0:00:05 > 0:00:08Scoured by ice,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10and weathered by storms.
0:00:14 > 0:00:1920,000 square miles of rugged coastline,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21lochs and mountains.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27On the face of it, it looks bleak and lifeless,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31but wildlife is thriving in this unforgiving place
0:00:31 > 0:00:33if you know where to look.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39The seasons may be harsh...
0:00:41 > 0:00:43..and the opportunities fleeting...
0:00:44 > 0:00:48..but animals and people have found ways to succeed here,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51turning adversity into advantage.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57This is Scotland's wild heart.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00The Highlands.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Wild animals and people have always lived side by side in the Highlands.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Sharing the same landscape,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and experiencing the same seasons.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09But over the years, humans have shaped this place,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12stamping their authority on the landscape...
0:02:12 > 0:02:15FIREWORKS EXPLODE
0:02:16 > 0:02:18They're good, they're like flowers.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21..and dominating their wild neighbours.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40The Highlands may look like 20,000 square miles of pure wilderness...
0:02:42 > 0:02:44..but for millennia, people have left their mark
0:02:44 > 0:02:46on these mountains and valleys.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54The natural forest which once covered this landscape
0:02:54 > 0:02:58was cleared for farmland and felled for timber,
0:02:58 > 0:03:00while grazing by livestock and deer
0:03:00 > 0:03:03prevented young trees from growing back.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And while some species flourished,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15others were driven to extinction by habitat loss and overhunting.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22But now the balance is changing,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25and people have started to realise just how much we need to put back.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Never before have the modern Highlands seen so much work
0:03:31 > 0:03:35being done to repair the damage of the past.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50One bird more than any other sums up the changing relationship
0:03:50 > 0:03:53between people and the Highland landscape.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04The osprey.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23This is the Trossachs National Park in the Southern Highlands.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Lush forest, rugged mountains and excellent fishing
0:04:29 > 0:04:32make this some of the best osprey habitat in Scotland.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Several breeding pairs have successfully set up home here.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43There's a nest just up here.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Conservation manager Dave Anderson and his colleague Simon Smith
0:04:47 > 0:04:50know every detail of the lives of the ospreys that live here.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Today, they're visiting a nest as part of a continuing study.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- I'll carry everything, then, shall I?- Yeah. Come on.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I work for the Forestry Commission, and within our land holdings,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17we have a huge range of species.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21A lot of different birds of prey, and the osprey being one of them.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26And the general public rely on us to protect the wildlife that's in here.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Simon's an experienced climber, and he needs to be -
0:05:34 > 0:05:36it's 50 feet to the top.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41The parent birds are aware of his presence,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and have already taken to the wing.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Sounds like she's pleased to see us!
0:06:14 > 0:06:17To the parent birds, Simon is a potential predator.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19OSPREYS CALL
0:06:19 > 0:06:21They call to their chicks to lie flat,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24camouflaging themselves in the nest.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Ospreys nest typically right in the very crown of the tree,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and these birds are cryptically coloured, so that any predator -
0:06:36 > 0:06:39a big eagle flying over the top of them - would look down,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and they don't actually think that there's anything on the nest.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Dave and Simon visit the nests every year.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02The chicks are given a thorough check-up, and will be weighed,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04measured and ringed.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11The process provides invaluable data on the development
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and movement of the osprey population in these forests.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Ospreys are a really great conservation story.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22They've gone from strength to strength,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and now we're probably looking at a population
0:07:24 > 0:07:27across the UK of nearly 300 pairs.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32These ospreys, when they leave here, they're going to go back to
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the West Coast of Africa or Portugal or Spain to overwinter,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and they'll do that for two years before returning back to the UK.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Hopefully, they'll end up back in Scotland -
0:07:43 > 0:07:46that's where I'd like to see them, anyway.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49The population around this area's doing really well.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57It's an extraordinary comeback story.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04At the turn of the century, the osprey was virtually extinct
0:08:04 > 0:08:06as a breeding bird in Scotland -
0:08:06 > 0:08:09wiped out by egg collectors and hunters.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19But in the 1950s, after an absence of nearly 40 years,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21the osprey came back.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It all started in a forest near Aviemore,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32120 miles north of the Trossachs.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38In 1954, a pair of Scandinavian birds appeared, and bred
0:08:38 > 0:08:42at Loch Garten, which is now an RSPB reserve.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But the nest was repeatedly raided by egg collectors.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58In response, the RSPB rolled out Operation Osprey,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00which became its most powerful weapon
0:09:00 > 0:09:03in the battle to protect these birds.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19At its heart was a revolutionary concept
0:09:19 > 0:09:23that's now fundamental to modern conservation -
0:09:23 > 0:09:25the idea of public engagement.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Jennifer Clark is the RSPB information officer at Loch Garten.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46When they first bred, rather than keeping it a secret,
0:09:46 > 0:09:50we decided that it would be better to tell the public about this,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54and to invite them to come and see these birds, with the idea that
0:09:54 > 0:09:57if we told the public about what was happening to them,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00and people came to see the birds, that people would be on the side
0:10:00 > 0:10:03of the birds and not the side of the egg collectors, and just to change
0:10:03 > 0:10:09people's opinions and ideas on how we treat nature, and it works.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11If you speak to any children now about egg collecting,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13they don't know what it is.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Do you want to have a guess?
