Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunities Register here Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunitiesA Conservation Translocation is the deliberate movement and release of living organisms for the purpose of conservation. In 2014, NatureScot released a code of best practice for conservation translocations. While this was based on international guidelines produced by the IUCN Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to develop country-specific guidelines. That Scotland has been a leader on this reflects a strong and growing interest in nature restoration, as a part of wider efforts to conserve and reverse declines in biodiversity.Scotland has a long history of translocations and reintroductions, including the first ever reintroduction of capercaillie in 1832. More recently, there have been high-profile licensed projects for white-tailed eagles, red kites, pine martens, beavers, golden eagles and wild cats. While they have enjoyed some success in species recovery, many of these projects have also proved socially controversial. This is especially the case for species that have been illegally released, which in Scotland include beaver, wild boar (officially feral pigs) and recently four lynx in Cairngorms National Park.Based on these histories and the growing interest in these kinds of projects, this session seeks to explore the future possibilities for conservation translocations in Scotland. We hope to reflect on past successes and issues with translocations and wish to explore how opportunities for these projects might change as the political landscape shifts in Scotland (and beyond) and the science around translocations matures.This session will consist of 5-minute presentations by each of our four speakers on their professional history and experience of individual translocation projects. We would then have a broader round table discussion based on questions such as:· How do ongoing popular interests in rewilding in Scotland impact translations on the ground?· How/can we move beyond polarised discourses around living alongside translocated species?· 10 years on from the release of the guidelines in Scotland, what lessons have we learnt?· What is the future for translocation projects in Scotland?Speakers:Martin Gaywood, NatureScot, UHI & and one author of the Scottish Code for Conservation TranslocationsCat Barlow, CEO of Supporting Upland Nature – which used to be the South Of Scotland Golden Eagle ProjectLouise Hughes (Saving Wildcats)Professor George Holmes (University of Leeds and member of the English Species Reintroduction Taskforce)with introductions by Felix Clarke, University of Edinburgh, and Toryn Whitehead, King's College London Feb 04 2026 16.00 - 18.00 Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunities This session will consist of four 5-minute presentations by each of our speakers on their professional history and experience of individual translocation projects, followed by a wider discussion. Conference Room, ECCI ECCI
Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunities Register here Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunitiesA Conservation Translocation is the deliberate movement and release of living organisms for the purpose of conservation. In 2014, NatureScot released a code of best practice for conservation translocations. While this was based on international guidelines produced by the IUCN Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Scotland was one of the first countries in the world to develop country-specific guidelines. That Scotland has been a leader on this reflects a strong and growing interest in nature restoration, as a part of wider efforts to conserve and reverse declines in biodiversity.Scotland has a long history of translocations and reintroductions, including the first ever reintroduction of capercaillie in 1832. More recently, there have been high-profile licensed projects for white-tailed eagles, red kites, pine martens, beavers, golden eagles and wild cats. While they have enjoyed some success in species recovery, many of these projects have also proved socially controversial. This is especially the case for species that have been illegally released, which in Scotland include beaver, wild boar (officially feral pigs) and recently four lynx in Cairngorms National Park.Based on these histories and the growing interest in these kinds of projects, this session seeks to explore the future possibilities for conservation translocations in Scotland. We hope to reflect on past successes and issues with translocations and wish to explore how opportunities for these projects might change as the political landscape shifts in Scotland (and beyond) and the science around translocations matures.This session will consist of 5-minute presentations by each of our four speakers on their professional history and experience of individual translocation projects. We would then have a broader round table discussion based on questions such as:· How do ongoing popular interests in rewilding in Scotland impact translations on the ground?· How/can we move beyond polarised discourses around living alongside translocated species?· 10 years on from the release of the guidelines in Scotland, what lessons have we learnt?· What is the future for translocation projects in Scotland?Speakers:Martin Gaywood, NatureScot, UHI & and one author of the Scottish Code for Conservation TranslocationsCat Barlow, CEO of Supporting Upland Nature – which used to be the South Of Scotland Golden Eagle ProjectLouise Hughes (Saving Wildcats)Professor George Holmes (University of Leeds and member of the English Species Reintroduction Taskforce)with introductions by Felix Clarke, University of Edinburgh, and Toryn Whitehead, King's College London Feb 04 2026 16.00 - 18.00 Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunities This session will consist of four 5-minute presentations by each of our speakers on their professional history and experience of individual translocation projects, followed by a wider discussion. Conference Room, ECCI ECCI
Feb 04 2026 16.00 - 18.00 Conservation translocations in Scotland: reflecting on the past and future opportunities This session will consist of four 5-minute presentations by each of our speakers on their professional history and experience of individual translocation projects, followed by a wider discussion.
