Wildland: Conservation of the Scottish Highlands

Wildland is one of the biggest conservation projects in the Scottish Highlands. Once a retreat of profound nature, recent centuries have seen the famous primaeval pinewoods of Glenfeshie in the Cairngorms ravaged by man, natural disasters and uncontrolled grazing. Whereas these pinewoods once covered much of the Scottish Highlands, only 1% of their former area remains today.

Pioneering an effort to halt this destruction and seeking to regenerate the growth of Cairngorm’s legendary forests is inspiring conservation organisation Wildland. 

Privately owned by Anders Holch Povlsen and with a dedicated aim to protect, preserve and regenerate the natural order of these lands, Wildland seeks to nurture Scotland’s wild land to protect it from exploitation and then, through careful deer management and seed regeneration projects, seeks to return the Glenfeshie pinewoods to their former glory. But this is no short-term fix – this conservation project is looking 200 years into the future. 

Starting in 2006, Wildland now has 220,000 acres of estates under their care, and the effects of their conservation can already be felt on a stroll through the glen. By committing to reducing red deer numbers from around 35 deer km-2 to 5 deer km-2, alongside embarking upon rapid seedling regeneration, sapling pines and birch are managing to grow, leading the way for a new Cairngorm forest of unique Scottish heritage.

As part of these lands and therefore also under Wildland’s keen conservationist eye are the myriad properties scattered throughout the Cairngorms estates. Keeping them in tune with the tone of the land, through them, Wildland has carefully crafted a new type of place to stay – retreats dedicated to nature, suffused in stylish Scandinavian simplicity and with a grateful appreciation for the surrounding wilderness.