Scottish Wildlife Trust facts for kids

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a registered charity dedicated to conserving the wildlife and natural environment of Scotland.

Description

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has well over 35,000 members. The Scottish Wildlife Trust acquired its first wildlife reserve in 1966 and now has more than 120 reserves throughout Scotland with visitor centres at Loch of the Lowes (Perth and Kinross), Montrose Basin (Angus) and the Falls of Clyde (South Lanarkshire). As well as providing homes for wildlife these sites are valuable places for people to interact with and enjoy wildlife. The trust also seek to influence and challenge legislation for the benefit of wildlife.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust was involved in a trial reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver to Scotland. Begun in 2009, the trial ran at Knapdale until 2014. The beaver was given native species status in 2016.

Another of the Scottish Wildlife Trust's major projects is the protection of the red squirrel in Scotland. With project partners, the Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels project aims to stop the advance of the grey squirrel into the North and North East of Scotland, as well as protecting pockets of red squirrel habitat in South Scotland and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

The trust is one of 46 Wildlife Trusts operating in the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies.

Selected reserves

• Bemersyde Moss
• Handa Island
• Falls of Clyde
• Montrose Basin
• Loch Fleet
• Loch of the Lowes
• Pease Dean, Scottish Borders
• Duns Castle nature reserve, Berwickshire