1 10 428 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/20/760/CCW.25.12_-_Ecological_Summary_Report.jpg 27507d208785bb798ad22358c91470dc https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/20/760/CCW.25.12_-_Ecological_Summary_Report.1.pdf 462823364a09e069f2c634ab561c94cc PDF Text Text pdftext_placeholder Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Community Action Plan Description An account of the resource Documents relating to the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan, initially drawn up by Glenkens & District Trust in 2020. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Ecological Summary Report Carsphairn Community Woodland December 2025 1Overview This report has been prepared by the volunteers at Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW). It provides a summary of the ecological data gathered during the citizen science monitoring events in October and November 2025 followed by planned improvements and future recommendations. A habitat overview was conducted on the site to the North East of the Hide in October capturing the major tree species, size and location as well as surrounding plant diversity. A quadrat in the locations marked on the map below was also completed in both October and November to identify species in detail using apps such as iNaturalist in a 1 metre by 1 metre square. About the Site Carsphairn Community Woodland Ltd (CCW) purchased 120 acres of forestry in 2021 to provide local employment; greater access to the countryside for walking and picnics; and also to create a community hub for outdoor volunteering, activities and skills development. It employs a forester full time which helps to support an ongoing apprenticeship scheme with the aim of establishing a rural skills training centre to teach practical forestry qualifications, provide work experience opportunities, courses and workshops in other wood related activities. They hold monthly Volunteer Days at the woodland plus other events throughout the year. 2Habitats The existing habitats on site are mainly a variety of different woodland habitats classified according to the Phase 1 Habitat Survey methodology. As a former forestry plantation, the site is predominantly coniferous woodland (A1.2.2) with the dominant species being Sitka Spruce including some Larch and Birch intermixed. There are some areas of native and mixed broadleaf woodland (A1.1.2) mostly on steep slopes which are unfavourable to harvesting by machines. Felled areas are slowly being replanted with native broadleaf woodland to improve biodiversity. The location of the quadrat monitoring site for species ID is nestled among the broadleaf trees to the North East of the Hide where the dominant species are Hawthorn, Hazel and Bird Cherry. Kendoon Loch is a large body of standing open water (G1) which lies to the South of the site while the Water of Ken (G2) runs along the South Eastern boarder. Carsphairn community woodland (CCW) monitoring site nestled among the broadleaf trees Species Reported wildlife sightings during October and November include: •Birds: Chaffinch, Great Tit, Robin •Mammals: Red Squirrel •Featured finds this season: a range of mosses, fungi and some invertebrates including Neat Feather Moss, Common Tamarisk Moss, Tree Climacium Moss, a fungus which was challenging to identify but thought to be Milking Bonnet, Birch Polypore, Whited Legged Snaked Millipede and two speedy spiders too fast to identify 3Selection of photographs from October and November Summary of conditions and nature recordings from the citizen science monitoring events. 26th October30th November 5°C / windy / rainy4°C / still / sunny Full sun, shaded, dry, wetShaded / wetFull sun / dry SightingsNumber of observations3621 VolunteersNumber of people511 ConditionsExamples WeatherTemperature, wind, cloud, rain Conditions on ground 4Planned Improvements Replacement of the former coniferous plantation trees with broadleaf woodland continues as trees are harvested each year to gradually help improve the habitat for wildlife. Thanks to the Glenkens Nature Networks project, it has been suggested to add a view point to the Hide as a stationary monitoring location including a QR code for visitors to upload photos at any time. Adding a whiteboard, logbook or other methods of monitoring and reporting to the Hide are also being considered as an alternative to digital recording. View from the Hide as a potential stationary monitoring location Future Recommendations It is recommended to continue monitoring and recording at the woodland to track progress and changes over time as coniferous forest is gradually replaced by broadleaf woodland. Continuing the citizen science program could be a good way to do this while involving the community. It would be interesting to gather data in the newly felled areas such as along Saunders Wynd to establish a baseline and monitor improvements as the trees grow over time as well as compare to the more mature woodland at the existing monitoring sites or areas of coniferous woodland. Broadening the monitoring sites to include the loch or river would also provide some new and different sightings. During the transition from conifer to broadleaf many invertebrates and small mammals could be displaced by large felled areas, however providing food and shelter could improve the chances of survival. Food sources could include wild flowers, bird cherry and crab apple trees for pollinators or fruit and nut trees for squirrels and small mammals. Shelter could include bat boxes, nest boxes, deadwood piles for insects or rock piles for reptiles and is an excellent way to engage volunteers. 5PROJECT TITLE Carsphairn Community Woodland DRAWING TITLE Citizen Science Monitoring Sites DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations AddedSURVEY INFORMATION 26TH OCTOBER 2025 HABITAT OVERVIEW PROJECT TITLE 30TH NOVEMBER 2025 A brighter day, sunny and dry but cold with temperatures approximately 4°C DRAWING TITLE Predominantly coniferous woodland (A1.2.2), dominant species Sitka Spruce, Larch and Birch The Hide location was recorded on what3words at: ///Streetcar.gilding.curry It also features a View Point for stationary monitoring. Details and a QR code will be added to the View Point to allow visitors to take photographs and upload any time OBSERVATIONS FROM HABITAT OVERVIEW ● ● North and West of the Hide includes an area of native and mixed broadleaf woodland (A1.1.2) West and South of the Hide has been recently felled and replanted with broadleaf woodland A large patch of Bracken (C1) was recorded to the North of the Hide Three of the largest trees nearest the Hide were identified and locations measured by citizen scientists as well as what3words data recorded: ● Bird Cherry, Trunk 85cm, Distance 12.4m, ///confronts.hoped.hamster ● Hawthorn, Trunk 35cm, Distance 10.2m, ///tools.truly.dialects ● Hawthorn with empty Bird Box, Trunk 94cm, Distance 9.4m, ///schooling.diary.reserve The location of the quadrat monitoring site for species ID is nestled among the broadleaf trees to the North East of the Hide where the dominant species are Hawthorn, Hazel and Bird Cherry Considering the season and the weather conditions, 36 observations were recorded on the day The weather was cloudy and rainy with wet ground conditions, temperatures approximately 5°C OBSERVATIONS FROM HABITAT OVERVIEW ● ● ● ● Fungi and Lichens: Birch Polypore Plants: Bird Cherry, Blackthorn, Bracken, Buttercup, Fern, Hawthorn Trees, Hazel Trees, Raspberry x10, Sapling Hazels x10, Wood Sage Birds: Chaffinch, Great Tit, Robin Mammals: Red Squirrel OBSERVATIONS FROM QUADRAT Location: //relished.hormones.sweeping ● ● ● Plants: Common Dog Violet, Common Tamarisk Moss, Dock, Eared Willow, European Wood Sorrel, Grasses, Great Stitchwort, Neat Feather Moss, Raspberry, Slater, Woodland Germander Invertebrates: Common Striped Woodlouse, Fly x3, Mosquito, Small Flecked Wing Fly, Spider #1, Spider #2, White Legged Snaked Millipede Signs and Tracks: Dead Leaves & Twigs, Hawthorn Berries x21, Hazel Nut Birds: Chaffinch, Great Tit, Robin Mammals: Red Squirrel OBSERVATIONS FROM QUADRAT Location: ///shameless.busy.shaped ● ● ● ● An area of natural regeneration was recorded as including 10x Hazel saplings and 10x Raspberry Carsphairn Community Woodland Fungi and Lichens: Fungus (Milking Bonnet?) Plants: Common Dog Violet, Common Tamarisk Moss, Deer Fern, Germander Speedwell, Great Stitchwort, Hairy Woodrush, Neat Feather Moss, Raspberry Stalks, Tree Climacium Moss Invertebrates: Common Striped Woodlouse, Spider #1, Spider #2, Tiny Worm Signs and Tracks: Birch Leaf Litter, Hawthorn Leaf Litter, Hazel Leaf Litter Citizen Science Monitoring Sites DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations Added Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Carsphairn Community Woodland Ecological Summary Report Description An account of the resource The report has been prepared by the volunteers at Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW). It provides a summary of the ecological data gathered during the citizen science monitoring events in October and November 2025 followed by planned improvements and future recommendations. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CAP_38 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Dalry Community Council Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Niki Inglis Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026 CAP Theme 3 citizen science land use https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/20/759/Strand_2_-_Baseline_Monitoring_Report_24-02-26.jpg 4df9cb2c2e1a7d9e30b0b60c5a6be8f6 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/20/759/Strand_2_-_Baseline_Monitoring_Report_24-02-26.1.pdf d9b607539e538b22d81f2f9da5ca6071 PDF Text Text pdftext_placeholder Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Community Action Plan Description An account of the resource Documents relating to the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan, initially drawn up by Glenkens & District Trust in 2020. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document A Feasibility Study into the development of Nature Networks in the Glenkens Baseline Monitoring Niki Inglis January 2026 1Contents 0 Executive Summary............................................................................................................................3 1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................5 2 Baseline Monitoring...........................................................................................................................6 2.1 Selection Criteria for Pilot Sites.........................................................................................10 2.2 Identifying Pilot Sites..........................................................................................................11 2.3 Finding Volunteers..............................................................................................................11 2.4 Training for Citizen Scientists.............................................................................................12 2.5 Monitoring Events...............................................................................................................15 2.6 Summary...............................................................................................................................23 3 Approach for Rollout........................................................................................................................24 3.1 Progress to Date and Ideas Gathered...............................................................................24 3.2 Building Citizen Science Capabilities.................................................................................24 3.3 Developing a Citizen Science Network.............................................................................26 4 Recommendations and Conclusion...............................................................................................32 A) Acknowledgements..........................................................................................................................33 B) About the Author.............................................................................................................................33 C) References.........................................................................................................................................34 D) Apps, Organisations and Monitoring Schemes............................................................................35 E) Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit...........................................................................................................37 F) Maps...................................................................................................................................................38 20 Executive Summary The purpose of Strand 2 was to explore the feasibility of creating a citizen science based Baseline Monitoring programme including training with the objectives of creating a robust base to seek further funding and providing an immediate sense of participation in nature monitoring. Three pilot sites were identified based on their location, variety, community network and availability including Dalry School, Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) and New Galloway Community Garden (NCG). During the project, a total of five events were completed including the training, a school visit and three monitoring events. The monitoring events tested two different methods of gathering data to enable comparison and help establish a baseline for monitoring activities. Below is a summary of the timing and indicators based on monitoring activity: Category DescriptionSize (m) People RolesHabitat Major tree locations, species Overview and sizes. Plant diversity, abundance and distribution20×202–3Recording x1 20 – 30 Measurements x1 Identification x1-213 Quadrat1×13–5Recording x1 30 – 45 Identification x3-416 Detailed species ID using apps, guides or shared knowledge Time Observ (min) ations As well as conducting the citizen science events allowing local pilot sites to capture monitoring data and start recording a baseline, other tangible outcomes achieved during the project included digital habitat maps of the pilot sites, an ecological summary report template and the Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit as a shared resource for future monitoring events. Other ideas included offline recording alternatives, casual monitoring options and helpful additions for expanding the toolkit. Building on the information gathered, the next step was to develop an approach for rollout. By analysing the process and activities from the Baseline Monitoring, it was possible to gain an understanding of the different capabilities involved and provide a guideline for building capabilities of citizen scientists from a 1st level citizen scientists at the start of their journey through to a level 3 after about 3 years which is fully invested and engaged in the citizen science program. With this in mind, it was possible to develop three different scenarios for establishing a citizen science network ranging from the less resource intensive distributed network with citizen scientists casually monitoring and recording when the time suits to dedicated monitoring events supported by experts and finally a coordinated approach, the most resource intensive requiring a part time coordinator and highly engaged group of citizen scientists. Whichever path is chosen, the importance of training to continue to build the capabilities of citizen scientists cannot be 3underestimated while developing appropriate monitoring metrics including both biodiversity state indicators as well as engagement indicators should be considered carefully. The scenarios could be applied individually, combined or scaled based on the number of events, activities or sites involved however it was recommended to align the continued development of the citizen science network with the aims and objectives of the project. Considering Strand 2 was predominantly focused on baseline monitoring through citizen science and that further funding may take time to gather, it was therefore recommended to start with the distributed network, raising awareness and engaging communities through casual monitoring as a less resource intensive and lower effort way to start with potentially wide reach across the region. Moving forward, monitoring events could be added to contribute regularly to data collection, monitoring and recording across the region as awareness builds and funding is secured. Eventually by building up the citizen science network and establishing a coordinated approach, it could contribute to the development of nature networks and inform local land use strategy by filling data gaps, investigating habitats and recording wildlife in the region. Mapping and tracking improvements could be supported by actual field data from any site including working with landowners and land managers on private sites, perhaps contributing to their biological reporting requirements and inspiring a sense of collaboration towards nature recovery. Roadmap for developing a citizen science network in the Glenkens 41 Introduction This project is the next chapter in the Glenkens Land Use Series starting with The Vision1 developed in 2023 and builds on work done across the area since it was added to the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan (CAP)2. The Vision1 is based on the ethos: “That everyone who takes value from our land returns value to it.” The aim of the project was to create a Feasibility Study into the development of Nature Networks in the Glenkens considering the following objectives: A) Create a robust base for which to seek further funding to develop Nature Networks B) Give communities an immediate sense of participation in nature monitoring Dalry Community Council (DCC) commissioned the project funded by Inspiring Scotland and supported by the Glenkens Community and Arts Trust (GCAT), the Land Use subcommittee and the Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB). It was organised into three strands as set out in the brief below with this report predominantly covering Strand 2 on Baseline Monitoring. 