Forestry and Land Scotland’s work at Knapdale in Argyll has been nationally recognised for delivering long-term benefits to biodiversity while supporting sustainable timber production.
The site has been awarded Nature30 status, marking it as a key part of Scotland’s efforts to ensure that 30% of land and sea is protected for nature by 2030.
Knapdale is the first publicly managed land in Scotland to receive this designation.
The Nature30 programme identifies areas that are not already protected but are being managed in ways that benefit biodiversity and will continue to do so for at least 25 years.
Located on the Argyll coast, Knapdale is home to rare temperate rainforest habitats and the lichen species that depend on them.
It’s also a landscape where native woodland restoration and sustainable timber production work hand in hand.
“Knapdale, on the coast of Argyll, is nationally important in terms of its diversity of native habitats and wildlife,” said Callum Strong, Regional Environment Advisor at Forestry and Land Scotland.
“This includes temperate rainforest and the important lichen species this rare habitat supports.
“The area is also home to resident beaver populations that have begun to expand out of nearby protected areas.”
The site demonstrates how active land management can join up protected areas, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Special Areas of Conservation, helping wildlife move and adapt as habitats shift with climate change.
Much of Knapdale has already been under restoration to native woodland for several years.
This new designation reinforces its future as a biodiversity hotspot, while recognising its ongoing role in supplying high-quality timber and supporting Scotland’s rural economy.
“Knapdale is an example of how protection, restoration and conservation to improve biodiversity can be balanced with growing sustainable and productive forests for harvesting,” added Strong.
The Nature30 status acknowledges that FLS land management plans are succeeding in finding that balance.
Ben Ross, Head of Protected Areas, Innovation and Data at NatureScot, said:
“With the urgent climate and nature crises we face today, we must work together to connect and improve nature across the country.
“Knapdale’s recognition as Scotland’s first Nature30 site on public land highlights the vital role Forestry and Land Scotland plays in nature recovery as well as the wider role the public estate has in achieving 30% of land protected for nature by 2030.”
Knapdale will now serve as a national example of how conservation and commercial forestry can successfully co-exist and reinforce each other for long-term environmental and economic gain.
