The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson
By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Chair Faculty Research Ethics Committee, UWS
Getting lots of TV coverage and in the Times & Star today:
Reintroducing wolves could expand woodland areas and reduce CO2 – study – A study led by researchers at the University of Leeds said reintroducing the species into the Cairngorms, south-west, north-west and central Highlands could help curb the problem of red deer eating tree saplings, which stops natural woodland regeneration.
The researchers estimate that if wolves were reintroduced, a population of around 167 of the animals would thrive, which they say is enough to reduce red deer populations to a level that would allow trees to regenerate naturally. Research suggests this alone could contribute to around 5% of the carbon removal target for UK woodlands, roughly equivalent to one million tonnes. The researchers said only 4% of Scotland is covered by woodland today, making it one of the least forested places in Europe.
I’ll take the last claim first – only 4% of Scotland is covered by woodland today, making it one of the least forested places in Europe.
WTF did university-researchers get the 4% from. It’s 18%, 80% higher than in England. https://ourworldindata.org/forest-area
Second – 167 animals (wolves) would thrive. Leaving aside local opinion, much of them retired professionals from places like York and Harrogate, would 167 wolves have a big impact on the estimated ‘more than 1 million deer in Scotland?’
6 586 deer for every wolf?
Third, 5% of the carbon removal target for UK woodlands?
Here’s a thought, rather than more wolves in Scotland, how about planting more trees in England? Why? See this:
SNP plants nearly 20 times as many new trees as Labour Wales and more than 3 times as many as Conservative England
From Forest Research, Time Series in 2024:
In the period of SNP administration in Scotland, from 2008 to 2024:
Scotland planted 131 460 new trees including 67 000 broadleaves.
England, with 10 times the population and nearly twice the landmass, only planted 40 720, less than a third.
As for Labour-run Wales – 7 800!
Source: https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/time-series/
What impact is this having?
Using comparable metrics, we can see Scotland has made the largest emissions reduction in the UK between the 1990 baseline and 2022, reducing by 50.1 per cent, while emissions in England fell by 49 per cent; followed by Wales at 36.5 and Northern Ireland at 25.9 per cent.
Scotland has also decarbonised much faster than the EU27 average using comparable EU statistics. https://www.gov.scot/publications/greenhouse-gas-emissions-statistics-2022-ministerial-statement/
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Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Reducing carbon at the point of its main introduction is in heating systems.
insulate homes…. have a national drive to reduce heat loss whilst providing the correct ventilation.
insulate Right – Ventilate right.
introducing wolves to compensate for carvon whilst still burning hydrocarbons at the same level is nonsense.
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I’m always fascinated by the English who feel almost compelled these days to tell us what we have done wrong and what we should be doing. You would think their ‘world renowned’ Universities would be better to focus their attention on sorting out their own huge problems but alas not. Given prominance by programmes like BBC Countryfile it is of course an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that us Scots cannot manage our own affairs without their expert help.
Given the constraints inflicted on us by Brexit and ‘Reserved’ immigration to Westminster and with wide media coverage it presumably presents the ideal opportunity to show us full integration (colonisation) is best for all especially England to relieve the severe pressures on housing shortages, NHS and Public services.
Don’t you just love them.
Robbo
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Introducing wolves to Scotland’s landscape would help , indirectly , in reducing carbon emissions ?
Why not simply plant trees on the site for Heathrow’s THIRD runway , or scrap HS2 and plant trees along the designated line , or have the Royals plant more trees on their many estates rather than preserving them for grouse , or have the MOD plant on the many thousands of hectares they use for ”training ” our rapidly diminishing armed forces or…… .ideas on a postcard to Labour Party HQ , Westminster , the inclusion of a nondescript brown envelope ( wink ! wink ! ) will greatly increase the chances of a successful outcome .
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” WTF did university-researchers get the 4% from. It’s 18%, 80% higher than in England. https://ourworldindata.org/forest-area ” – Ah but that’s only on land 😉
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Haha!
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Crying wolf, are they?
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Ryan MacDougall hopes to get into P2 next year… https://archive.ph/vgsJN
As if Scots have not suffered enough from wolves, in politics and media…
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Without getting bogged down in wolves, reducing deer populations has been shown to greatly enhance regeneration, and carbon sequestration is much greater in regenerated woodland than new planting. The new planting is of course laudable as well but supplemented by reducing the deer it could make quite a change.
Of course, if doesn’t need to be wolves. Culling would also work.
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Absolutely don’t want to get bogged down in wolves – don’t even want to see one in Scotland.
Great idea to cull the deer. Let’s promote the delights of venison.
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Deer have to be culled. Or else the land would be overrun. Deer culling licences are given out. They are butchered but some people do not like the taste. Too much red meat gives people bowel cancer. Cows are kept pregnant for milk. There are other products oat milk comes from the cereal. Grown on the soil without going through cows first. Save the world. Less cows.
Animal lovers eat animals. In the Depression 7million+ Americans died from starvation. They ate dogs. The crops failed. Famine.
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A bad idea. Introducing wolves would be more likely to damage the environment by preying on other animals and birds native to Scotland, not so much the deer. As folks like to shoot the deer, they’d not stop at shooting wolves either. Instead of shooting deer they numbers could be reduced by using contraceptives it’s been done before to keep numbers of invasive species down in other parts of the world. Obviously it would take clever management to make sure it would be restricted to the specific species etc.
English universities should concentrate on rewilding their own tiny and I read recently, much reduced wild spaces in England. Scotland can decide how to manage their own environment, that needs land reform of course.
No wolves, it would impact the already fragile balance of Scotland’s wild areas.
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The Wolves of Willoughby Chase………about two young girls defeating their evil governess’s fraudulent schemes!!! Set in England but something for the people of Scotland to get their TEETH into!!!
JB
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