Changing land use: Glen Feshie

The same area of land can be used by different groups of people for different purposes. It is best when people consider others, the wildlife and environment but this isn't always straightforward.

In this article you can learn about:

• different kinds of land use and issues that might arise
• responsible code for walkers and visitors to protected areas
• Victorian tourism in the Highlands and its legacy

This article is suitable for learning about People, Place and Environment topics in primary school.

Join Isla and Connor on a walk through Glen Feshie, where they learn how different human activities impact each other and the landscape.

Glen Feshie is a sporting estate on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park.

It attracts visitors because of its natural beauty, and outdoor country sports like shooting and fishing. Visitors can provide income, as they bring money with them to spend on their travels, but there can be issues when different groups of people use the same area of land.

Here are some examples of what visitors to an area like Glen Feshie might encounter.

In Scotland, people have the 'right to roam'. This means they are free to explore the landscape without needing permission from the owner of the land, as long as they behave responsibly. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code lays out the three simple principles for being responsible when enjoying the outdoors:

• Respect the interests of other people.
• Care for the environment.
• Take responsibility for your own actions.

Land managers must also follow these principles, to make sure people can enjoy the outdoors safely.

The Highlands became a popular destination for tourists during the reign of Queen Victoria. The 'unspoilt' scenery that the tourists came to expect may have been nice for them to look at, but it was also evidence of the Highland Clearances where families were cleared from their homes to make way for sheep or deer.

'Monarch of the Glen' is a famous painting by the artist Sir Edwin Landseer. It shows a red deer stag in an empty wilderness and is said the landscape is based on Glen Feshie.

The painting is associated with a romanticised view of the Highlands. This means that people who see the painting or visit the Highlands imagine that the landscape is a natural wilderness. In fact, most of the landscape of Scotland that we see today is the result of human action, including clearing forests, farming and tourism.

The painting shows the beauty of nature, without showing anything else about real life in the area.

This is one reason why clear instructions like the Outdoor Access Code are needed. It reminds visitors that this is a landscape where people live and work, and tells us how to be respectful of both the people and the landscape.

The conservation and management of wildlife is an important issue in places like Glen Feshie. The area is a habitat for over 5000 birds and animals, around 1,000 of which are described as 'nationally rare' or 'scarce'.

In the early 19th Century, deer stalking in Glen Feshie became an important leisure activity at sporting estates. Numbers of deer were kept artificially high, to attract visitors who would then come to stalk and shoot the deer.

However, the numbers of deer grazing prevented young plants from developing, which stopped the forest from growing. In 2004, a large number of deer were killed in a cull. This reduced the number of deer to allow these plants to regrow.

This process of allowing native plants to regrow, or deliberately replanting native plants, is called rewilding.

There are different opinions about rewilding:

• Some people want to rewild areas like Glen Feshie to provide a safe habitat for native plants and animals.
• It is argued that creating more forests and planting can help reduce carbon in the atmosphere and help limit climate change.
• Other people think that rewilding means that there will be less land for farming or that rewilded areas will be closed off to visitors, taking away their 'right to roam'.
• Some people are unhappy that deer are killed as part of this process.

The debate around how to best manage this important plant and wildlife habitat continues.

cull - when animals are killed to keep their numbers under control

conservation - protection of a natural environment or species

forest a large area covered mainly by trees and bushes

rewilding - the process of allowing native plants to regrow in an area, sometimes through a cull of animals

deer stalking - a country sport that involves closely following and shooting wild deer

estate - a large area of land, owned by one person or company. Many estates have a large house somewhere on the property

How can different groups share the same space?

Think of a shared space in your community - a park, a hall, or another place where people gather.

Can you think of three different groups of people who might use this place for different purposes? Think about what they want out of this space. How might this be different from other people?

Try to come up with a solution that means everyone can be happy using the space.