0:10:15 > 0:10:18What do you think happened when those first ospreys came back?
0:10:18 > 0:10:21The dedication of people like Jennifer is inspiring visitors
0:10:21 > 0:10:23who come to the reserve.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25Do you think they hatched into chicks?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28It's all about showing people wildlife, nature,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31showing them their ospreys, educating them about what we do here
0:10:31 > 0:10:34on the reserve and the wider work that RSPB does.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37So, it's an educational platform and a great way to gain support.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01It's this public engagement that has helped to protect the osprey,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05allowing it to expand its range across the Highlands and beyond.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17I love wildlife, I love nature, but the story of the ospreys
0:11:17 > 0:11:20is gripping the whole history of this place.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28The brilliant thing about ospreys is they came back on their own -
0:11:28 > 0:11:32we didn't bring them back, they just turned up,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and when they did, we protected what was there,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and to say that we've got 300 breeding pairs
0:11:37 > 0:11:40across the country now is fantastic.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And last year, which was the 60th anniversary
0:11:42 > 0:11:44of ospreys returning to Scotland,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47we had their 100th chick fledge from the Loch Garten nest,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50so that's a nice success story in conservation.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06The osprey's comeback is an extraordinary tale,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and the Highlands are full of stories like this.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Stories of survival...
0:12:18 > 0:12:20..and stories of change.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Generation after generation of families have lived and worked here.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43And like the wildlife, people, too, have learned to endure the seasons.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15Towering above the town of Aviemore are the high tops of the Cairngorms.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18A little piece of the Arctic in the Highlands of Scotland.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Here only species adapted to sub-zero conditions can survive.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38This is the coldest place in Britain,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42where temperatures can fall as low as minus 27 degrees.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Fiona Smith and her colleague Abigail
0:13:55 > 0:13:59are trekking up the mountainside in search of a herd of animals
0:13:59 > 0:14:02perfectly adapted to this life in the freezer.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15- SHE CALLS:- Come! Now!
0:14:19 > 0:14:24They're reindeer - the only free-ranging herd in Britain.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- SHE CALLS:- Come! Now!
0:14:38 > 0:14:40The Cairngorms is the only habitat in Britain
0:14:40 > 0:14:43that reindeer can live naturally,
0:14:43 > 0:14:44because of its vegetation that grows,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46because of the climate we get here.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It gets the Arctic and sub-Arctic ecosystem,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and that is where reindeer thrive.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53It's where they live, it's where they come from.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59The 150-strong herd do get a helping hand, and extra food,
0:14:59 > 0:15:04from the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre, owned and run by Fiona's family.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08To have such a tame animal in such a wild environment,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10I think is really special, and they're super-friendly
0:15:10 > 0:15:15and super-greedy, and yeah, they're just a delight to be around.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21I couldn't see myself in a city, stuck in an office, that's for sure.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25I mean, it gets you out and about, which is obviously nice.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Working with the reindeer, you know, they're a great animal to work with,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and I think it's something about working in their environment
0:15:32 > 0:15:34with such tame animals.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36There's not many opportunities you could do that.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39So, yeah. No, it's pretty special.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Reindeer became extinct in Britain at the end of the last ice age.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53But then in 1952, a herd was reintroduced from Scandinavia.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Since then, these iconic animals have been thriving.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09In the late 1980s, Fiona's parents, Tilly and Alan, bought the herd,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11and took on its management.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15When I came up to work with the reindeer,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I felt I had found my place.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20I had a passion for deer, which I got from my own father.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25I did a degree in zoology, and I knew about the reindeer in Scotland.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28So, I came to work here as a volunteer in 1981.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31The reindeer were endearing, the mountains were fantastic,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34and the keeper wasn't bad looking, so we got married!
0:16:44 > 0:16:48I think they are certainly in harmony with the environment.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52They're living and browsing on the natural vegetation
0:16:52 > 0:16:53that is growing here.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56But we have a role as well here.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58We have to be sensible about the numbers of reindeer that we
0:16:58 > 0:17:00actually have on the ground.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04And so we do control the breeding, we do make sure we keep our numbers
0:17:04 > 0:17:07that are sustainable to the environment they're living in.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Businesses like Tilly and Fiona's depend on tourism.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15Nature-based tourism brings in £1.4 billion a year
0:17:15 > 0:17:17to the Scottish economy.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24We are a tourist attraction, because you need an income for anything,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and the tourism brings that income to the herd.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32We run an adoption scheme, so people adopt the reindeer.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35It becomes quite a sort of close-knit community of people
0:17:35 > 0:17:38that are just reindeer enthusiasts.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Without a doubt, I belong here in the Highlands,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52because of the reindeer.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55For me, they provide me with all my joy.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58They are just lovely animals to be amongst.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59They come and they go.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04The next descendants come through, and become those characters.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08And knowing an animal personally in such a beautiful, wild environment
0:18:08 > 0:18:10is an honour, I would say.