1) Feasibility Study: Conduct a feasibility investigation into the development of Nature Networks along the Glenkens. This work will include opportunity mapping to identify suitable sites and interventions. It will also require identifying landowners that would be amenable to Nature Networks, and building a light-touch collaborative stakeholder network to support progress. It will include community owned spaces such as community centre outdoor areas, Council-owned spaces such as play areas, and local Churches 2) Baseline Monitoring: will include ecological baselining through biological recording. It will require facilitating community engagement to support this, including arranging training workshop/s to develop citizen science skills 3) Participation Monitoring: will incorporate creative methods of participatory monitoring to input into the final Feasibility Study. This will be done through the Glenkens Land Notes Festival in August 2025 The next sections detail the approach taken and data collected during the baseline monitoring (Section 2) before discussing potential opportunities for rollout (Section 3), recommendations and conclusion (section 4). 52 Baseline Monitoring The need to Make Space for Nature3 was summarised in the Lawson Principles as “more, bigger, better and joined” referring to the concept that there needs to be more space for nature, larger areas of better quality habitat for nature to thrive and connection between them such as nature networks, corridors or stepping stones which are the subject of this feasibility study overall. Strand 2 had overall responsibility for set up of a citizen science based Baseline Monitoring programme including citizen science training. Baseline monitoring refers to biological recording of flora and fauna to gain a better understanding of nature diversity in a particular area. This data is important to help indicate whether there are changes to an environment, identify threats such as loss of habitat or species and help protect or enhance biodiversity. It can also help to track changes over time such as checking habitat improvements or conservation activities have the desired effect. With increased threats due to climate change and land use, it is more important that ever to gather data to understand or even help predict these changes. Citizen science refers to members of the public helping to collect this data which has been shown to have many benefits such as enjoying an outdoor activity, learning about nature and contributing to science. The approach taken for baseline monitoring followed the process outlined below with details contained in the corresponding sections: 1. Plan and coordinate: organise the events starting with determining the pilot sites and arranging dates (Sections 2.1 – 2.2) then moving onto finding volunteers (Section 2.3) and ensuring they were trained as citizen scientists for the monitoring events (Section 2.4) 2. Execute and record: hosting the events on the day, helping citizen scientists to monitor and record data (Section 2.5) 3. Analyse and share: preparing results and sharing information in this report (Section 2.6) In preparation, research was conducted into baseline monitoring and citizen science programmes. Key points and findings have been noted below with detailed references in Appendix C. In November 2018, the Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum (SBIF) conducted A Review of the Biological Recording Infrastructure in Scotland4. They discovered that biodiversity data collection is challenging, often relying on under-resourced organisations and volunteers, whilst multiple apps, databases and organisations often cause confusion rather than simplifying the process. It was therefore important to make the training as simple and straightforward as possible for volunteers. It also indicated that solely relying on volunteers may be less viable and that bolstering volunteer engagement with crucial members of staff may be a more feasible approach. 6The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH)’s Pollinator Monitoring Guide5 provides an excellent overview for anyone interested in monitoring pollinators and using citizen science to collect data while engaging communities. It recommends collecting five different data points on pollinators which have been summarised in the table below including their importance to increase understanding, focus conservation efforts and inform nature recovery activities. Data pointDescriptionImportance PresenceWhat, where and whenChanging distribution, loss or movement of species AbundanceHow many or quantityIdentify common or rare species BehaviourFeeding and nestingDetermine dependence and preferences OutcomesPollination statusGood quality produce may indicate good populations HabitatPresence and conditionIncrease knowledge on pollinator environments The Dumfries & Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan (D&G LBAP) 6 describes two types of indicators from the Scottish Government’s Biodiversity Strategy summarised below: •Biodiversity state indicators: “measures of abundance or diversity of species groups, extent and quality of habitats, and abundance of key biological indicators as a measure of wider ecosystem health... For biodiversity state indicators to be of use the challenge is to have adequate data on abundance and distribution.” •Engagement indicators: “measures of understanding of, and engagement with, biodiversity on an individual (personal and professional) and an organisational level... For biodiversity engagement indicators, sufficient quantity and quality of data is required.” Both types of indicators were recorded during the baseline monitoring pilot to gauge level of involvement by volunteers in the local area as well as record key biodiversity data. Examples of biodiversity indicators considered include number of different species (diversity) as well as quantities (abundance) and locations (distribution) of species. In terms of engagement indicators, the number of visitors or participants (quantitative) were considered alongside their feedback (qualitative) and that of site coordinators on the monitoring events. Local Environmental Records Centres (LERC) gather, record and manage biological data on species and habitats in a particular area. This information can be provided to the public, local authorities, conservation organisations, companies and researchers to inform local actions, policy, legislation or feed into grants. The LERC for Dumfries & Galloway, Ayrshire and Arran is South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre (SWSEIC). They provided guidance on key species and habitats for which the Glenkens is important. 7Species: • Greenland White Fronted Geese • Willow Tit • Great Crested Newt • Musk Beetle Aromia Moschata • Large Heath Butterfly and/or Green Hairstreak • Globeflower • Grass of Parnasus • Spignel • Whorled Caraway Habitats: • Unimproved Grassland/species rich grassland • Wetlands • Bogs • Headwaters and fast flowing water ways Many of these habitats have been altered such as planting over grasslands or management by people on catchments, however all of these habitats remain very important to a wide range of species and it is critical to monitor their health moving forward. The Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB) have also identified Hedgerows as a priority habitat due to their importance to wildlife for both food and shelter. DEFRA’s Hedgerow Survey Handbook7 provides an excellent guideline on monitoring the health and quality of hedgerows. Although not specifically tested during the pilot phase, elements of the procedure were used to capture data on hedges when present. It is worth exploring further due to the accessibility of hedges for monitoring in urban environments and could also provide an engaging activity for citizen scientists to get involved with re-establishing, maintaining or repairing them in their local community while monitoring the impacts those changes make to local wildlife. A review of survey methodology identified two key techniques: •The JNCC Phase 1 habitat survey methodology: first published by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1990 and later reprinted by JNCC in 2010. It was designed for developing maps on paper with a series of colour pencils to mark habitats. At the time, it was widely used across Britain and adopted as the standard technique until digital alternatives such as UKHab became available. In fact, many experienced ecologists still use it today, having learned it during their studies at university and applied it for many years since •UK Habitat (UKHab) Classification Working Group methodology: released in 2018 and experienced widespread adoption to the extent that it is now seen as the current go-to habitat mapping methodology in the UK. It provides a simpler, more modern method of 8classification with a greater variety of habitat types and the digital nature of this tool allows it to easily integrate with Geographic Information System (GIS) software widely used for mapping in industry today. Additionally, the introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain within the Environmental Act 2021 required practitioners to use DEFRA’s Biodiversity Metric for the assessment which is based on UKHab classification methodology, therefore requiring many ecologists to transition to save time and avoid duplication Although UKHab is most commonly used in industry for digital assessments and reporting, Phase 1 Habitat Classification was used in this report due to the ease of drawing maps by hand for citizen scientists, publicly available handbook without the need for accounts or logins improving the accessibility for citizen scientists as well as the general familiarity of those involved in the project. A review of recording options identified two of the most popular apps: •iNaturalist: app which can be downloaded to a mobile phone, easy to use in the field, has AI to help identify species from photographs. It uses some non-British databases for identification so caution should be taken to check the geography of the suggested species when making observations. Seek is a similar app, even easier to use for kids, and provides live species identification through video analysis before taking a photo and recording an image. iNaturalist allows both photos and videos to be uploaded, records can be managed online or in the app. It also enables a community of users to help identify species by commenting or agreeing with the observation thereby increasing the data quality from Casual to Needs ID through to Research Grade. Projects can be setup to include both small and large scale areas from a single forest to the regionwide project managed by SWSEIC •iRecord: developed by UKCEH is a similar app but supports only UK species reducing the risk of confusion with similar species worldwide and provides additional functionality for managing data. Although some may say it is less user friendly, it is best for collating data from multiple sources so projects can include all community agreed upon records from iNaturalist as well as other sources such as those submitted directly to iRecord and other apps including BirdTrack, Invasives Mapper, etc. Automatic checks are applied to records to validate and reduce errors. Experts can review to verify records and gather data for reports which contribute towards nature conservation, planning, research and eduction Both apps are used almost interchangeably. They, along with other sources are shared with the LERC SWSEIC which gather and record biological data for the region. Many other organisations and monitoring schemes exist (see Appendix D for other examples). 92.1 Selection Criteria for Pilot Sites With the above in mind, it was important to select criteria which would help identify suitable pilot sites. A variety of different land uses were considered including private land such as farms or commercial forestry as well as council and community owned spaces such as parks, gardens, woodlands, outdoor areas, play areas, local churches and other iconic landmarks. The area was loosely based on the Glenkens definition by Glenkens and District Trust (GDT) including the Community Council areas of Balmaghie, Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Corsock & Kirkpatrick Durham, Crossmichael, St. Johns Town of Dalry, Dunscore, Glencairn, New Galloway & Kells and Parton. Given the duration of the project was just a few months, sites with active community networks and volunteer groups with an interest in nature and biodiversity, could help get the pilot sites up and running more quickly. The proposal was to start with engaging the community through existing networks. They may already meet regularly allowing monitoring to slot into preplanned schedules. Some may also have previous ecological data which could be included in comparison to monitoring data collected during the project. Most importantly, pilot sites would need to be willing and able to engage with the project within the given timespan including providing access for 1-2 monitoring events at each pilot site from October to November 2025 and sending at least one representative to attend the citizen science training in October. Most organisations and monitoring schemes operate between April and September but there are a few which extend the monitoring season from March through October. Although the project timing slightly missed the optimal window in terms of species monitoring and recording, the events would still contribute greatly towards the objective of providing volunteers with an opportunity to participate in nature monitoring as well as start raising awareness and building capability within the community. In summary, the selection criteria for pilot sites included the following: 1) Should be within the Glenkens (Location) 2) Include a variety of different land uses (Category) 3) Active community networks or volunteers groups a bonus (Network) 4) Availability to engage within the timespan (Dates) 102.2 Identifying Pilot Sites A number of potential pilot sites were considered from forests and agriculture to local public spaces. While wild areas were considered, many of them are inaccessible and risk disturbing the local flora and fauna with large groups of nature recorders. Urban areas were therefore much more accessible for the pilot phase. Considering more urban environments may seem like a strange choice at first, however even though the Glenkens is considered a rural area, the majority of the population still lives in the small towns and villages. The UKCEH Pollinator Monitoring Guide5 mentioned the importance of these environments and the “great benefits for people and pollinators in monitoring and taking positive action for pollinators in urban environments.” In the Dalry Local Place Plan (LPP)8, Andrew Bielinski, RSPB Scotland, commented that “the village of Dalry itself is an important place for wildlife in its own right” highlighting the importance of urban areas to wildlife. In the end, three locations were selected as pilot sites for the baseline monitoring: Pilot site nameLocationCategoryNetworkDates Dalry School (Primary and Secondary)DalrySchool and educationStudentsTraining 2nd October Visit 3rd October Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW)CarsphairnCommunity woodlandVolunteers26th October 30th November Community gardenVolunteers23rd November New Galloway Community New Galloway Garden (NCG) Dalry School Garden was the test site for the citizen science training which took place on Thursday 2nd October as well as an opportunity to teach students about nature and wildlife during a visit on Friday 3rd October. Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) and New Galloway Community Garden (NCG) both volunteered for monitoring events in October / November, sending representatives from each site to the citizen science training. The next sections detail the sites, events and results. 