This move brings an additional 17,604 hectares under the rewilding banner, making Glen Affric the 20th major landholding in this vast, ambitious network. Affric Highlands itself spans over 200,000 hectares across the central Highlands, from Loch Ness to Kintail, and includes multiple glens such as Cannich, Moriston, Shiel, and now Affric.

Glen Affric is no ordinary glen. It is home to some of Scotland’s most precious remnants of Caledonian forest, the ancient woodland that once stretched across much of the Highlands now reduced to a fraction of its former size. Over the decades, FLS has carefully worked to protect and regenerate this forest through tree planting, natural regeneration, deer management, and habitat restoration, breathing life back into wetlands, peatlands, and native woodland.

By joining this coalition, Glen Affric will play a key role in a bold vision to reconnect nature at scale. The initiative’s goal is to rewild the landscape by restoring native woodland, rewetting peatlands, and creating river corridors that support both wildlife and people. The hope is that species such as golden eagles, otters, black grouse, mountain hares, salmon, and ospreys will thrive in the renewed wild.

Beyond nature, this partnership is also about community. Rewilding Affric Highlands aims to deliver long-term social and economic benefits, including nature-based tourism, sustainable timber, fishing, farming, and venison production.

Stephanie Kiel, executive director of Rewilding Affric Highlands, described the agreement as “a huge step forwards for the entire area to become richer in nature, with new opportunities for people, including jobs, re-peopling and health.” Alex Macleod, FLS’s North Region manager, echoed her optimism, saying their involvement will help secure “the long‑term health of nature, communities, and livelihoods.”

This is not just restoration. It is a vision for the future where wild nature and human communities grow stronger together. At a time of climate crisis and biodiversity loss, Glen Affric joining Affric Highlands sends a powerful message: that healing the land can go hand in hand with strengthening the people who call it home

Photo by Kzara Visual