0:18:32 > 0:18:364,000 feet below the reindeer's icy world,
0:18:36 > 0:18:37the great Caledonian pine forest
0:18:37 > 0:18:40is cloaked in the first snowfall of the year.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55Although winter can be tough on wildlife,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58the season can be the most beautiful of the Highland year.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05For photographer Neil McIntyre, it's the perfect opportunity to capture
0:19:05 > 0:19:09the ways in which wildlife copes with the extreme conditions.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Photographing in the Highlands is... It's a big part of me, you know.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22It's my way of communicating with the things I see,
0:19:22 > 0:19:24and with other people.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26You know, it really all revolves round the picture taken.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34You take a picture - don't take what you see, take what you feel,
0:19:34 > 0:19:35and I think if you put that principle in it,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37it does tell in the pictures.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43You know, it's not just about one little still image -
0:19:43 > 0:19:47it goes far beyond that, and it gives you a connection to wildlife,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50there's no doubt about that. For me it does, anyway.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Neil has lived on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park
0:20:00 > 0:20:01all his life.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13My father was a gamekeeper, and he got a job up in the Highlands here,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and moved here when I was just a young boy.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19That was how I really got into it.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26I'm not somebody that can, sadly, write particularly well, you know,
0:20:26 > 0:20:28for telling stories and things like that,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31so I've seen photography as a means for me to communicate
0:20:31 > 0:20:32to other people
0:20:32 > 0:20:35what I was seeing, and how special some of these things were.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42As well being a successful wildlife photographer,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Neil shares his passion for this corner of the Highlands
0:20:45 > 0:20:50with visitors who come here on photographic safaris.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52The Highlands has always been a bit of a mecca
0:20:52 > 0:20:53for a lot of outdoor people.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Traditionally, it's been the hunting, shooting, fishing people
0:20:56 > 0:20:57that have come to the Highlands
0:20:57 > 0:21:00to do these very things, and that will continue.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03But without a shadow of a doubt, over the last decade probably,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06there's been quite a considerable increase in the amount of people
0:21:06 > 0:21:09wanting to do similar things, but shoot it with a camera
0:21:09 > 0:21:12instead of, obviously, shooting it with a rifle or a gun.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15So, there's no reason both these things can't work together.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25You get nice soft backlight in here in the morning, you know.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Cos it sort of filters through the trees -
0:21:27 > 0:21:28it's not too harsh, it's quite nice.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35I like to focus on individual species,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and spend as much time I can with them.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Particularly things like the red squirrels and crested tits,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44for example, are the two ones I probably spend the most time with.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47The thing about a photograph - you're capturing a moment in time -
0:21:47 > 0:21:49and then you can do that, and then the animal or bird
0:21:49 > 0:21:51just goes about its daily business again,
0:21:51 > 0:21:53and it's as if you've never been there.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57With one word - it's magic, it's a magic place.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01It has an aura about it that very few places have.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05It's got the wildlife, it's got the mountains, the lochs, the glens,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07and the light you get is second to none.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10There's hardly a day, certainly when I'm outside, that you don't
0:22:10 > 0:22:14look around you and think, you know, "I'm a very lucky, lucky fellow."
0:22:33 > 0:22:35BIRD SINGS
0:22:50 > 0:22:55The Caledonian Pine Forest at the heart of the National Park
0:22:55 > 0:22:58is Scotland's most iconic woodland wilderness.
0:23:05 > 0:23:106,000 years ago, these forests covered nearly 6,000 square miles,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and formed a vast band of northern forest
0:23:13 > 0:23:16that stretched across three continents.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22The Romans called it the Great Wood of Caledon.
0:23:24 > 0:23:30Rich in Scots pine, birch, oak and rowan trees,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32this forest was a special place for wildlife.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41But over the last 2,000 years, these woods were decimated.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Today, perhaps just 1% of the ancient forest remains.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Dr David Hetherington is a National Park ecologist,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and has a special interest in the restoration of these woodlands.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03At around 4,500 square kilometres, the Cairngorms National Park
0:24:03 > 0:24:06is one of the largest national parks in the whole of Europe.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09We have some really special fragments,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12remnants left of Caledonian Forest which are really quite distinctive
0:24:12 > 0:24:14of this part of Scotland.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17But it's important to say that this is not some uninhabited wilderness.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21The Cairngorms National Park is home to 18,000 people who live here,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and who work here.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41A familiar cast of characters can still be found
0:24:41 > 0:24:44in these ancient woodlands.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46But deep in the undergrowth lives an equally important
0:24:46 > 0:24:51set of animals, the keystone species of this forest micro world.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Never seen so many.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Hayley Wiswell is an ecologist
0:25:18 > 0:25:20for the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22They're all very dark.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26She introduces groups of naturalists, rangers and foresters
0:25:26 > 0:25:30to the miniature world of the forest floor.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Invertebrates are absolutely vital for the health of the forest,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37because of the variety of roles that they play.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42Whether they're food for the small birds or mammals,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44or whether they're decomposing dead wood,
0:25:44 > 0:25:49breaking it down and turning it into nutrients that the forest can use.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52So, they're extraordinarily important.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00This enormous nest is home to Hayley's favourite species -
0:26:00 > 0:26:02the Scottish wood ant.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07These bustling ant cities can be six feet wide.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Their presence indicates a healthy forest.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20The wood ants themselves are kind of a keystone species, if you like.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Not only are they nurturing aphid colonies in the trees,
0:26:24 > 0:26:29which reduce the capacity of the tree to grow leaves,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33but they also do other things, like, they disperse seeds.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37So some plants in the pine forest produce seeds that are only
0:26:37 > 0:26:39dispersed by ants.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44And then the wood ant colony itself, the actual nest, is home to species
0:26:44 > 0:26:47of invertebrates that are only found in wood ant nests -
0:26:47 > 0:26:49they're not found anywhere else.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52They're helping the trees to grow, they're helping plants to grow,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55they're supporting all these other organisms.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57I think the forest would be...