2.3 Finding Volunteers A couple of methods were used to recruit volunteers. Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) reached out to their network of over 84 members and 80 supporters while New Galloway Community Garden (NCG) used a WhatsApp group with more than 27 members to distribute the event information. An introduction article describing the project and calling for volunteers to come forward was published in the October / November issue of the Glenkens Gazette9. The events were also added to the Glenkens Hub10 and details distributed more widely across the Glenkens through the community council email network. Volunteer numbers ranged from 5-14 people for each 11event, a good start for a new network in small communities, although more may be expected with finer weather and as awareness builds. 2.4 Training for Citizen Scientists The citizen science training event was organised for Thursday 2 nd October at Dalry Town Hall with the help of pilot site coordinators to ensure that at least one representative from each site was able to attend. It was also open to members of the public to join and proved very popular with 14 people signing up. Others expressed interest but were not available to attend on the day. It started with a presentation from SWSEIC Support Office Malcolm Haddow covering different species and habitats in the Glenkens, what signs to look for and how to accurately record a wildlife sighting. For each record, it was important to capture: •Who: real name of the person who found it •What: name of the species or genus, life stage, signs, sex, abundance, etc •When: date of the sighting •Where: location such as grid reference, GPS or what3words This information was captured using apps such as iNaturalist, where the data is shared with the LERC SWSEIC. Many other organisation and schemes exist (see Appendix D for other examples). Malcolm Haddow (SWSEIC) delivering the citizen science training presentation 12It was interesting to learn that animal tracks, scat, pellets, feathers, hair and even roadkill are valuable signs to record and can contribute towards a better understanding of the health or condition of the natural environment. The talk was followed by a stroll out to the surrounding area to observe nature and practice recording on iNaturalist. After a short live demonstration of how to use the app, most participants picked it up quickly and started recording their own observations. Even though it was quite a wet, windy day in Autumn, participants managed to find examples of mushrooms, other fungi, flowers, plants and insects. Site representatives gathering for demonstration of nature recording on iNaturalist After a short break, the group ventured to Dalry School Garden for a mapping exercise guided by GSA Biosphere Nature Recovery Officer Antoine Lemaire. This involved identifying plants, measuring trees, hedges and water habitats. Malcolm also demonstrated how to set up moth light traps and pitfall traps to catch insects. The data was recorded on a paper map which was later translated to a digital format (image below) contributing to a more detailed understanding of the area. In future, this type of data can help to detect changes in climate or land use and inform decisions on planning, development or conservation. The next day, Friday 3rd October, the moth traps were collected from the garden for an event at Dalry School. The primary school students enjoyed drawing different habitats for animals before unveiling several moths and insects caught in the traps the night before. The secondary school presentation went into more detail on the species Glenkens is important for such as Willow Tit, Great Crested Newt, Musk Beetle (Aromia Moschata) and Large Heath Butterfly, before opening their moth trap. 13Mapping the Dalry School Garden starting with measuring tree sizes Site map with citizen science annotations from training event (see Appendix F1) 142.5 Monitoring Events In preparation for the monitoring events, a Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit (Appendix E) was created including weather writers, tape measures, paper, pens and pencils as well as “how-to” guides and self-serve resources as a basic quick start kit for monitoring which could be shared between sites across the region. A first aid kit is also advised in the event of any minor injuries. The Monitoring Toolkit could be further expanded with the addition of other guides and equipment over time, examples and estimated costs are provided in Appendix E. Given the toolkit was to be used in nature, it was important to consider the environmental impact of the selected items. Wherever possible, plastic was avoided as it does not decompose naturally, for example the no plastic pens are made with a metal ink chamber wrapped in paper to create the case rather than plastic. The paper can be composted or recycled and the metal is also recyclable. Although the weather writers are made of plastic to protect the paper and drawings inside them from rain, a good quality product made in Great Britain was sourced to increase durability thereby extending the lifespan of the product, reducing the manufacturing footprint and transport miles. A basic site map was also created for each site with the help of satellite imagery, OS and other mapping tools to include key information such as boundaries and fixed features. It was printed and placed in the weather writers along with helpful guides for attendees to mark locations and other observations during the monitoring events. The paper maps were later transferred to create the digital maps shown below (see Appendix F for full size images). Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit 15Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) Carsphairn Community Woodland Ltd (CCW) purchased 120 acres of forestry in 2021 to provide local employment; greater access to the countryside for walking and picnics; and also to create a community hub for outdoor volunteering, activities and skills development. It employs a forester full time which helps to support an ongoing apprenticeship scheme with the aim of establishing a rural skills training centre to teach practical forestry qualifications, provide work experience opportunities, courses and workshops in other wood related activities. They hold monthly Volunteer Days at the woodland plus other events throughout the year. Habitats A habitat overview was conducted on the site to the North East of the Hide in October capturing the major tree species, size and location as well as surrounding plant diversity. The existing habitats on site are mainly a variety of different woodland habitats classified according to the Phase 1 Habitat Survey methodology. As a former forestry plantation, the site is predominantly coniferous woodland (A1.2.2) with the dominant species being Sitka Spruce including some Larch and Birch intermixed. There are some areas of native and mixed broadleaf woodland (A1.1.2) mostly on steep slopes which are unfavourable to harvesting by machines. Felled areas are slowly being replanted with native broadleaf woodland to improve biodiversity. The location of the quadrat monitoring site for species ID is nestled among the broadleaf trees to the North East of the Hide where the dominant species are Hawthorn, Hazel and Bird Cherry. Kendoon Loch is a large body of standing open water (G1) which lies to the South of the site while the Water of Ken (G2) runs along the South Eastern boarder. Carsphairn community woodland (CCW) monitoring site nestled among the broadleaf trees 16Species A quadrat in the locations marked on the map below was also completed in both October and November to identify species in detail using iNaturalist in a 1 metre by 1 metre square. General observations of the area were also record including plant diversity, abundance and distribution. Reported wildlife sightings during October and November include: •Fungi and Lichens: Birch Polypore, Fungus (Milking Bonnet?) •Plants: Bird Cherry, Blackthorn, Bracken, Buttercup, Common Dog Violet, Common Tamarisk Moss, Deer Fern, Dock, Eared Willow, European Wood Sorrel, Fern, Germander Speedwell, Grasses, Great Stitchwort, Hairy Woodrush, Hawthorn Trees, Hazel Trees, Neat Feather Moss, Raspberry x10, Hazel Saplings x10, Tree Climacium Moss, Wood Sage, Woodland Germander •Invertebrates: Common Striped Woodlouse, Fly x3, Mosquito, Small Flecked Wing Fly, Spider #1, Spider #2, Tiny Worm, White Legged Snaked Millipede •Birds: Chaffinch, Great Tit, Robin •Mammals: Red Squirrel •Signs and Tracks: Birch Leaf Litter, Dead Leaves & Twigs, Hawthorn Berries x21, Hawthorn Leaf Litter, Hazel Leaf Litter, Hazel Nut 26th October30th November 5°C / cloudy / rainy4°C / still / sunny Shaded / wetFull sun / dry OctoberNovember Mushrooms, mycorrhizal fungi11 PlantsTrees, flowers, moss, grasses219 InvertebratesButterflies, moths, insects74 FishesSalmon, trout, plaice, sole, eelConditionsExamples WeatherTemperature, wind, cloud, rain Conditions on groundFull sun, shaded, dry, wet SpeciesExamples Single-celled SpeciesViruses, bacteria, protozoa Fungi and Lichens Reptiles & Amphibians Lizard, adder, newt, toad, frog BirdsRed kite, geese, owl, grouse33 MammalsBat, badger, deer, squirrel11 Invasive Non-NativeJapanese knotweedSigns and TracksFootprints, scat, fur, feathers33 SightingsNumber of observations3621 VolunteersNumber of people511 17Planned Improvements Replacement of the former coniferous plantation trees with broadleaf woodland continues as trees are harvested each year to gradually help improve the habitat for wildlife. Thanks to the Glenkens Nature Networks project, it has been suggested to add a Glenkens View Point11 to the Hide as a stationary monitoring location including a QR code for visitors to upload photos at any time. Adding a whiteboard, logbook or other methods of monitoring and reporting to the Hide are also being considered as an alternative to digital recording. View from the hide as a potential stationary monitoring location Future Recommendations It is recommended to continue monitoring and recording at the woodland to track progress and changes over time as coniferous forest is gradually replaced by broadleaf woodland. Continuing the citizen science program could be a good way to do this while involving the community. It would be interesting to gather data in the newly felled areas such as along Saunders Wynd to establish a baseline and monitor improvements as the trees grow over time as well as compare to the more mature woodland at the existing monitoring sites or areas of coniferous woodland. Broadening the monitoring sites to include the loch or river would also provide some new and different sightings. During the transition from conifer to broadleaf many invertebrates and small mammals could be displaced by large felled areas, however providing food and shelter could improve the chances of survival. Food sources could include wild flowers, bird cherry and crab apple trees for pollinators or fruit and nut trees for squirrels and small mammals. Shelter could include bat boxes, nest boxes, deadwood piles for insects or rock piles for reptiles and is an excellent way to engage volunteers. 18Site map with citizen science annotations from monitoring events (see Appendix F2) 19New Galloway Community Garden (NCG) New Galloway Community Garden (NCG) is situated in the centre of New Galloway as part of the community park just next to the children’s play area. Recently formed, the group of volunteers have transformed the space to include a shed, shelter and multiple raised beds for growing produce throughout the year. There is a skills sharing day on the first Saturday of every month. New Galloway Community Gardens (NCG) volunteers monitoring and recording Habitats A habitat overview was conducted on the site in November capturing the major habitats, plant diversity, tree species, size and location. The existing habitats have been classified according to the Phase 1 Habitat Survey methodology and are situated on Amenity Grassland (J1.2). An area of native and mixed broadleaf woodland (A1.1.2) has been planted to the East of the Garden. A Ditch (J2.6) stands between the newly planted woodland and the community garden which runs to the river South of the Garden. Although it is reported to be dry most of the year, it most likely captures water running down from the Hilltop in the East which is 4m above the majority of the park field in the North to stop it from flooding over the flat ground during heavy rain and storms. Thanks to the Glenkens Nature Networks project, it has been suggested to add a View Point11 to the Hilltop as a stationary monitoring location including a QR code for visitors to upload photos at any time. Scrub (A2) dominates the South with many plant species identified and a Hawthorn Tree as the focal point providing both food and shelter to local birds. The location of the quadrat monitoring site for species ID is located in this area where the dominant species at the time of monitoring was Rose Bay Willow Herb. The Garden is bordered by a Hedge (J2.2) to the West which is 20predominantly made up of Beech separating it from the play park. It has a gap part way down which is thought to be the location of a tap when the site was formerly a Bowling Green, although further investigation is required to confirm the presence and location. View from the hilltop as a potential stationary monitoring location Species A quadrat in the locations marked on the map below was also completed in November to identify species in detail using iNaturalist in a 1 metre by 1 metre square. General observations of the area including several different habitats were also record to capture plant diversity and distribution. Reported wildlife sightings during November include: •Fungi and Lichens: Alder Tongue Gall, Cartilage Lichen, Fairy Nose Lichen •Plants: Autumn Hawkbit, Bent Grass, Brambles, Broad Leaf Dock, Buttercup, Catchweed Bedstraw, Common Dog Violet, Common Figwort, Common Ivy, Couch Grass, Cottoneasters, Creeping Buttercup, Curled Dock, Dandelion, Dock, European Beech, European Black Elderberry, Feather Moss, Germander Speedwell, Goat Willow, Gout Weed, Grasses, Hawkbit, Hogweed, Large Bittercress, Large Mouse Tail Moss, Meadow Buttercup, Nettles, Ribwort Plantain, Rose Bay Willow Herb, Sorrel, Square Gooseneck Moss, St. John's Wort, Vetch, Wild Strawberry •Invertebrates: Earthworm, Ladybird x2 •Birds: Robin •Signs and Tracks: Evidence of Deer feeding on trees, Evidence of Rabbit feeding on lower branches or small shrubs, Hawthorn Berries, Leaf Mulch, Snail Shell 2123rd November ConditionsExamplesWeatherTemperature, wind, cloud, rainConditions on groundFull sun, shaded, dry, wetShaded / wet SpeciesExamplesNovember Single-celled SpeciesViruses, bacteria, protozoaFungi and LichensMushrooms, mycorrhizal fungi3 PlantsTrees, flowers, moss, grasses42 InvertebratesButterflies, moths, insects2 FishesSalmon, trout, plaice, sole, eelReptiles & AmphibiansLizard, adder, newt, toad, frogBirdsRed kite, geese, owl, grouseMammalsBat, badger, deer, squirrelInvasive Non-NativeJapanese knotweedSigns and TracksFootprints, scat, fur, feathers5 SightingsNumber of observations54 VolunteersNumber of people5 6°C / cloudy / rainy 2 Site map with citizen science annotations from monitoring event (see Appendix F3) 222.6 Summary There was much enthusiasm for the citizen science events, even though attendance was low due to the season, most of the site coordinators remarked that it was an interesting new way to engage volunteers and the participants really enjoyed learning more about monitoring and recording at the training as well as applying that knowledge in the field at the monitoring events. Key learnings included ensuring a suitable monitoring location was selected depending on the accessibility requirements of the group as well as leaving enough time for activities such as walking between locations and socialising for the volunteers to interact and get to know each other. Timing varied depending on the activity, site and community group. Seasonality may also effect the results with a higher potential to spot a greater number of species in a shorter duration in summer than winter. Two different methods were used to gather data at each site to enable comparison and help establish a general baseline for monitoring activities. Below is a summary of the timing and indicators based on monitoring activity: Category DescriptionSize (m) People RolesHabitat Major tree locations, species Overview and sizes. Plant diversity, abundance and distribution20×202–3Recording x1 20 – 30 Measurements x1 Identification x1-213 Quadrat1×13–5Recording x1 30 – 45 Identification x3-416 Detailed species ID using apps, guides or shared knowledge Time Observ (min) ations Gathering voices and insights from volunteers during transition periods also revealed some interesting new ideas which could be considered for future pilot projects. While tools such as iNaturalist and Seek were considered very useful for identifying and recording species, it was also suggested that it would be helpful to have offline alternatives such as whiteboards, logbooks or printed wildlife record forms where visitors could tick or mark the number of sightings of different species. These could still be translated to digital recordings and perhaps refreshed each month with key species to spot linking in with SWSEIC species of the month or national monitoring schemes such as the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Although the events are a great way to meet people and provide data for long-term monitoring, it was also noted that self-serve or casual monitoring opportunities would allow a constant stream of interaction between site visitors passing by at different times throughout the month. Offline alternatives is one way, but adding information on stationary monitoring such as the Glenkens View Points11 could be another way to gather data regularly by having visitors upload photos of a designated view using a QR code. There was also discussion on how far citizen science can go towards ecological reporting so it was decided to create an ecological report for one of the pilot sites. CCW was selected for this trial as 23the pilot site with the most active volunteer group. The aim was to record some interesting data but also make it visual so sites would be proud to display it, share it with members, passers-by or new comers to give a great overview of the site activities, as well as updates of monitoring progress over time. It could be used as a template including key logos and make it easy for all sites to have this resource. In addition, it could be used to support grant applications by also including forward looking improvement plans and recommendations. 