Folk invited to shape the future of ‘nature-friendly’ crofting

CROFTERS, farmers and other people interested in land management in Shetland are being invited to join a two-day event in October designed to “shape a resilient, nature-positive future”.

The event will be hosted by conservation programme Species on the Edge, with input also coming from Nature Friendly Farming Network, Pasture for Life, the Scottish Crofting Federation and local RSPB Scotland staff.

Species on the Edge said “high input costs, extreme weather and shifting agricultural policy” means that business as usual can be a struggle in modern crofting.

Change requires testing new ideas, leveraging natural processes and finding practical ways to build real business resilience while restoring local ecosystems, it added.

In the past four years the Species on the Edge programme has brought opportunities for crofters in Shetland to create and improve habitats for threatened species that depend on supportive land management and to trial new practices.

Examples include soil-improving wildlife crops, virtual fencing for more effective grazing of cattle in challenging sites and the creation of wildflower meadows.

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As the Species on the Edge programme comes to an end, the two-day event is deigned to look at learnings from the project and help develop new connections and partnerships between the crofting and conservation communities in Shetland.

The event will feature a croft walk in Bressay on Monday 12 October and a workshop in Lerwick on Tuesday 13 October.

The walk will be a chance to look at the practicalities and challenges of croft management and for crofters to share experiences and ideas. The workshop will offer a platform to come together to explore what modern crofting means and to build momentum for nature-friendly crofting in Shetland.

Those interested in taking part in the conversation are encouraged to book a place on the croft walk and/or the workshop.

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There will also be a public drop-in at Islesburgh Community Centre in Lerwick between 6.30pm and 8pm on the Tuesday (13 October) for anyone who wants to meet representatives from Species on the Edge, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Pasture for Life, the Scottish Crofting Federation and RSPB Scotland, and to hear about ongoing projects.

For more information and to book, visit here.