0:26:57 > 0:27:00It would be a different place without them.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05You might have dozens of nests in a hectare of forest.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08So that's millions and millions of ants running around.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10So, in terms of sheer biomass,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13they're...yeah, definitely the apex predator
0:27:13 > 0:27:16of the Caledonian pine forests.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Centuries ago, apex predators of a very different kind
0:27:33 > 0:27:35roamed these forests.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43The ancient people here shared their woodland home with lynx,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45bears and wolves.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Eventually, we hunted these animals to extinction.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59But one predator has managed to hang on.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05The Scottish wildcat.
0:28:08 > 0:28:13What it lacks in size, it makes up for in ferocity.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Nicknamed the Highland Tiger,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20this cat is even more endangered than its striped Asian cousin.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25This is not a domestic cat that has gone wild -
0:28:25 > 0:28:30this is a truly wild animal that moved in here shortly after
0:28:30 > 0:28:32the glaciers left Britain.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Unfortunately, it really is in trouble.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36Its range has contracted massively
0:28:36 > 0:28:39from once having covered the whole of Britain,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41to just parts of the Scottish Highlands.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43But the real problem that the wildcat faces
0:28:43 > 0:28:46is because it's quite closely related genetically
0:28:46 > 0:28:47to the domestic cat,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50it can actually interbreed and produce fertile hybrids.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53And this is a real problem, because with each passing generation,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55the wildcat is becoming more and more diluted,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57and less and less distinctive of that native animal
0:28:57 > 0:29:00that we've had for so, so long in Scotland.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08A coordinated conservation effort has set up
0:29:08 > 0:29:11Scottish Wildcat Action.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15It's the first national effort to protect the cats in the wild,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and has established a conservation breeding programme.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Douglas Richardson is head of Living Collections
0:29:23 > 0:29:25at the Highland Wildlife Park.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31I firmly believe that a healthy captive population
0:29:31 > 0:29:34of Scottish wildcats in high quality environments
0:29:34 > 0:29:38will be crucial to the survival of the species.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42At the very least, that safety net role that they play.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Someone alluded to... captive breeding programmes
0:29:45 > 0:29:47are like lifeboats on an ocean liner.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49You hope you never have to use one,
0:29:49 > 0:29:51but it's nice to know that they're there.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Captive-bred wildcats like 11-year-old Hamish
0:29:57 > 0:30:00are being exchanged between parks to mate
0:30:00 > 0:30:04with genetically strong females to secure the future bloodline.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Today, Hamish is being loaned to the Aigas Field Centre near Inverness,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16in the hope that he'll breed with one of their female wildcats.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30Hello, what's all this?
0:30:32 > 0:30:34What's this?
0:30:34 > 0:30:37He's quite a character, he's not at all dangerous.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41Though, saying that, I wouldn't want him to land on the top of my head.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46He's very good with females, and he's excellent with his offspring.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51I've actually seen him carrying and cleaning his kittens on occasion.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00If Hamish and his female companions are successful,
0:31:00 > 0:31:05their descendants may eventually be released back into the Highlands,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07but only into protected areas.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14I want to get that captive programme to a level that,
0:31:14 > 0:31:18if it all goes belly-up as far as the wild population is concerned,
0:31:18 > 0:31:20we still have that cushion.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24It's not just about captive breeding in some of these facilities -
0:31:24 > 0:31:26it's about education and raising awareness -
0:31:26 > 0:31:29making people aware that we have this fantastic animal
0:31:29 > 0:31:32living in the wild here in Scotland, and it does need our help.