3 Approach for Rollout Building on the information gathered during the Baseline Monitoring (Section 2), the next step was to develop an approach for rollout. The following sections summarise the progress to date and ideas gather so far (Section 3.1) before providing suggestions to build citizen science capabilities (Section 3.2) and discussing how to develop a citizen science network (Section 3.3). 3.1 Progress to Date and Ideas Gathered As well as conducting the citizen science events allowing local pilot sites to capture monitoring data and start recording a baseline, other tangible outcomes achieved during the project included: •Digital habitat maps of the pilot sites developed by volunteers •Ecological summary report template, concise and highly visual for display at sites or for use in grant applications •Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit (Appendix E) including equipment and quick start guides available as a Glenkens shared resource for future monitoring events Other ideas gathered from discussions with volunteers and site coordinators included: •Offline recording alternatives such as whiteboards, logbooks or wildlife record forms •Self-serve or casual monitoring opportunities to allow a constant stream of interaction between site visitors throughout the month and between dedicated events •Helpful additions to the Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit could include guides such as WildID, hand lenses, small containers and other testing equipment (see Appendix E for details) 3.2 Building Citizen Science Capabilities By analysing the process and activities from the Baseline Monitoring (Section 2), it was possible to gain an understanding of the different capabilities involved and provide a guideline for building capabilities of citizen scientists. The intent is to provide a general guideline rather than an exact 24rule as some elements within a grouping may be easier to identify than others for example, it is fairly common to be able to tell the difference between conifers and broadleaf woodland or to recognise a frog but not know many other amphibians. Likewise with invertebrates, many moths and butterflies are more easily recognisable than beetles, spiders and pollinating insects such as flies which can be much more challenging to correctly identify. Species breakdown based on D&G LBAP6. Habitat classification based on Phase 1 Habitat Survey Method. It should also be recognised that many of the citizen science species identification skills will likely rely on help from suitable apps such as iNaturalist for identification, whereas an expect or ecologist many know many more species based on their knowledge and experience. While some validation could be done automatically, experts would also be required to verify data. Validation checks for accuracy and completeness, identifying errors such as the date being current rather that 1700’s or location is on land or at sea as intentioned. While verification checks for correctness for example by checking a species identification against a photograph or the count is not unusually high for the species, location, season and other factors. This may include sending samples for testing. 25The table indicates how the capabilities of citizen scientists can be built over time. The capabilities have been broken down into three levels. The 1st level indicates citizen scientists at the start of their journey, perhaps at their first event or with a few months experience, most likely less than a year. Level 2 builds on this by assuming there is some interest or hobby in which the volunteer is willing to invest more time, perhaps focusing in on a species of interest or just broadening their knowledge overall. They build experience over time and acquire more capabilities as time progresses, perhaps 1-2 years. After about 3 years of experience at level 3, they are fully invested and may even take on activities such as preparing reports, analysing and sharing results. In the table, this is represented by each level building on the previous level so it is assumed that a level 2 citizen scientist could also do level 1 citizen science activities plus the additional activities marked with an “x” in the level 2 column. Again, this is a general guideline on how the progression of gaining expertise could evolve over time, however it should be noted that each volunteer is different and may take varying times to build knowledge and experience. Some may also choose to remain casual citizen scientists regardless of the length of time engaged, recording occasionally or attending the occasional monitoring event here and there. Others may gain lots of experience but have no interest in documenting information. It’s important to cater to the interests of different volunteers as gathering data at the end of the day is the most critical aspect and engagement of any kind will help to further this objective. 3.3 Developing a Citizen Science Network There are several different options when considering developing a citizen science network. Whichever path is chosen, the importance of training to continue to build the capabilities of citizen scientists cannot be underestimated. This could include annual citizen science training or dedicated training relating to a specific site or topic in focus for any dedicated events. With this in mind, it was possible to develop different scenarios ranging from the less resource intensive distributed network to a coordinated approach. These scenarios are detailed below including descriptions, data management, resources and an estimate of expenses involved. They can be applied individually, combined or scaled based on the number of events, activities or sites involved. The following abbreviations have been used as short hand to refer to the following resources: Hub (Glenkens Hub management team), Vol (Volunteers), Gaz (Glenkens Gazette publishing team) and GCSN (Glenkens Community Spaces Network coordinator). 26Scenario 1: Distributed Network This scenario is the least resource intensive to establish with a casual approach to monitoring and recording, drawing on pre-existing collaborative groups within the Glenkens such as the Glenkens Gazette or the Glenkens Community Spaces Network (GCSN) to continue to increase awareness, provide engagement opportunities and build capability across the region. All expenses are one-off per site with occasional replacement for loss, damages or when stocks are low. To provide the resources identified to all three pilot sites would require a total budget of £114. Linking in with national monitoring schemes (Appendix D) such as the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch is an excellent way to gain traction and gather momentum. Many schemes are widely publicised and there is the opportunity to leverage training, guides and activities to build capabilities among the citizen scientists. Engaging people at home is equally as important to record wildlife in gardens or even get involved in nature restoration by creating habitats and wild spaces such as bug hotels, ponds or mini wildflower meadows in their own gardens. Setting up an iNaturalist project for the Glenkens would allow all data recorded on the app to be collated and provide statistics such as number of observations, species and identifiers. Volunteers would be required to upload any recordings from offline monitoring sources. Rankings can be monitored and shared through articles, talks or events including the ideas listed below. 27Glenkens Gazette article series Articles with interesting findings from monitoring activities could be prepared for the Glenkens Gazette9 which is published every couple of months. They could include seasonal sighting suggestions and host competitions for the highest number of recordings, best photograph or other accolades which could be announced in the following article. These could be aligned with ecological survey calendars or more specifically to local recording requests by SWSEIC for particular species of interest or national monitoring schemes to help gather records with the most impact. Local communities or pilot sites could take turns to produce the articles so that each group only writes one article per year. Alternatively, from discussions with the Glenkens Gazette publishing team it sounded like this could be an activity they would be interested in pursuing with the help of willing volunteers to provide interesting data and results to share. Citizen science talks During the project, it was possible to partner with the Glenkens Community Spaces Network (GCSN) to look at ways to embed Citizen Science in communities, starting with a series of citizen science talks at Community Halls across the Glenkens in 2026. This could include monthly citizen science talks at different community spaces across the region to bring citizen science to the local community and help increase awareness of the importance of monitoring and reporting. The latest information and events program will be published on the Glenkens Hub10 when available. Scenario 2: Monitoring Events This scenario follows a similar approach to the project undertaken in this report by supporting additional local monitoring events. One-off expenses include the expansion of the monitoring kit with occasional replacement for loss, damages or when stocks are low (see Appendix E for more details). Citizen science training is presumed to be an annual event but could be conducted as often as required. Expenses are estimated at £220 per event including expert attendance so for example a six month program with events every month during the monitoring season, two of which include expert visits, would require a total budget of £520. In this case, an iNaturalist project could be setup by volunteers for each community or site to track records locally so that top recorders, highest number of observations or top species could easily be available for the local community to review or for volunteers to create ecological summary reports. Findings could be shared on Facebook pages, WhatsApp groups or feed into articles and talks. 28Scenario 3: Coordinated Approach This scenario is the most resource intensive requiring a part time coordinator and highly engaged group of citizen scientists with the potential to contribute to local strategy. Expenses are estimated at £520 per monitoring event assuming both site specific training and expert verification are required each time. Annual expenses include budget for the celebration event and the part time coordinator during the 6 month monitoring season to plan activities, make arrangements with volunteers, collate data and prepare reports. Annual celebration event As the SBIF report4 indicated that volunteers are often under-resourced and the value of biological recording data is high, it would be beneficial to include an annual celebration event to recognise voluntary contributions. This could be included as part of the Land Notes Festival (Strand 3) or be organised as a separate event. Pilot site representatives and enthusiastic volunteers could be invited to attend the event, perhaps even including prizes for the highest number of observations, the rarest species or other interesting monitoring award categories. It would also be a good opportunity for a sharing session, gathering ideas and feedback for the following year. 29Automated Monitoring Incorporating wildlife webcams or trail cams is often used as a way to monitor larger areas over longer periods without the need for constant human presence to monitor and record observations. These devices are placed in the field and can be set to record only when movement is detected, dramatically reducing the total recording time which is then checked at a later date. In future, automated monitoring equipment could be used to gather larger amounts of data more quickly. For example, there are devices available today which listen to bird song and identify the species using AI, similar to apps such as Merlin which use audio technology on your phone, however these dataloggers can be left in the field and linked to multiple devices to record and provide data over a larger area. Some also automatically interpret the data linking to the corresponding biodiversity indicators making it quicker and easier to understand environmental conditions and respond to changes. Users can also benefit from easy reporting capabilities which automatically convert the data into usable formats. Researchers at Durham University are currently conducting a study exploring the impact of different vegetation structure on microclimates and climate resilience 12. The hypothesis is that more complex vegetation structure is more resilient to change as it could provide a variety of protective microhabitats. This could increase the chance of survival for a range of different species during extreme weather events, such as storms or drought, which are becoming increasingly more common due to climate change. They are using drone footage, LiDAR data and models to create 3D vegetation and microclimate maps and hope to develop techniques for digital habitat mapping at 30scale. However, they are also conscious that many sites will not have access to such high tech solutions and the volume of habitat mapping needed requires that many different groups, communities and landowners work together so as an alternative they are exploring simpler testing techniques which make it cheaper and easier for anyone to contribute towards environmental recording whilst still providing robust, good quality data. Hopefully more information and results from the study will be published in the coming months. Rewilding Britain is also working on a Rewilding Monitoring Framework13 providing scientifically based guidance on standardised metrics which can be applied consistently. They are exploring ways to measure change both practically and cost-effectively. It may be worth reviewing to provide guidance on metrics as well as straightforward measurement techniques which could be employed by Citizen Scientists to gather consistent Baseline Monitoring data. So far the framework has been shared with members of the Rewilding Network and was due to be completed in 2025 but has not yet been published at the time of writing this report. Whichever approach is taken, developing appropriate monitoring metrics which are most suitable to the Glenkens should be considered carefully. They should include both biodiversity state indicators as well as engagement indicators to measure the impacts of environmental change and the success of the citizen science programme. Reports such as those indicated above would be a good reference point when they become available. 