NRN PARTNER: Carrachan

CARRACHAN

Location:
Lairg, Highland
Area Committed:
60 acres

Carrachan occupies a dramatic setting, defined by open water, peatland and rugged moor, looking south across Loch Shin. The landholding includes a varied loch margin which, at lower water levels, reveals stony and gravelly foreshore habitat. Above the shore, the ground transitions into mixed semi-natural woodland and areas of scrub, interspersed with regenerating birch and scattered rowan. Further upslope, the land opens into heather-dominated moorland and wet heath, underlain by peat soils. Several small drains and ephemeral burns cross the holding, their flow fluctuating with seasonal rainfall before discharging into the loch. Browsing pressure from a substantial population of sika and red deer requires ongoing management to ensure successful woodland establishment and long- term ecological resilience.

Key rewilding commitments:

  • MORE NATIVE WOODLAND: Facilitate natural woodland regeneration by continuing to control high deer population across the site.
  • MORE SPACE FOR WATER: Explore opportunities to create more standing water on the land by creating scrapes and installing leaky dams – to benefit invertebrates, amphibians and wading birds.
  • JOINED UP HABITATS: Improve habitat connectivity by linking up segregated areas of woodland by planting seed islands. Remove redundant fencing that might impact wildlife movement.
  • RETURN MISSING SPECIES: Undertake enrichment planting of missing or poorly represented tree species.
  • LET NATURE LEAD: Remove non-native plant species, prioritising those with a propensity to colonise other landholdings.
  • REINSTATE NATURAL GRAZING: Consider introducing large herbivore grazers (native cattle / ponies / pigs) at low densities to benefit soil health, sward diversity and invertebrates.