0:31:46 > 0:31:49If animals like the wildcat are to successfully re-establish themselves
0:31:49 > 0:31:53in the Highlands, it's critical there's enough habitat
0:31:53 > 0:31:55for them to live in.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Their original home in the Caledonian Forest
0:32:03 > 0:32:04is only just recovering
0:32:04 > 0:32:07from centuries of exploitation and neglect.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13It's really in the last few decades we've begun to realise
0:32:13 > 0:32:16that these old forest remnants, that are a link back
0:32:16 > 0:32:18to the end of the ice age, need our help,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21and that there's been some fantastic work done to try and expand
0:32:21 > 0:32:24those forests and save them from any further damage.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25And here in the Cairngorms National Park,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28we see a whole variety of different projects,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31where the native woodland is coming back and really quite spectacularly.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Old fragments are beginning to join up with one another - the woodlands
0:32:34 > 0:32:38are gradually moving up the hill through natural regeneration.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43So a fantastic area for the kind of landscape-scale forest restoration.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50On the edge of Abernethy Forest,
0:32:50 > 0:32:54Desmond Dugan is helping the forest regenerate naturally,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58using sensitive and low-impact methods of replanting.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06In recent years, the pine forest has been receding down the hill
0:33:06 > 0:33:08because of man's management.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Man has converted some of the woodlands here to heather moor,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15perhaps for grouse shooting or for sheep ranching,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19so the forest has been lost, and we here at RSPB Abernethy
0:33:19 > 0:33:22are trying to encourage the re-colonisation of the forest,
0:33:22 > 0:33:25and we're trying to do that mostly by natural processes.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30To further assist the growth and diversity of the forest,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Desmond and his colleague Alison Greggans are sowing the seeds
0:33:33 > 0:33:36of native species like the alder.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38This was all collected last autumn.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41It's been in the cold store between two and four degrees
0:33:41 > 0:33:43to keep it cool, to stop it germinating.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58We're now sowing some of the seed into the river -
0:33:58 > 0:34:01directly into the river here, in this little stream here.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05And we're also scuffing some of the seed into the riverside gravel,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07because alder is water-distributed.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10The seed falls into the river, it's washed downstream, and gets lodged
0:34:10 > 0:34:12in little nooks and crannies, downstream.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19Getting more forest is not just about creating a habit for wildlife.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21We want to create a managed environment here
0:34:21 > 0:34:23so that people can come and enjoy.
0:34:23 > 0:34:24Whether you enjoy just
0:34:24 > 0:34:27a quiet day's bird-watching or visiting the osprey centre,
0:34:27 > 0:34:28or perhaps botanising,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31or doing whatever you enjoy in the natural landscape.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48It's very satisfying to walk through the forest,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50because some of the trees are as old as 400 years old,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54and you can put your hand on the tree and make a wish for the future,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57for your family or whatever - it's really quite a humbling experience.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01To feel the past - to walk through the forest is to feel the past.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15Thanks to people like Desmond,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17the forest has a chance to flourish again.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23It's because of this kind of habitat restoration that real progress
0:35:23 > 0:35:26is being made in re-introducing endangered species.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32We have a whole range of species now that we just didn't have
0:35:32 > 0:35:35100 years ago - we'd lost them, they'd become extinct.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Red squirrels were found in only one or two pockets of woodland
0:35:38 > 0:35:41here in the Cairngorms, and in other parts of the Highlands,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43had to be reintroduced from elsewhere.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47The capercaillie had actually gone extinct in Scotland,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50and was reintroduced by private estates in the 19th century.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53We've seen the re-introduction of other birds of prey,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55such as the red kite.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57So there's some real conservation successes,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and I'm sure many of these will continue in the future.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14KITE CALLS
0:36:14 > 0:36:18Red kites are a soaring symbol of hope in the Highlands.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Once persecuted to extinction here,
0:36:24 > 0:36:28the birds were reintroduced from Europe in the 1990s,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31after an absence of nearly 120 years.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Dave Anderson is monitoring this new breeding population
0:36:40 > 0:36:42in the Trossachs.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45The birds that we're monitoring here in Central Scotland were put back
0:36:45 > 0:36:51in '96, and the population now is between 75 and 80 pairs.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53KITE CALLS
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Close to the nesting sites, Argaty Farm's feeding station
0:37:06 > 0:37:09provides extra benefits for red kites...
0:37:09 > 0:37:10and people.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Red kites need as much help as they can
0:37:17 > 0:37:20when they're first introduced to an area,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22and I think that these feeding stations
0:37:22 > 0:37:25offer not only a little bit of support,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29particularly in the wintertime, for red kites,
0:37:29 > 0:37:34but it also gives people an opportunity to bond with these birds
0:37:34 > 0:37:36that have been introduced into their area.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45The Argaty lunchtime acrobatics are guaranteed to impress.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54These spectacular birds of prey turn up in big numbers
0:37:54 > 0:37:56for the free hand-outs.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00CROW CALLS
0:38:01 > 0:38:02Other birds of prey like buzzards
0:38:02 > 0:38:05are no match for this kind of aerial bombardment.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11The kites swoop in, grab the food, and fly away with it.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14They're not really wanting to be standing, walking about,
0:38:14 > 0:38:18because they do get mobbed, not just by the crows and by the buzzards,
0:38:18 > 0:38:19but by their own kind,
0:38:19 > 0:38:21cos they're always stealing off each other.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Wildlife has come in there to obviously get a free meal,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43and people can go there and enjoy it,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and it's quite a spectacle in the wintertime,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50when you have 50, 60, 70 red kites
0:38:50 > 0:38:52wheeling over the tops of people.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55These are people who don't get the opportunities
0:38:55 > 0:38:59that people like myself get to go into nests,
0:38:59 > 0:39:03and I think it's really important that they get that opportunity.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Otherwise why would they even bother thinking about protecting them?