314 Recommendations and Conclusion In the previous section, scenarios were presented to build a citizen science network. They could be applied individually, combined or scaled based on the number of events, activities or sites involved however it is recommended to align the continued development of the citizen science network with the aims and objectives of the project. Considering the objectives of the project were to: A)Create a robust base for which to seek further funding to develop Nature Networks B)Give communities an immediate sense of participation in nature monitoring Objective A is addressed with the information and experience compiled in this report. Further funding may take time to gather and considering Strand 2 was predominantly focused on baseline monitoring through citizen science, it is therefore recommended to start with the distributed network, raising awareness and engaging communities through casual monitoring as a less resource intensive and lower effort way to start with potentially wide reach across the region. Moving forward, monitoring events could be added to contribute regularly to data collection, monitoring and recording across the region as awareness builds and funding is secured. Eventually by building up the citizen science network and establishing a coordinated approach, it could contribute to the development of nature networks and inform local land use strategy by filling data gaps, investigating habitats and recording wildlife in the region. Mapping and tracking improvements could be supported by actual field data from any site including working with landowners and land managers on private sites, perhaps contributing to their biological reporting requirements and inspiring a sense of collaboration towards nature recovery. Roadmap for developing a citizen science network in the Glenkens 32A. Acknowledgements Funding: Inspiring Scotland Supporters: Glenkens Community and Arts Trust (GCAT), the Land Use subcommittee and the Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB) Steering group: Jenna Cains (DCC), Morag Paterson (DCC), Helen Keron (GCAT), Andrew McConnell (GCAT), Antoine Lemaire (GSAB), Stephen Connelly (Strand 1) Authors: Niki Inglis Maps and photographs: Alex Inglis Thank you also to the volunteers, trainers and many more who contributed to this project. B. About the Author RenMori was established by wife and husband team, Niki and Alex Inglis, who both qualified with bachelor degrees in Engineering. Niki is an engineering and sustainability consultant with over 20 years of project management and industry experience. Alex has extensive practical knowledge from more than 10 years experience as a design engineer, working across many disciplines, mostly in R&D in the aerospace and automotive industries but also from furniture design and woodworking. New to the area, they would like to use their skills and expertise locally to work actively within the Glenkens to benefit both people and nature in the local community. Niki is a GSAB Proud Supporter and both are trained local guides. They completed “9 Ways to Rewild” by Scotland The Big Picture learning from rewilding and nature restoration experts to boost their knowledge in preparation for expanding the business in this direction. RenMori was inspired by rewilding and regeneration both from their own land based project as well as the desire to utilise their industry knowledge and skills to provide consulting services or guidance to others with similar aspirations. The name RenMori comes from combining “Ren” representing regenerate, rewild and reimagine with “Mori” the Japanese word for forest. They are currently in the process of building an off grid eco home, of their own custom design. Rewilding the 6-acre site, started in 2023 by planting 125 native trees consisting of 12 different woodland varieties and 16 heritage orchard trees. This year, working with D&G Woodlands, over 200 trees will be planted to provide food sources and habitats for a variety of wildlife. As well as helping others with these types of nature recovery activities, they plan to expand the business to include activities that will attract people to the area, offering knowledge and learning about nature including what the Glenkens and the wider area has to offer. 33C. References 1. A Vision for Land Use in the Glenkens, June 2023, Date Published: 2023-08-02 • https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/a-vision-for-land-use-in-the-glenkens 2. Glenkens & District Community Action Plan Steering Group, Update Report, June 2023, Date Published: 2020-01-01 • https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/community-action-plan 3. Lawton, J.H., Brotherton, P.N.M., Brown, V.K., Elphick, C., Fitter, A.H., Forshaw, J., Haddow, R.W., Hilborne, S., Leafe, R.N., Mace, G.M., Southgate, M.P., Sutherland, W.J., Tew, T.E., Varley, J., & Wynne, G.R. (2010). Making Space for Nature: a review of England’s wildlife sites and ecological network. Report to Defra 4. Wilson, E., Edwards, L., Judge, J., Johnston, C., Stroud, R., McLeod, C. and Bamforth, L. (2018). A Review of the Biological Recording Infrastructure in Scotland by the Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum: Enabling Scotland to be a global leader for biodiversity. Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum Commissioned Report No. 1 5. Bane M.S. and Pocock M.J.O. (2023). Pollinator monitoring and citizen science: a practical guide for project initiators and participants. UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, UK. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8091250 6. Peter Norman, P.; Hawker, D., Coombey, N., McFarlan, C. (2009). Dumfries & Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan 7. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Defra, London (2007). Hedgerow Survey Handbook: A standard procedure for local surveys in the UK 8. Nelson, B. (2024). St John’s Town of Dalry, Local Place Plan 2024-2034: A vision for development and land use within the settlement and wider Community Council area 9. Glenkens Gazette: https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home 10. Glenkens Hub: https://glenkens.scot/ 11. Glenkens View Points: https://glenkens.scot/projects/glenkens-view-points 12. Knepp Wildland Podcast Episode 25 – The Microclimate, Assistant Professor Rebecca Senior and PhD student Cameron Goodhead at Durham University, Date Published: 2023-10-09 • https://knepp.co.uk/2023/10/installing-data-loggers/ 13. Rewilding Britain, The Rewilding Monitoring Framework, Date Published: 2024-08-20 • https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/benefits-of-rewilding/rewilding- monitoring-framework 34D. Apps, Organisations and Monitoring Schemes Listed below are some of the more common apps, organisations and monitoring schemes to indicate the range of information available, however please note this list is not exhaustive and there are many more to explore. Organisation Name Category Type South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre (SWSEIC) (Dumfries & Galloway, Ayrshire and Arran)Local OrganisationScottish Ornithologists' Club – Stewartry Branch (SOC)Local OrganisationPlants Galloway Fisheries Trust (GFT)Local OrganisationRivers Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI)National OrganisationPlants Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland (FRDBI)National OrganisationFungus The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)National OrganisationBirds Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)National OrganisationUK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH)National OrganisationBat Conservation TrustNational OrganisationBats British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)National OrganisationPlants Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society (BWARS)National OrganisationInsects Biological Recording in Scotland (BRISC)National OrganisationNational Plant Monitoring SchemeMonitoring SchemePlants RSPB Big Garden BirdwatchMonitoring SchemeBirds Wetlands Birds Survey (WeBS)Monitoring SchemeBirds Garden Moth SchemeMonitoring SchemeMoths National Water Vole Monitoring ProgrammeMonitoring SchemeWater Voles Scottish BadgersMonitoring SchemeBadgers Ancient Tree Inventory (Woodland Trust)Monitoring SchemeTrees The Riverfly PartnershipMonitoring SchemeRiverfly UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS)Monitoring SchemeButterfly UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (UKPoMS)Monitoring SchemePollinators iNaturalist (use non-British databases)App iRecordApp SeekApp ObsIdentify (use non-British databases)App INNS MapperApp 35 InvasivesBirdTrackAppBirds BirdNetAudio AppBirds Merlin (use non-British databases)Audio AppBirds BatExplorerAudio AppBats UKHabMappingHabitat Land AppMappingHabitat QGIS and QFieldMappingHabitat Google EarthMappingHabitat OS grid referenceMappingLocation GPS coordinatesMappingLocation what3wordsMappingLocation Cucaera.co.ukMappingLocation 36E. Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit The table below includes a list of the current tools and resources available in the toolkit with some helpful additions which could be added over time, however please note this list is not exhaustive and there are many more options to explore. Tools and resources IncludedQuantityCost per item Weather writersa4£47 Tape measuresa4£4 Pensa6£5 Habitat name traila8£0.5 iNaturalist guidea8£0.5 Wildlife record form (SWSEIC)a10£0.5 Extra papera10£0.5 Waterwriter pen£4 Berol Verithin Coloured Pencils (Phase 1 Habitat Surveys)£0.4 Additional guides such as WildID£4 Handheld microscopes£15-20 Hand lenses£5-10 Binoculars (10x zoom, 25 degree field of view)£20-30 String and pegs for marking areas£9 Insect traps such as moth light traps£190 Nets for catching insects£15-25 Small containers for identification (pack of 10)£18 Soil sampling (reused jars or containers for soil type, bucket and spade for infiltration testing)N/A Water sampling (trays, bucket and net for kick sampling)£5-10 Hedgerow surveying equipment (1m folding ruler)£5 Recycled plastic storage box to protect equipment£25 37F1. Dalry School Garden Map F2. Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) Map F3. New Galloway Community Garden (NCG) MapPROJECT TITLE Dalry School Garden DRAWING TITLE Citizen Science Training Site DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations AddedPROJECT TITLE Carsphairn Community Woodland DRAWING TITLE Citizen Science Monitoring Sites DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations AddedSURVEY INFORMATION 26TH OCTOBER 2025 HABITAT OVERVIEW PROJECT TITLE 30TH NOVEMBER 2025 A brighter day, sunny and dry but cold with temperatures approximately 4°C DRAWING TITLE Predominantly coniferous woodland (A1.2.2), dominant species Sitka Spruce, Larch and Birch The Hide location was recorded on what3words at: ///Streetcar.gilding.curry It also features a View Point for stationary monitoring. Details and a QR code will be added to the View Point to allow visitors to take photographs and upload any time OBSERVATIONS FROM HABITAT OVERVIEW ● ● North and West of the Hide includes an area of native and mixed broadleaf woodland (A1.1.2) West and South of the Hide has been recently felled and replanted with broadleaf woodland A large patch of Bracken (C1) was recorded to the North of the Hide Three of the largest trees nearest the Hide were identified and locations measured by citizen scientists as well as what3words data recorded: ● Bird Cherry, Trunk 85cm, Distance 12.4m, ///confronts.hoped.hamster ● Hawthorn, Trunk 35cm, Distance 10.2m, ///tools.truly.dialects ● Hawthorn with empty Bird Box, Trunk 94cm, Distance 9.4m, ///schooling.diary.reserve The location of the quadrat monitoring site for species ID is nestled among the broadleaf trees to the North East of the Hide where the dominant species are Hawthorn, Hazel and Bird Cherry Considering the season and the weather conditions, 36 observations were recorded on the day The weather was cloudy and rainy with wet ground conditions, temperatures approximately 5°C OBSERVATIONS FROM HABITAT OVERVIEW ● ● ● ● Fungi and Lichens: Birch Polypore Plants: Bird Cherry, Blackthorn, Bracken, Buttercup, Fern, Hawthorn Trees, Hazel Trees, Raspberry x10, Sapling Hazels x10, Wood Sage Birds: Chaffinch, Great Tit, Robin Mammals: Red Squirrel OBSERVATIONS FROM QUADRAT Location: //relished.hormones.sweeping ● ● ● Plants: Common Dog Violet, Common Tamarisk Moss, Dock, Eared Willow, European Wood Sorrel, Grasses, Great Stitchwort, Neat Feather Moss, Raspberry, Slater, Woodland Germander Invertebrates: Common Striped Woodlouse, Fly x3, Mosquito, Small Flecked Wing Fly, Spider #1, Spider #2, White Legged Snaked Millipede Signs and Tracks: Dead Leaves & Twigs, Hawthorn Berries x21, Hazel Nut Birds: Chaffinch, Great Tit, Robin Mammals: Red Squirrel OBSERVATIONS FROM QUADRAT Location: ///shameless.busy.shaped ● ● ● ● An area of natural regeneration was recorded as including 10x Hazel saplings and 10x Raspberry Carsphairn Community Woodland Fungi and Lichens: Fungus (Milking Bonnet?) Plants: Common Dog Violet, Common Tamarisk Moss, Deer Fern, Germander Speedwell, Great Stitchwort, Hairy Woodrush, Neat Feather Moss, Raspberry Stalks, Tree Climacium Moss Invertebrates: Common Striped Woodlouse, Spider #1, Spider #2, Tiny Worm Signs and Tracks: Birch Leaf Litter, Hawthorn Leaf Litter, Hazel Leaf Litter Citizen Science Monitoring Sites DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations AddedPROJECT TITLE New Galloway Community Garden DRAWING TITLE Citizen Science Monitoring Sites DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations AddedSURVEY INFORMATION 23RD NOVEMBER 2025 HABITAT OVERVIEW Predominantly Amenity Grassland (J1.2) 23RD NOVEMBER 2025 OBSERVATIONS FROM QUADRAT Location: ///winning.stylists.many ● East of the Garden includes an areas of approximately 40 x 20m of recently planted native and mixed broadleaf woodland (A1.1.2) ● ● A Ditch (J2.6) stands between the newly planted woodland and the community garden which runs to the river South of the Garden. Dry most of the year, captures water from Hilltop Hilltop to the East of the Garden is approximately 4m above the majority of the park field. It features a View Point for stationary monitoring. Details and a QR code will be added to the View Point to allow visitors to take photographs and upload any time South of the Garden Scrub (A2) dominates with a Hawthorn Tree as the focal point. The location was measured by citizen scientists as well as what3words data recorded: ● Hawthorn, Trunk 1.3m, Distance 10.2m, ///hippy.graphics.bloodshot The location of the quadrat monitoring site for species ID is located in the areas where the dominant species at the time of monitoring was Rose Bay Willow Herb West of the Garden is bordered by a Hedge (J2.2) which is predominantly made up of Beech separating it from the play park. The gap is thought to be the location of a tap when the site was formerly a Bowling Green, although further investigation is required to confirm the presence and location Considering the season and the weather conditions, 54 observations were recorded on the day The weather was cloudy and rainy with wet ground conditions, temperatures approximately 6°C OBSERVATIONS FROM NATIVE BROADLEAF WOODLAND (A1.1.2) ● ● ● Fungi and Lichens: Alder Tongue Gall Plants: Bent Grass, Buttercup, Catchweed Bedstraw, Common Figwort, Germander Speedwell, Goat Willow, Ribwort Plantain, Sorrel, Vetch Signs and Tracks: Evidence of Deer feeding on trees, Evidence of Rabbit feeding on lower branches or small shrubs OBSERVATIONS FROM SCRUB (A2) ● ● ● Fungi and Lichens: Cartilage Lichen, Fairy Nose Lichen Plants: Broad Leaf Dock, Common Ivy, Feather Moss, Grasses, Large Mouse Tail Moss, Nettles, Plantain, Rose Bay Willow Herb Birds: Robin PROJECT TITLE Plants: Brambles, Catchweed Bedstraw, Dock, Feather Moss, Hogweed, Large Bittercress Invertebrates: Earthworn Signs and Tracks: Hawthorn Berries, Lead Mulch, Snail Shell OBSERVATIONS FROM DEFUNCT HEDGE (J2.2) ● ● Plants: Autumn Hawkbit, Common Dog Violet, Common Ivy, Cottoneasters (genus), Couch Grass, Creeping Buttercup, Curled Dock, Dandelion, European Beech, European Black Elderberry, Germander Speedwell, Gout Weed, Hawkbit, Meadow Buttercup, Ribwort, Plantain, Square Gooseneck Moss, St. John's Wort, Wild Strawberry Birds: Robin New Galloway Community Garden DRAWING TITLE Citizen Science Monitoring Sites DATE 10.2025 12.2025 VER. 1.0 2.0 NOTES Base Map Created Annotations Added Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Baseline monitoring of the development of Nature Networks in the Glenkens Description An account of the resource This project is the next chapter in the Glenkens Land Use Series starting with A Vision For Land Use in the Glenkens developed in 2023 and builds on work done across the area since it was added to the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan (CAP). Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CAP_37 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Dalry Community Council Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Niki Inglis Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026 CAP Theme 3 land use https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/758/GlenkensGazette153_cover.jpg efbc8ebff2c31dfbe18764d0b053b69f https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/1/758/GlenkensGazette153.pdf e58d5329f189d977c31252205a8f3658 PDF Text Text pdftext_placeholder Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Description An account of the resource <p>Find out more about the Gazette: <a href="https://glenkens.scot/gazette-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Glenkens Gazette home page</a> If you would like to submit an article or take out an advert, please email the editor Sarah Ade: <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:glenkensgazette@hotmail.com">glenkensgazette@hotmail.com</a></p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is a member of, and regulated by <span>&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.impressorg.com/">Impress</a>.