

Major efforts are underway to boost numbers of one of Scotland's rarest birds. Capercaillie are the largest grouse species in the world and have been living in Scotland's pine forests since the last Ice Age. The Scottish Gaelic name for this species, capall-coille, means ‘horse of the forest.’ They are found in the pinewoods of northern Scotland and it is estimated there are fewer than 1,000. About 80% are found in Strathspey in the Cairngorms.