REWILDING BAC DUBH
Why Rewild?
Despite its dramatic scenery and beautiful views, Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. People have become conditioned to think that the bare glens and bleak mountains are normal, yet it wasn't so long ago that Scotland's wild forests and rich wetlands were teeming with life.
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In the past, Bac Dubh would have been a rich mosaic of bog woodland/wetland habitat, with an abundance of trees on the hillside. Over thousands of years the land has been used for many different purposes from agriculture to peat extraction. Climate change, loss of large predators, invasive non-native species and wildfires have all had their effect too.
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In the peat that's been exposed we find preserved tree stumps from historic bog woodland, and on the hillside the understorey of wild woodland flowers is still evident, despite many of the trees having disappeared. It's evidence of what was once there and a tantalising glimpse of what a rewilded Bac Dubh could be like again.
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However, rather than try to recreate Bac Dubh as it was at some arbitrary point in the past, we aim to let nature lead and find its own balance.
Damaged peatland
The low-lying land was historically used for peat cutting, which has left much of the peat exposed. This means that the peat dries out and blows away, releasing damaging carbon dioxide and adding to global warming and climate change. Rewilding will mean restoration of the peatlands to re-vegetate and re-wet the peatlands, meaning carbon is locked up and biodiversity can flourish.
Non-native invasive species
Bac Dubh borders the village, and garden plants have escaped into the peatland and hillside. Some of these are invasive, notably Rhododendron Ponticum and Cotoneaster. Rewilding will remove invasive species and ongoing management will prevent their return, meaning that native species are not crowded out.
Wildfire damage
Cliff Hill, above Bac Dubh, was the scene of a wildfire in 2013. Some of the woodland on the hillside was destroyed and has not regenerated because of overgrazing. Rewilding will regenerate trees on the hillside, restoring a balance of native woodland.
Deer management
Red deer are present in unsustainable numbers at Bac Dubh. Rewilding will manage the damage from over grazing by reducing the deer numbers and excluding them from sensitive areas.