</p> <p>The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of Glenkens Community &amp; Arts Trust (SC032050) and represents the voice of the community (not necessarily the views of GCAT).</p> Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document April/May 2026 ISSUE 153 A celebration of life at Knockengorroch festival Consciousness, The Deltones, 3 Daft Monkeys, Zion Train, Elias Alexander and Dallahan - to name just a few! K nockengorroch Scotland's longest running greenfield festival - returns this May to the Carsphairn hills. Established in 1998 by the Holmes family, the 2026 festival will bring a special limited edition programme of international roots and dance music, environmental art installations, theatre, circus performance and workshops. This year, Knockengorroch will be dedicated to husband, father, committed festival founder, and key Knockengorrocher - the late Simon Holmes (1942-2025). Festival organiser Katch Holmes said: "Knockengorroch this year is a special edition, dedicated to Simon, who founded this festival in 1998. "Featuring a very special selection of incredible live and electronic acts, we’ll be combining and re-arranging stages to create magical new spaces to share, dance, and feel joy together. "This year we are planning the biggest party Knockengorrochstyle, as well as space to reflect and remember. It is going to be a very memorable and beautiful event- to which all are welcome!" There will of course be all the usual festival areas full of stalls, food and workshops as well as a new children’s area, the Clann Tent, which will house children’s activities and family workshops from local children’s providers during the day and a family friendly headset disco in the evening. Local ticket info on p4... Some of this year's live music acts include BCUC: Bantu Continua Uhuru A The event marked the seven-year anniversary of local community benefit funding organisation, the Glenkens & District Trust (GDT), which has been managing funds from Blackcraig and Windy Rig Wind Farms. Since first distributing community benefit monies in 2019, the fund has issued over £1.5 million, unlocking an estimated further £3.25 million further investment into the fund area. The event was a huge success, with over 75 people in attendance and almost fifty organisations represented. Present were invited guests including Emma Harper MSP, Francesca Vacca of the Scottish Government and Rob Davidson INSIDE THIS ISSUE Clatteringshaws observatory planning granted ...turn to p3 Remembering the horrors of foot-andmouth 25 years on ...turn to p7 Seven years supporting the communities of the Glenkens significant milestone in Glenkens community benefits was celebrated at the end of February. FREE Days out in and around the Glenkens ...turn to p16 from South of Scotland Enterprise, who were interested to learn about the 165 different projects that the fund has supported to date. Feedback was very positive, with attendees stating that they were impressed at the breadth and variety of the projects, the desire across the Glenkens to work collectively, and the fact that these funds have made such a difference for the whole community. Continued on p2... Bairn Banter's Forest Schools sessions ...turn to p19 Turn to p28 for local job vacancies... News from the communities of Balmaclellan, Carsphairn, Corsock, Crossmichael, Kirkpatrick Durham, Laurieston, Mossdale, New Galloway, Parton and St John’s Town of Dalry GAZETTEnews Glenkens Gazette page 2 CONTENTS Celebrating seven years of News p1-5 People p6-8 Environment p9-15 Community p16-21 History p22-24 Arts p25-26 Information p27-28 Transport p29 Events p30-31 the Glenkens & District Trust Continued from front page... There was unanimous agreement that it is important that decisions about funding are made by local people, who know the area and its needs best. Useful feedback about potential barriers for people applying to the fund was also received, which GDT will take into account as part of its ongoing fund review. One attendee commented: "I just want to add my heartfelt thanks to GDT and all its associates for everything they have achieved for our community. The dedication of the volunteers - not only in stewarding funds but bringing projects to life - has been truly extraordinary. "Over the course of the 25 years I have lived in the Glenkens, it has become a vibrant and inspiring example of how a community can work together towards a positive future, embracing diverse interests whilst delivering lasting benefit and a proud legacy for the people who live here." If you missed the event, videos and display material from the day can be found at www.glenkenstrust.org. uk/news-1 Pictured are stands and attendees at the GDT celebratory event A brand new playpark for New Galloway T hings are moving right along with New Galloway’s play park: the tenders are out for its design, and several companies have already visited the site to have a look around. By next month we hope to have a contractor, and then there is some final prep work to do before building begins - around August. We are now looking to create a steering group to take us through the final design phase. So, if you (or rather children with whom you are associated in some way!) are a regular play park user, or have views on how it might look, then please get in touch with me at john.muir@ling.org.uk This has all been made financially possible by contributions from Natural Power, Glenkens and District Trust, New Galloway Community Enterprises, New Galloway and Kells Community Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council. John Muir, LING Pictured is an initial interpretation of the playpark design Dalry Secondary School Dear Gazette... community consultation D &G Council's community consultation looking at potential future options for Dalry Secondary School is ongoing, with the online survey having closed on 27 March. Keep your eyes peeled for the next stage in this process, or to find out more get in touch with the council's Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing department. Morning! Hi, What a great edition of the Glenkens Gazette I'm reading at the moment. Not least the article reflecting Simon's life. I just wanted to say, my mum, who lives in Dumfries, loves when I bring her a copy of the Gazette. Thank you for another great issue. Best wishes, Christine She says it has so much more information and reading in it than any of the other papers in the area! All the best, Fiona Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEnews page 3 Planning permission granted for Clatteringshaws observatory P lans for the proposed new Scottish Dark Sky Observatory (SDSO) on the banks of Clatteringshaws Loch, outside New Galloway, are shaping up. SDSO trustees said: "We are delighted to announce that our application to Dumfries & Galloway Council for planning permission to redevelop and extend the former Clatteringshaws Visitor Centre complex has been granted. "This planning permission will now allow us to press ahead with plans to redevelop and extend the former Forestry & Land Scotland Clatteringshaws visitor centre, creating an astronomical observatory, planetarium and visitor centre in the heart of the internationally recognised Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park." Carsphairn village shop to reopen soon T he refurbishment of Carsphairn village shop and café is now nearing completion, and we are delighted to see the building really beginning to take shape after months of hard work. Over the winter, a tremendous amount of work has been carried out by a number of skilled tradespeople. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to David from David Mason Joinery and his team - Lee, Tommy and Adam - who have led and project managed the renovation work on site. Their efforts, along with the contributions from Gordon McAdam (plumbing), Derek McCrone (electrical), Rory Porteous (gas engineering), Dougie Nish (roofing), Howdens Kitchens, Iain from IM Handyman Services (for the decoration), David from Swept and Sootless, and MKM Building Supplies, have all helped transform the shop and café space. Many of the people involved in this project are local to Carsphairn and the surrounding area, and it has always been important to the Carsphairn Village Shop Ltd (CVSL) committee to use local trades and services wherever possible. We are also pleased to share that we have been awarded a further proportion of community benefit funding from Carsphairn Renewable Energy Fund Ltd (CREFL) to enable us to move into the next exciting phase of the project, recruiting staff to run the shop and café. There will be a full-time position available, with the opportunity for the successful candidate to rent the newly modernised adjoining three-bedroom house, which enjoys beautiful views over the Rhinns of Kells. In addition, zero hours contracts will also be available to help support the shop and café during busier periods and seasonal demand. Job advertisements will be appearing soon - if you know someone who may be interested, get in touch at carsphairnvsl@gmail.com The total amount of community benefit funding supporting this project has come directly from Fred. Olsen Renewables’ Windy Standard I & II Wind Farms and Vattenfall’s South Kyle Wind Farm. Without their support, the village shop and café may not have had such a promising future. The committee would like to thank everyone for their continued support and patience while the work has been taking place. We are very much looking forward to opening the doors and welcoming the community back into the shop and café in the very near future. Emily Wall - on behalf of the CVSL Committee Funding secured for CatStrand Young Creatives C atStrand Young Creatives is celebrating a fantastic boost this year, with new funding secured until 2027 to continue its creative work with children and young people across the Glenkens. Thanks to support from Glenkens & District Trust, the team will keep delivering Arts Award in local primary schools and strengthening the creative curriculum. The funding also allows for four community events for under‑12s, including an Easter celebration on 31 March, a Halloween event in October and a Christmas Grotto on 13 December. We’re also delighted to have secured another year of Youth Music Initiative funding, meaning the popular Saturday Music School can continue offering guitar, piano, keyboard and group singing lessons. Several young musicians have already released their debut tracks as part of this years YMI Stranded Cat Project and this success has inspired our newest project: DG Amplify. Launched in partnership with Up Yer Airts and DMC, it will support young artists to take their next steps in the music industry, kicking off with a huge networking event at the CatStrand and evening gig on 2 May. Alongside this, our regular weekly sessions - including DramaRama, Art Clubs, and Youth Players - continue to give young creatives a welcoming space to explore and develop their creative sides. To find out more visit www. csyoungcreatives.com or email catherine@catstrand.com Catherine Corfield, Young Creatives Programme Lead Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEnews page 4 A New Chapter at Lothlorien: Welcoming Local Visitors and Volunteers N estled in the peaceful rural landscape near the village of Corsock in Dumfries & Galloway, Lothlorien Therapeutic Community has been a sanctuary of healing and recovery for people experiencing mental health challenges for over four decades. Now, this long-established community is reaching out to invite a wider group of people to participate. It is inviting local people who experience mental health issues to benefit from its therapeutic approach in the gardens and woodlands, and socially at our community lunch. The community is also welcoming mid-week, day volunteers and helpers for oneoff projects. Lothlorien is a therapeutic community - a friendly, participative environment where people live and work together in supportive daily routines designed to enhance wellbeing and personal growth. Here, life isn’t centred on clinical therapy; instead, communal living, shared responsibilities and connection with nature are the heart of the approach. Residents, volunteers and staff come together to care for the 17 acres of organic gardens, woodlands and meadow, to prepare meals, and to take part in community activities that build confidence, self-esteem and a sense of purpose. What’s New: Welcoming the Wider Community Until recently, Lothlorien’s work has focused primarily on those living within the community. That’s now changing. With a new outreach vision taking shape, local people are invited to explore what Lothlorien has to offer through day visits or gardening groups for those who can be referred by their support workers. Local mental health practitioners are invited to experience Lothlorien for themselves on our open days to gain a better understanding of how the community works. Whilst nature-based activity sessions designed for wellbeing and connection are open to booking by any member of the public via our website. These activities draw on gardening, nature connection practices, social prescribing principles and other wellbeingcentred experiences, all set in the restorative rural environment that Lothlorien is known for. Whether you’re interested in mindful walks through woodland, getting your hands in the soil in the vegetable garden, or simply soaking up the peace of the countryside, there’s something for everyone. Volunteers Welcome Lothlorien is also seeking day volunteers who can help support its mid-week activities and contribute to community projects. Volunteering might include helping with gardening, or cooking, practical site tasks, or lending a hand with community events. These roles offer a meaningful way to support others while gaining your own sense of connection and purpose in a peaceful, supportive setting. Volunteers are a vital part of the community’s spirit. Lothlorien’s ethos emphasises shared participation and mutual respect - all volunteers and visitors are valued as contributors to the openness and warmth that define the community. Whether you can commit regularly or simply enjoy an occasional one-off project, your time and enthusiasm are appreciated. Get Involved If you’d like to volunteer, be referred to our services or find out more about what Lothlorien offers, please visit www.lothlorien.tc for details of upcoming activities, volunteering opportunities and open days. You can also get in touch directly with the team via email at lesley@lothlorien.tc or call 01644 440602 to discuss how you might get involved. Whether you’re seeking connection, a chance to help, or simply a restorative workshop in nature, Lothlorien invites you to be part of its next chapter in the Glenkens and beyond. Lesley Atkins Significantly reduced price tickets to Knockengorroch Festival for residents of the Glenkens - Carsphairn, Dalry, New Galloway and Balmaclellan - will be available from the CatStrand from April. • Adult [16 years +] Thu, Fri or Sat - £120; 11-15 years £65 • Adult [16 years +] Sun only - £60; 11-15 years £30 • Free on Sunday for children resident in Carsphairn parish and their parents/guardians. To take advantage of this offer, please email info@knockengorroch.org.uk with details (children under 11 years are always free) Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEnews page 5 A night to remember in Mossdale I t’s amazing how much talent there is around when you put out the call. This was very evident at Mossdale’s ‘Winter’s Tale’ evening which was held on Friday 6 March. The event was warmly resonant of traditional ceilidhs, when neighbours would gather together on winter’s evenings for songs, fiddle–playing and a good ‘crack’ together. For those who don’t know it, Mossdale is a tiny place right in the middle of Galloway, about four miles south of New Galloway and surrounded by all the wildness and beauty of the Glenkens. It is a community with a big heart that cares about its landscape and people. In fact, it is said that those who settle in Mossdale rarely leave the place. Over time it has become home, too, to writers, artists and other creative people seeking a share of the peace, tranquility , and inspiration it exudes. In consequence, the Mossdale Hall is a busy place with regular art sessions, yoga classes, soup lunches, permaculture courses, community landscaping and more. In an effort to celebrate all this, a wonderful evening of stories, music , film and wonderful home-cooked food (for Mossdale also happens to have some superb bakers and cooks among its population!) was enjoyed by everyone on Friday. We were thoroughly entertained by stories of mysterious happenings on Woodhall Loch, snow maidens from Japan and naughty accounts of Princess Cutie and her suitors! There were also two Mossdaleinspired films and marvellous performances of local musicians including music written by the greats. There were renditions of songs by Bruce Springstein, Richard Thompson and Mike Batt and the eventing was rounded off by a brilliant virtuoso performance with the full band’s backing of Sam Cooke’s 'Bring it on Home to Me' by Ringford’s very own soul singer, Mirla. What an evening! Thanks to everyone who joined in. All proceeds will go towards Hall funds to help keep this great resource going. Sheena McCurrach There will be a chance to try out Reflexology ‘tasters’ offered by Kath Peters and Susan Farish. Nutritionist, Lorna Willock will give a food talk. A spring seed sowing session will be led by Abi Mordin from Propagate and at the close of the day a guided meditation session will be led by Kirstie Templeton, offering everyone some moments to savour the benefits of the day, and simply enjoy stillness, connection and rest. Giving everyone for a moment to unwind, reflect on the day's events, and simply enjoy a few peaceful moments of stillness. Focusing on nutrition, gentle exercise, sowing and growing, reflexology and meditation, the wellbeing day hopes to encourage deeper connections to our bodies and nature. This event is supported by the Glenkens Community Shop and ticket sales will be donated to the Glenkens Community Centre to help with the ongoing renovation. Tickets can be purchased from Kath Peters at kattastic@hotmail. com Spring into life O n the back of the success of the Healthy Harvests event last September, there will be another wellbeing day on Saturday 11 April from 10am to 4pm at New Galloway Town Hall. ‘Spring into Life’ will celebrate the changing season, this time Spring will have our full attention. The event will provide people with an opportunity to dedicate some time to their wellbeing and consider how the changing season can affect how we feel. Taking time to focus on how Spring can have such a positive influence and impact on our physical and mental health, encouraging joy and maximising the full potential of this cheerful and blossoming season. Last year the wellbeing day was at the New Galloway Town Hall because the Glenkens Community Centre wasn’t ready due to renovations. This was an excellent space, and it worked very well, so we have decided to use this wonderful venue again. This food and wellbeing event will start with yoga led by Amy Fowler. Giving everyone the time to have a stretch and to focus on what they want to gain form the day ahead. 