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Re-wilding is one of these words that some people might not like.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27But we've sanitised quite a lot of the Highlands,
0:39:27 > 0:39:31and I think it's really important to get back to re-wilding the land,
0:39:31 > 0:39:35and that might mean putting animals back in here that have been missing
0:39:35 > 0:39:38for a long time, and birds.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And the red kite was missing for a long, long time,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43and it's great to see it back.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53But there are some people whose plans for re-wilding
0:39:53 > 0:39:54are much more radical.
0:40:01 > 0:40:0470 miles north of the Cairngorms,
0:40:04 > 0:40:08philanthropist Paul Lister has begun a re-wilding project,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11restoring lost plant and animal species
0:40:11 > 0:40:13at his Alladale Wilderness Reserve.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19Well, we've been used to hundreds of years of a sterile landscape,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22like a dead zone, for, you know, since the last 1,000 years -
0:40:22 > 0:40:24since the Norman Conquest.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28You know, we've been, sort of, sanitising our landscape,
0:40:28 > 0:40:32and so it's very difficult for people to understand where we're at.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35You know, visitors, tourists come to Scotland
0:40:35 > 0:40:36and see these wonderful hills -
0:40:36 > 0:40:40open hills, treeless hills - and they think that's normal.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Over the centuries, we've slowly taken it all apart,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49until now we're just left with fragments of old forest.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51In fact, there's only 1% left.
0:40:52 > 0:40:55That's not much of a legacy, is it, to leave behind?
0:40:59 > 0:41:03Paul wants to bring large carnivores back to Scotland.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10He, and others, believe that nature needs top predators like wolves
0:41:10 > 0:41:14and bears to help balance out the ecosystem.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17This will give vegetation a chance to recover
0:41:17 > 0:41:21from overgrazing by deer, benefiting all wildlife.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26He also believes these animals will benefit
0:41:26 > 0:41:29the people of the Highlands through eco-tourism.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37I think that there's a bigger picture we're missing here -
0:41:37 > 0:41:41to be able to bring back wolves and bears and create more revenue,
0:41:41 > 0:41:46more job opportunities, and really see the place come alive,
0:41:46 > 0:41:48and that's really what I hope for.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I mean, look at the fantastic woods behind us here.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55Hundreds of years ago, there would have been wolves and bears in here.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00And it's just a shame, that, to me - as magnificent as they look,
0:42:00 > 0:42:01it's kind of like a dead zone.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06We've got to move forward, we've got to see some change,
0:42:06 > 0:42:07and we've got to progress.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11Life is not about the past, it's about the future,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13and we need to build a new future, a new consciousness,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15a new way of treating the landscape.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Biologically, you know, lynx and wolves and bears,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22and some of these other large mammal species
0:42:22 > 0:42:24could easily live in Scotland.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27You know, the biological conditions are there.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30The biological conditions will probably improve with time,
0:42:30 > 0:42:32as we get more woodland cover, etc.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35So, yes, these large mammals could definitely live here.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38But, of course, the crucial factor is not the biology,
0:42:38 > 0:42:39it's the human environment.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Are humans prepared to live alongside animals,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45which, undoubtedly beautiful and charismatic as they are,
0:42:45 > 0:42:49and undoubtedly could be part of a wildlife tourism initiative -
0:42:49 > 0:42:50but they will have impacts,
0:42:50 > 0:42:52and sometimes they will create problems -
0:42:52 > 0:42:54are we prepared to live alongside them?
0:42:54 > 0:42:57And it's only really the people of Scotland who can make that decision.
0:43:18 > 0:43:2340 miles north-west of Alladale, the Highlands meet the Atlantic.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Here lie many of the great sea bird colonies
0:43:31 > 0:43:33that have made the Highlands world-famous.
0:43:43 > 0:43:45Tens of thousands of pairs of birds
0:43:45 > 0:43:48come here every spring and summer to breed.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51Jostling for space to raise a family
0:43:51 > 0:43:54along the dizzying ledges and cliff tops.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Paul Walton is Head of Habitats and Species for the RSPB,
0:44:03 > 0:44:07and these vibrant communities are his special passion.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11People can come to Scotland, they can come to the Highlands,
0:44:11 > 0:44:15they can visit these incredible sea bird colonies, and it is,
0:44:15 > 0:44:17to my mind, every bit as spectacular
0:44:17 > 0:44:19as a visit to the Serengeti in Africa.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22It really is one of the world's greatest wildlife spectacles.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Of all the birds that inhabit these extraordinary sea bird cities,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55the guillemot is Paul's favourite.
0:44:59 > 0:45:03Over 30,000 of these birds annually crowd the cliff ledges to breed.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10One of largest concentrations of guillemots in Europe.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15It's hard to imagine a more precarious place to raise a family.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Sea birds are important indicators of change
0:45:23 > 0:45:26in the health of this marine world.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36But despite their apparent abundance here, numbers are in decline.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42The cause seems to link directly to climate change.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50Sea birds are actually the end of a marine food chain,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54and it seems to be that in recent decades, that food chain
0:45:54 > 0:45:59has been undergoing some really quite profound changes.
