The ‘custodian’ of the Alladale estate wants to turn it into a fenced-off wildlife reserve
Photograph: Alamy
The echoes of Scotland’s predator prince faded into silence three centuries ago. The wolf was once lord of these Sutherland slopes and the forest floors beneath and now a voice in the wilderness is calling him home.
Paul Lister acquired the Alladale estate, 50 miles north of Inverness, in 2003 and immediately set about creating a wilderness reserve according to his perception of what these wild and beautiful places ought to look like. He can’t imagine them without the packs of wolves that once roamed free here.
But his views are considered eccentric by ramblers and conservationists, who view them as a rich man’s caprice, centring their objections on his plans to fence off the vast reserve.
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It’s amazing how opposed conservationists can be to restoration that happens where it’s not ‘supposed’ to.
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Makes you wonder why?
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Based on the conversations I’ve had with conservationists, it’s a matter of priority. The reasoning seems to be that time and resources would be better spent protecting species where they still exist, rather than trying to restore them in areas where they’ve been extirpated.
I understand that logic, but I don’t entirely buy it. If conservationists and animal lovers from North America and Europe are going to tell people in the Global South that they need to protect wildlife, especially large predators, then we also need to be willing to help rewild our own degraded ecosystems.
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I agree with you Josh, it makes more sense that way!
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