90 years of hydroelectricity M eet the innovators who moulded a landscape to harness water, bringing power to the Glenkens. In Scotland’s rich heritage of hydro-electricity, Galloway was the pioneer. When the hydroelectric scheme opened in 1936, it was one of the first in a new generation of major civil engineering infrastructure projects heralding landmark renewable energy schemes. And incredibly, it’s still going strong today. Join Bruce Keith at New Galloway Town Hall on Saturday 18 April as he brings this important episode in the Glenkens story to life. To find out more or book tickets visit www.glenkens. scot/cultural-glenkens Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEpeople Glenkens Youth Correspondent page 6 Joshua Wells, aged 16, is our Gazette youth correspondent and in each edition he will be writing about topics which interest him. In this issue Joshua talks about the CatStrand Youth Players. W hat do you get when you put together a young, ambitious job seeker ready for the best day of his life and his long-deceased father, who only wishes to make amends with his dear son? That is the exact question that the play Dead Dad Dog explores. John McKay uses a rollercoaster of amusing and poignant moments to show off a truly unique set of ideas and themes. For our entry into the SCDA One-Act Play Festival, the CatStrand Youth Players production team chose to tackle John McKay’s surreal comedy, Dead Dad Dog. Under the direction of Jo Jackson and with the help of Brian Edgar, we spent two months preparing this fast-paced piece for the competition stage. I took on the lead role of Eck, while my co-star, Dante, portrayed the ghost of my father, Willie. The play follows Eck, a young man in 1980s Edinburgh, who finds himself literally tethered to his dead father's ghost (Willie) on the most important day of his career. He has a high-stakes BBC interview and a long-awaited date, but his father’s ghost is about to crash both. The coupling of the two characters allows for a contrast between the modern (for the time) Eck and the more stuck-in-the-past Willie. This contrast is even more emphasised through an interesting gimmick. Throughout the play, the two characters must literally stick together to prevent a torturous stomach pain. This made it particularly challenging to perform, as we had to master the art of acting as if we were in horrible pain. We had to perfectly understand the distance Eck and Willie could travel before the agony kicks in. Gillespie Gifford & Brown LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents Dumfries & Galloway Despite these challenges, we were able to enjoy our rehearsals and make the most of them. As the character of Eck, I was able to build his personality and make him my very own. Playing Eck was fun; I loved portraying his increasing frustration and anger toward his father, which made for some truly amusing moments on stage, made easy by Dante’s brilliant portrayal of Willie. While rehearsals were enjoyable, we knew we had to be competition-ready for the festival stage, where we’d be performing alongside some of the best local talent. After nearly two months of rehearsal, we were finally ready to perform our rendition of Dead Dad Dog. Being the night’s final play, the anticipation was massive. We got ourselves ready, running through our lines one last time while waiting for the intercom to finally announce our names. “Could the CatStrand Youth Players and their extremely huge set please come to the stage?” The irony of the announcer's joke wasn't lost on us. One notable comment about the play was our director’s (Jo) brave decision to use a completely minimalist set: just a single chair and a hidden box. This bold choice allowed the audience to focus entirely on the physical comedy and the emotional connection between the two characters, proving that sometimes, less really is more. This minimalist approach meant there was nowhere to hide, so we relied on sensory effects, such as talcum powder, to transform the empty stage into something supernatural. To make Willie look truly "dead," we layered his hair in talcum powder, which worked perfectly to create a brilliant, ghostly mushroom cloud every time he moved. This effect looked stunning under the spotlights, adding a magical, ethereal layer to the performance that the audience loved. Even though the dust filled the air, it added to the scene’s authentic atmosphere, and managing the slippery stage only made our physical comedy sharper and more energetic. Stepping out as the final act of the night, the nerves finally shifted into pure adrenaline. Although we didn’t win first place, performing with the CatStrand Youth Players was about more than just the competition; it was about the chemistry we built through every physical comedy mishap. Eck’s "best day ever" may have been a haunting disaster for him, but for me, it was a defining theatrical win that I’ll never forget. 01556 503744 www.ggblaw.co.uk All legal advice Offices in Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie Dante, Jo, Josh and Brian all set ready for the performance at the Fullarton Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEpeople page 7 The day hell came to Parton Twenty-five years on: Remembering the horrors of the foot-and-mouth crisis Around ten years ago, when I was writing my book, which was based on a stolen horse and the last man hanged in Scotland for horse stealing, I joined the late Mary Smith’s writing class. One week she announced that our next week’s project was to be on "a life-changing event". I said to her that I had one, but was not sure that I was ready to write it yet. This April is the 25th anniversary of the horror of the A t the height of the foot-and-mouth outbreak which had engulfed the North of England and spread into Dumfries and Galloway, we were informed that a neighbour’s farm had been designated a suspected foot-andmouth holding. The rules were, that all animals on a suspect farm must be slaughtered and incinerated in situ. Neighbouring farms – contiguous holdings, they were called - were to have their cattle and sheep slaughtered too, as a sort of ‘fire-break’. This was us, our farm - how could this be? Incomprehension, then shock followed the news. We understood the reason that sheep should be culled; they range widely round a farm and could come in contact through the fence with neighbouring sheep. But our lovely cattle, bred on the farm, housed in three separate buildings, each half a mile from the other and far from the sheep; a perfect quarantine situation. They will be safe? foot-and-mouth disaster reaching the Glenkens. It was a horrendous time which affected all farmers, whether their stock was culled or not. It also affected accommodation providers and other businesses too. Parton and Crossmichael farmers felt that they had been sacrificed. Below is the account of the tragedy that I wrote for Mary Smith. John Nelson NO! The authorities insisted that as it was designated - one holding - they must all die. I contacted many officials that afternoon and into the night pleading for some commonsense. The cattle were isolated and free of the disease - why should they die? My argument fell on deaf ears. At six the following morning, the white coats arrived to do their grisly task. My wife Margaret, my two sons, Andrew and Peter, and myself might have left them to it, but we could not. We felt we had to ensure that they suffered as little as possible. Andrew supervised the ‘process’ in the cattle-sheds; with tears in his eyes, he watched as they shot the 150 cows and their new-born calves. One cow he had helped deliver her calf during the night, only to see that calf shot next morning. He knew this would happen but still had to assist her. babies, in a huge pile five feet high. The madness of it all! All the while Margaret watched from a distance, her three men with tears running down their faces, and she too descended into a pit of despair as she on her gums. Logically, grazing as they did on land isolated on three sides by the wide River Dee and on the fourth side by the main road, they could not have been infected, but logic had flown out the window with common sense and sanity. ...the ‘white coats’ caught the young lambs and held them for the vet... nearly 1,000 new-born lambs... and laid their bodies, as gently as babies, in a huge pile five feet high. Half a mile away Peter wept as he watched as they shot the 600 ewes. I too wept as I watched him cry. I wept too as the ‘white coats’ caught the young lambs and held them for the vet who gave each one of nearly 1,000 new-born lambs a lethal injection and laid their bodies, as gently as viewed the growing piles of dead. With only her black-andwhite spaniel for company, she realised that it was the only living animal left on the farm; but worse was to come! The bodies of all contiguous animals were normally transported by wagon to a huge burial pit near Lockerbie. This was the resting place of all the many thousands of ‘clean’ or non-infected animals. All our cattle were free of disease when examined as they were shot and similarly the sheep...except for one sheep in the last pen! This group had grazed among the blackthorn scrub by the river and one sheep had a few lesions Our vet who was supervising, regarded the symptoms as ‘doubtful’ and everything changed. Our ‘clean cull’ became a ‘suspected’ cull and all animals had to be incinerated on farm. The remainder of that day was characterised by argument. The man in charge insisted that the pyre be in the field in front of our house. I refused to allow it there. The field had tile drains which would allow disease, body fluids and unburnt diesel fuel to pollute the groundwater. Continued over the page... Top: lambs play the day before the cull. Left: diggers work beside mounds of dead animals GAZETTEpeople Glenkens Gazette Continued from previous page... The prevailing wind would take the vast pall of smoke into the farmhouse and in any case I felt that the public had seen enough of funeral pyres. I insisted they use a piece of rough ground out of sight of the road and with no tile drains. It was after many hours of argument, they finally conceded. At dawn two huge diggers proceeded to dig a trench 350 metres long a metre deep and two metres wide. This was filled with 280 tons of Colombian coal and enough beautiful planed timber to build several houses; the trench was then covered with railway sleepers and straw bales. The 350 cattle and fifteen hundred sheep were piled on this platform before being drenched with 100s of gallons of diesel fuel. As darkness fell on that second evening in Hell, the pyre was set alight. Two thousand animals burning, stiff black legs pointing skywards, mechanical digger buckets clanking as they stoked the fires, all silhouetted against the raging flames and vast palls of smoke. The memory of that horrific sight will never leave me. I can picture my son, Peter, his arm round his mother’s shoulder as we escaped from hell into the warm embrace of the kitchen. I wept often that day at the horror of it all and at the stupidity of it all. I wept too on subsequent days, at the ghostly silence, the l ca Lo nal Sustain Seaso abl h s e Fre @GallowayFoodHub gallowayfoodhub.org.uk hello@gallowayfoodhub.org.uk sight of the fields all round me, devoid of animals for the first time since the great ice retreated; at the odd charred limb being thrown on the embers; at the waste. I certainly wept three days later when officialdom announced the ‘scientific advice’ was that in future only sheep need be slaughtered. If that were done the cattle would be uninfected. Exactly my argument four days before! My neighbour’s farm proved free of foot-and-mouth and our suspect sheep proved negative. d Foo odfrom the Go Collection points: Across the Glenkens and beyond plus delivery options for the Glenkens The Great Foot and Mouth Plague of 2001 Innocent victims of bureaucratic bungling Perhaps the witch trials and persecution of the 16th century were like this, wellmeaning people swept along on a tide of fear and panic. This Oak tree was planted by the Nelson Family That most traumatic experience and its memories would come flooding back, unbidden, for the next ten years. Andrew read the plaque and commented; “you are still hurting! “ I could not trust my voice to reply. Like a train coming out of a tunnel, the memory could flare up and leave me sobbing. Fortunately time heals even raw mental wounds. Two years later we planted an oak tree on the pyre site, protected by a wrought iron railing; on that railing a plaque reads: On this site are buried the ashes of 350 cattle and 1600 sheep Shot on the 23rd April during Gordon McAdam Plumbing & Heating 22 Kirkland Street St John’s Town of Dalry Visit our online shop to place your order page 8 07834 321 789 In memory of their animals Twenty-five years later we now have five grandchildren, ranging from 22 to the only boy aged 11. Their fun and laughter have helped our hearts heal! John Nelson, Parton Pictured: Top - information card given out to farmers at the time. Below left - the pyre of culled sheep and cattle. Below - Peter supports his mother Margaret as they escape the horrors of the day David Tallontire CHIMNEY SWEEP Covering the Glenkens & further afield 07709 144 299 - wood burners - multi-fuel stoves - open fires - Agas - Rayburns - birds nest removal with CCTV inspection - certificates issued - feel free to call for advice - Find me on Facebook Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEenvironment S pring brings new energy for nature restoration in the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere and there are exciting opportunities for Glenkens residents to get involved. In January the GSA Biosphere Partnership supported the launch of a new Nature Recovery Network for private landowners who are rewilding or simply managing their land in a nature-friendly way. Open to anyone with land in the UNESCO region, the group already has more than 50 members, ranging from retired hobbyists to small businesses with green space. The network aims to connect people for skills exchange and site visits, as well as knowledgesharing, friendship and moral support. There will also be opportunities in the future to access funding for nature-friendly improvements through making grant applications as a collective, thereby accessing finance that isn’t available to individuals. Anyone who would like to join or find out more is warmly invited to contact network coordinator Nicki Davey via nicki@salt-box. co.uk Some of last year’s nature