0:45:59 > 0:46:04Warm water plankton species, which aren't as rich in nutrients,
0:46:04 > 0:46:07are taking over from the Arctic plankton species,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10which were traditionally the food of the sand eels
0:46:10 > 0:46:12and other fish which the sea birds eat.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15And also we're seeing an overall reduction in the abundance
0:46:15 > 0:46:17of that plankton that the fish eat.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20And this seems to be having knock-on effects up the food chain.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40You look out there at the ocean, and people tend to think, you know,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43that's genuinely a wilderness, that's wild out there -
0:46:43 > 0:46:45it's the last frontier.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49But there is absolutely no doubt that human activity is having
0:46:49 > 0:46:52a profound effect on the marine environment,
0:46:52 > 0:46:54and on the wildlife that depends on it.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59So, they're facing multiple pressures, and those pressures
0:46:59 > 0:47:02are really beginning to show now, and have effects
0:47:02 > 0:47:05on our sea bird populations, and driving them into decline,
0:47:05 > 0:47:07and this is a global issue.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17But while climate change remains an international problem,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21there are local success stories for colonies like these in Scotland.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29One area that proves that people can really make a difference
0:47:29 > 0:47:31is in the idea of marine protected areas.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Now, we have protected areas on land, and we have done for decades.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37In the marine environment, it's been much slower.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39But we're making real progress now.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41It remains to be seen how well they'll be managed -
0:47:41 > 0:47:43that's a challenge for us all -
0:47:43 > 0:47:47but it was public pressure that brought about this critical change,
0:47:47 > 0:47:49and it is real progress.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Scotland has 30 marine protected areas,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13supporting an abundance of wildlife.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24With over 20 different whale and dolphin species,
0:48:24 > 0:48:28the Highland coastline provides a rich habitat for cetaceans.
0:48:43 > 0:48:4690 miles east of the sea bird colonies
0:48:46 > 0:48:50lies a great funnel-shaped estuary called the Moray Firth.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01WDC - Whale and Dolphin Conservation - are based here,
0:49:01 > 0:49:03and run a programme called Shorewatch.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08They work with 23 coastal communities,
0:49:08 > 0:49:12aiming to engage them in protecting the marine environment.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17Katie Dyke is their conservation officer.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22We work with local communities, and we encourage them,
0:49:22 > 0:49:26and engage with volunteers to look for whales and dolphins for us.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30As you're scanning, you're just looking for splashes,
0:49:30 > 0:49:33feeding birds, any break in the water,
0:49:33 > 0:49:36any discontinuity in the water that you might think,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38- "Ooh, there's something there." - Yeah.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41We analyse all this data so that we can better understand
0:49:41 > 0:49:44the movements of whales and dolphins around the Scottish coastline,
0:49:44 > 0:49:48and then we can use that to advise governments and developers
0:49:48 > 0:49:51on how to protect the cetaceans that we have around Scotland.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56Scotland actually has a really rich marine wildlife,
0:49:56 > 0:50:00and a huge abundance of different marine mammals, and it probably
0:50:00 > 0:50:04doesn't spring to mind to a lot of people, because I think when people
0:50:04 > 0:50:05look at whales and dolphins,
0:50:05 > 0:50:08they see tropical climates and warm waters,
0:50:08 > 0:50:11and they think that's where they're going to see whales and dolphins,
0:50:11 > 0:50:15where actually, Scotland is one of the best places to see whales
0:50:15 > 0:50:17and dolphins, particularly from the shoreline.
0:50:23 > 0:50:27These coastal waters are regularly visited by a resident population
0:50:27 > 0:50:29of almost 200 bottlenose dolphins.
0:50:33 > 0:50:36We've actually got the world's biggest bottlenose dolphin -
0:50:36 > 0:50:39they're the most northern bottlenose dolphin of the world,
0:50:39 > 0:50:43and basically they're the biggest, so, they're four metres long -
0:50:43 > 0:50:45they're absolutely huge.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47They're, kind of, relatives across the world,
0:50:47 > 0:50:50so you've got bottlenose dolphin in California and Australia,
0:50:50 > 0:50:52and they're only about two metres long.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55So, our bottlenose dolphin are double the size.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58Basically, they're kind of the fattest in the world, I think.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00You know, they've got a lot of food around here.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03They've got a lot of fatty fish to eat, they've got salmon,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06and they basically have to stay nice and warm in this weather,
0:51:06 > 0:51:08so they've got an extra layer of blubber.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21This is a very special group of bottlenose dolphins -
0:51:21 > 0:51:24the only surviving population in the North Sea.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31They live on the very edge -
0:51:31 > 0:51:33isolated and vulnerable.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37And they share their home with people,
0:51:37 > 0:51:41living alongside oil rigs, boats and busy harbours.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47It's a world that's become noisier
0:51:47 > 0:51:50and more polluted over the last century.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54But they're holding on,
0:51:54 > 0:51:58and each year they provide thousands of visitors
0:51:58 > 0:52:01with an unforgettable wildlife-watching experience.
