A PIONEERING rewilding site has seen its native woodlands almost double over the past 30 years – with new species of animals spotted in the area for the first time.
Located on the southwestern tip of Mull, Tireragan’s woodlands have grown from 56 hectares to 93 hectares over the last three decades, thanks to natural regeneration following the removal of sheep and deer from the area.
Along with the regeneration of the woodland, camera traps have recorded pine marten for the first time in the area along with breeding white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, and hen harriers.
Tireragan is part of a Scotland-wide network of landholdings committed to nature recovery and coordinated by the rewilding charity, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture.
The charity’s Northwoods Rewilding Network is a growing chain of landholdings across Scotland which are ring fenced for ecological recovery so species can recover and increase in numbers.
Aidan Maccormick, Northwoods rewilding officer for SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, credits the late local ecologist Paul Haworth for the vision of the rewilding project on the island.
He said: “To see twice as much woodland cover today as we saw thirty years ago is fantastic, and a testament to the early vision of the late, local ecologist Paul Haworth, who recognised, back in the 1980s, the benefits to nature of essentially leaving land alone.
“His vision took hold in Tireragan and the site was fenced off in 1994 to allow trees and shrubs to regenerate naturally. It’s a great example of what can be achieved by reducing grazing pressure and allowing nature to take its course.”
Maccormick added: “In 2024 our camera traps recorded pine marten for the first time, and the site is also home to breeding white-tailed eagle, golden eagle and hen harrier.”
Tireragan comprises 625 hectares of critical habitats, ranging from rainforest and wet heath to blanket bog, lochans and rocky coastline.
Maccormick said that despite fencing around Tireragan, browsing deer continue to threaten emerging woodland with certain species like willow and aspen specifically at risk.
He said: “A diverse range of trees and shrubs delivers the best outcomes for nature, so unfortunately we’ll have to continually manage deer numbers for the foreseeable future.”
Nine volunteers who have formed the Tireragan Trust care for the area with the landholding joining the Northwoods Rewilding Network in December 2021.
One of the trustees from the group, Rutger Emmelkamp, said: “Our aim is to protect and enhance the biodiversity of this special place whilst maintaining a human connection through recreation, art and education.
“We’re thrilled to have almost doubled the amount of woodland cover, creating more habitats, increasing the variety of species and capturing more carbon.
“It gives a great sense of progress towards one of our key commitments within the Northwoods partnership, to develop more native woodland. Our next steps are to create more space for water through further peatland restoration, increase community engagement and in the longer term, reinstate natural grazing. It’s an exciting journey.”