0:52:09 > 0:52:10No-one knows the Moray Firth dolphins
0:52:10 > 0:52:13better than Charlie Philips.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16Like Katie, he's a field officer for WDC.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Charlie is cataloguing the unique markings
0:52:22 > 0:52:24on each animal's dorsal fin.
0:52:24 > 0:52:25CAMERA CLICKS
0:52:27 > 0:52:31It means that we can keep tabs on what the population's doing
0:52:31 > 0:52:34just through the power of photography.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37We don't need to try and stick transmitters or markers
0:52:37 > 0:52:39on individual dolphins,
0:52:39 > 0:52:44because they already have individual markings on their dorsal fins,
0:52:44 > 0:52:46caused naturally by themselves.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Charlie's got to know the pod so well,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54he's given names to many of the individual dolphins.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58When you're involved in studying them for any length of time,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01you don't only begin to recognise them as individuals,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04but recognise them as individual characters, too.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06They're amazing.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08I've spent 20 years watching and studying them
0:53:08 > 0:53:12and photographing them and filming them, and every day is different.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14There's no two days the same.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25Charlie's favourite spot is Chanonry Point.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29A shingle spit sticking straight out into the Moray Firth.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35When the Atlantic salmon begin their spawning runs,
0:53:35 > 0:53:38the dolphins gather here on a rising tide.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43If you time it right, you can enjoy one of Scotland's
0:53:43 > 0:53:46most extraordinary wildlife spectacles.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50The bottlenose dolphins have figured out a method of hunting,
0:53:50 > 0:53:55where if they wait for an incoming tide, as the tide rushes past the
0:53:55 > 0:53:59tip of this peninsula, it creates tremendous whirlpools and eddies,
0:53:59 > 0:54:04and the migratory salmon coming through this area seem to congregate
0:54:04 > 0:54:07in one narrow spot, and the dolphins
0:54:07 > 0:54:10basically wait on this tidal current,
0:54:10 > 0:54:14almost like a supermarket conveyor belt bringing the food towards them.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24Every now and again,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28a dolphin will take a fish that it's not quite comfortable swallowing.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31So, what it's got to do is, it's got to physically regurgitate it,
0:54:31 > 0:54:33and then re-swallow it.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40It can sometimes take a dolphin 45 minutes,
0:54:40 > 0:54:4450 minutes to swallow a really large fish, but it's worth it,
0:54:44 > 0:54:48because that huge packet of protein and nutrition -
0:54:48 > 0:54:52it's worth spending the time putting that down your stomach,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56because you don't know where you're going to get the next one from.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07People won't protect what they don't understand,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10and they won't watch what they don't know is there, and it's a really
0:55:10 > 0:55:14unique opportunity that people have that live around this local area,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17that there's dolphins on your doorstep, and you can go outside
0:55:17 > 0:55:21and stand on the shoreline and watch these remarkable creatures.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29The people of the Highlands are rediscovering
0:55:29 > 0:55:31their connection to wildlife...
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Anything feeding underneath them...
0:55:33 > 0:55:36..proving that public engagement and positive action can,
0:55:36 > 0:55:38and does, make a real difference.
0:55:47 > 0:55:48This is the eagle picking up the fish.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51If we can grab children's attention now, and get them excited
0:55:51 > 0:55:55about nature now, then hopefully that will stay with them,
0:55:55 > 0:55:57and it'll stay with them into adulthood,
0:55:57 > 0:56:00and they are the people who are going to be looking after this
0:56:00 > 0:56:04in 20, 30 years' time, so we really want to grab their attention now.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14We see the Highlands as a bit of a unique area
0:56:14 > 0:56:16within the whole of the UK.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19It's seen as a wild place, and it is still a wild place,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and I really like being a part of it.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25And I'm not sick of it yet, and I hope I never will be.
0:56:31 > 0:56:35The Highlands - for me, it's home, it's where my ancestors come from.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39It's a beautiful part of the world, it's got some fantastic nature,
0:56:39 > 0:56:42but for me as an ecologist, I feel there's a job to be done.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44You know, we've got to repair some of the damage to make this
0:56:44 > 0:56:47an even better place for future generations to live.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09The Highlands to me means freedom.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13It means getting out there, in a clean place,
0:57:13 > 0:57:17that's still got areas where you won't see another living soul
0:57:17 > 0:57:19from morning to night.
0:57:19 > 0:57:24But there's also pristine environments that we can enjoy, too.
0:57:24 > 0:57:25If we do it carefully, then hopefully
0:57:25 > 0:57:29those pristine environments will still be pristine in years to come.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33It's a place that I'd never, ever want to leave.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42The Highlands have inspired people for generations.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49But keeping them wild and diverse is our responsibility.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04Rebuilding a strong natural environment will benefit everyone.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11If we can learn to respect and take responsibility for this place,
0:58:11 > 0:58:16then the Highlands have every chance of staying wild and wonderful
0:58:16 > 0:58:19for people and for animals.