conservation projects are page 9 Out and About in the Biosphere restarting now with the changing season. The Save Our Swifts (SOS) campaign, which featured on BBC Scotland in 2025, is looking for new members and volunteers as the birds return from their African wintering grounds. Swift numbers have declined so drastically in the last two decades that they are now a Red List species in the UK (the highest level of conservation concern) and continue to struggle with habitat loss, decreasing insect food sources, and increasingly frequent weather events that impact migration cycles. In positive news, this year Scotland made it a legal requirement for swift bricks to be included in new buildings, which will help mitigate habitat loss by providing nesting sites. Construction, architecture and renovation businesses, housing associations and regeneration trusts interested in supporting swift conservation can get in touch with the Biosphere’s Nature Recovery Officer, Antoine Lemaire (antoine@ gsabiosphere.org.uk). We can give support in how to best include biodiversity in the built environment, whether in new builds, renovations, or when carrying out building upgrades such as thermal insulation. And don’t forget: businesses making adjustments that benefit biodiversity are ideal candidates for the Biosphere Certification Mark scheme. This trademarked accreditation is still free to apply and open for applications all year round. Supported by the GSA Biosphere Partnership, the D&G Swift Network is continuing to support local swift colonies. They are carrying out surveys, awareness-raising activities and events, and actively seeking new members (they issue a monthly newsletter so please do join to keep up to date, whether or not you wish to be hands-on outdoors). Businesses can also become partners of the D&G Swift Network and support the group's activities, or cooperate with it to create habitat, provide nesting sites, or raise awareness online or through public engagement locally. Please contact dandgswifts@ gmail.com to express your interest in becoming a member. Anyone who spots swifts in the Glenkens (or anywhere else in the UNESCO Biosphere) is also encouraged to record this on one of the wildlife recording apps such as iNaturalist, alongside all the birds, bugs and plants that are emerging now. Citizen science supports nature in all its forms by providing valuable data to research and conservation projects, and in the long term helps track species distribution patterns. A short iNaturalist tutorial is available on the Biosphere’s YouTube channel with more information on how to support wildlife and habitats available at www.gsabiosphere.org.uk. To contact the Biosphere team with any enquiries, please email info@gsabiosphere.org.uk Pictured: Top - Antoine Lemaire, with a swift nest box. Above - a swift in flight. Far left - horsetails in Ken-Dee Marshes. Middle left - orange-tip butterfly on cuckoo flower. Left - snails enjoying a snack Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEenvironment page 10 sponsored by Growing Nature Networks in the Glenkens: What This Study Found J ust before I sat down to write this article I was walking from Moss Roddick down into Dalry, and stopped to watch a little flock of tits in the hedgerow. They weren’t just in it, though, they were moving along it, staying safe as they made their way through the farmland to the wooded village gardens. That hedgerow is a tiny fragment of a ‘habitat corridor’, a route between ecologically rich patches of woodland, wetland and grassland that helps wildlife move, thrive and adapt to climate change. Over the past few months I have been doing a feasibility study for Dalry Community Council, paid for by Inspiring Scotland’s Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund, on how the Glenkens could develop nature networks of valuable habitat linked together by corridors (see Gazette issue 150). The final report – just published on the Glenkens Hub (www. glenkens.scot/reports-resourcesarchive/establishing-naturenetworks-in-the-glenkens) sets out a practical starting point for a long-term, landscape-scale programme. Most of the land in the Glenkens is privately owned and managed for agriculture and forestry – unlike in some parts of Scotland, there is little large-scale community or public land ownership, and no major rewilding estates. This study therefore explored a “third way” for nature recovery: building nature networks gradually by identifying where ecological benefits could be achieved through practical, affordable changes in management, while continuing to support a productive, working landscape. I had conversations with farmers and foresters, as well as staff from environmental organisations, to understand their constraints and opportunities, and also did a lot of work with ecological data and habitat maps. From this, several habitat types emerged as priorities where a network approach could realistically work: broadleaved woodland, wet woodland, hedgerows, and habitats for pollinating insects. The report includes maps showing roughly where a woodland network might be developed through tree planting and protecting regeneration to connect some of the Glenkens’ existing amazing woods like Glenlee and the Aird of Kells. We hope that a first small section will be planted this autumn, thanks to the enthusiasm of a farmer and great support from Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands. Other habitats, in particular the very varied grassland and heathland typical of the Glenkens hills, are ecologically very important, but the network approach seems less suitable as a way of enhancing them. These would be an important focus of a future, more comprehensive, nature recovery programme. The study also highlights the importance of data collection, monitoring habitat change and carrying out ground surveys to plan networks. The community can make a huge contribution to this. Building on last year’s Land Notes Festival, Niki Inglis brought volunteers and experts together for training in ecological surveys as a citizen science project (see Niki’s article opposite) and we hope to do a lot more of this in future. We hope that we can take this work forward. At the time of writing we are waiting to hear whether the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust has been awarded funding from NatureScot’s Nature Restoration Fund to develop a landscape scale, holistic, nature recovery project for the Glenkens. Success would enable further development of the nature networks and citizen science activities, plus a great deal more! Steve Connelly Pictured: Top - Existing woodland corridor section in the North Glenkens (Photo: Steve Connelly). Above - North Glenkens; indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors GAZETTEenvironment Glenkens Gazette page 11 sponsored by If you would like to list something on this page, please get in touch on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk FREE Dog grooming table, brand new. Contact: 07810 473 730 Horse manure, rotted and fresh, no weed killers used. Dig your own - bring sacks or trailer. Contact: 07889 229 340 FOR SALE Bosch Larder Fridge, perfect condition, £195. Contact: 07922 506 677 WANTED/OTHER Old lawn mowers/strimmers/other small machinery. Nonrunners/broken welcome. Contact: text/WhatsApp 07845 562 217 Shed clearances - any shed cleared, large or small. For further info or to arrange a visit contact: 07765 034 841 Local home-repair & maintenance - from small fixes to larger jobs, woodwork to electronics. Quality workmanship, flexible scheduling and fair pricing. Contact: Bruce on 07989 509 798 Monitoring and citizen science I t has been wonderful to work with so many people on this baseline monitoring project, coming together with a shared sense of community to participate in nature monitoring and contribute towards the vision of future land use in the Glenkens. Steven’s project (see article on the Eco Feature page opposite) highlighted some potential routes to developing nature networks or corridors connecting nature rich habitats in different parts of the Glenkens. Building on this, the participatory monitoring and community engagement of the Land Notes Festival, the next logical step was to explore the feasibility of creating a citizen science-based baseline monitoring programme. Citizen science refers to members of the public helping to collect data, in this case about the presence of nature and diversity of plants or animals in a particular area. It has many benefits such as enjoying an outdoor activity, learning about nature, engaging with others and the opportunity to contribute towards science locally. Gathering this data is important to help indicate whether there are changes to an environment over time, identify threats such as loss of habitat or species and help protect or enhance biodiversity. It can also help to track changes over time such as checking habitat improvements or conservation activities have the desired effect. With increased threats due to climate change and land use, it is more important than ever to gather data to understand or even help predict these changes and the impacts they may have on local wildlife. As this was a pilot project, three sites were identified to participate in the study initially, including Dalry School, Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) and New Galloway Community Garden (NCG). They hosted five events in total including the citizen science training, a school visit for all students and three monitoring events for the local communities. The monitoring events tested two different methods of gathering data. The first was to establish a habitat overview which focuses on a larger area capturing information such as tree locations, species and sizes as well as the number and type of different plants to gain an understanding of the overall diversity and help determine the type of habitat such as grassland or woodland. The second, known by ecologists as a quadrat, is a 1x1m square which is studied in detail to identify specific species using apps such as iNaturalist and local knowledge from the participants. It was quick and easy, on average around 30 minutes to identify more than 16 species of plants and animals, an excellent count considering the weather conditions in October and November. As well as conducting the citizen science events allowing local pilot sites to capture monitoring data and start recording a baseline, other tangible outcomes achieved during the project included digital habitat maps of the pilot sites, an ecological summary report which can be used as a template by other local communities and the Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit as a shared resource for future monitoring events across the region. Other ideas such as setting up Glenkens View Points and offline recording alternatives are already moving forward since the project completion with view points being established at both NCG and CCW, which will also host a whiteboard and notebook for those wishing to record observations by hand. Building on this, the report provides a guideline for growing citizen science capabilities, describes three different scenarios for establishing a citizen science network and outlines a roadmap with recommendations for moving forward with the continued development of the citizen science network. It recommends starting by raising awareness and engaging communities through activities such as the citizen science talks organised by the Glenkens Community Spaces Network. Eventually it is hoped that regular wide spread data collection, monitoring and recording by local citizen scientists across the region could contribute to the development of nature networks and inform local land use strategy. Actual field data gathered by local people could contribute towards filling data gaps, habitat mapping, recording wildlife and tracking environmental changes across the region. The volume of data collection and habitat mapping needed requires that many different groups, communities and landowners work together, uniting us all and inspiring a sense of collaboration towards nature recovery. To find out more or access the reports visit www.glenkens. scot/projects/glenkens-naturenetworks Niki Inglis Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEenvironment page 12 Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEenvironment page 13 The Optimistic Environmentalist Examples of new products to tackle climate change (part one) L ast year, my husband Richard and I attended some of the Climate Action events in June. Here are some examples of what were being shown; I hope they inspire you to go in June this year or to get inventing yourself! 1) Evoco (www.evocoltd.com) This company use by-products and waste from agriculture, and some waste food, to make new polymers. They have launched a biobased foam that is 70 to 85% plant based. It has been introduced in the footwear market but will be used in, say, furniture and mattresses. They have projects with V-Day, a larger brand in the US; projects with Vans and Timberland; and a long standing project with a fashion company called Bared Footwear based out of Australia. They have also launched a biothermoplastic polyurethane, a plant-based leather alternative and an odour control material for shoes. The company aims to make materials as good or better than those they replace. They aim to increase a “detoxification effect” and reduce the CO2 from the waste they use, but they don't want these efforts to distract from satisfaction. They also work at adding value to what they call the bioeconomy, which adds value to jobs. Their calculations show that very soon these materials are cheaper than the alternative fossil fuel based ones. 2) Mimica (www.www. mimicalab.com) Between eight and 10% of global emissions comes from food waste throughout all parts of the chain including production, transportation, use (domestic or business) and disposal. In order to protect consumers, food expiry dates are currently set to the worst case scenario. Most food shelf life testing, if it's a chilled food, gets tested at eight degrees, whereas most peoples' fridges are at four degrees or colder. Estimates suggest 70% of the food that we waste in the UK is still perfectly edible. Around one third of the food we produce globally gets wasted if the carbon for this waste was a country, it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world. Consider all the resources that went into producing that food, storage, transportation, breaking down if left to decay in landfill - producing methane. Over a 100 year timescale, methane gas is 28 times more potent than CO2 (source: www.ourworldindata.org/ greenhouse-gas-emissions) This company has made a label that goes on food packaging called Bump. It is temperature sensitive and contains a patented gel, which is calibrated or formulated specifically to have the same level of temperature sensitivity as a specific food. So, a label on beef is calibrated differently to that on milk. It gets activated and applied at the stage of packaging by the food manufacturer. The label will feel smooth when the food is fresh and good to eat and will feel bumpy when the food has spoiled. Solveiga Pakstaite, chief design officer and founder of Mimica, states: "What we're trying to do is not replace expiry dates, which is kind of what people might expect. We're actually working with food producers to help them print a longer date based on reasonable storage. "It will sense the storage temperatures and so for the one or two people who leave the supermarket and don't store it properly, it'll turn bumpy earlier for them only." In a trial with 33 households, using fruit juice, 97% of participants consumed juice up to six days longer than typical expiry guidance. It's super practical, simple, takes seconds, is mass producible and is supported by Climate KIC, the predecessor to the Undaunted programme, run by Imperial College. Denise MacDonald-Kiernan Family and friends coming to stay? N ew Galloway Golf Club Founded Foun ded 1902 www.ng www.n g gc.co.uk Country cottage set in beautiful gardens available for holiday lets all year round (sleeps 5) Call Fiona on 07789 903127 - 01644 420737 - www.covenanters-holidaycottagescotland.co.uk Buggies now available for hire Licence no DG00824P VISITORS AND NEW MEMBERS WELCOME Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEenvironment page 14 Photo of the Issue T his issue's winner is Jock the Peacock, taken by 16-year-old Kieran Jardine at Forkins, Dalry. Kieran wins two portions of mac 'n' cheese from our competition sponsors, the Balmaclellan-based Stockbridge Mac & Cheese Co. Company owner and competition judge, Hannah Gould, said: "We absolutely love the peacock - he looks raging!" To enter you can send in any photograph taken in the Glenkens to glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk David 07513 180 960 JOINERY & CONSTRUCTION SERVICES Renovation & Conversions New Builds Extensions Groundworks Roofing Kitchen Fitting Windows/Doors Interior Finishings Covering Dumfries & Galloway Reliable Tradesmen Check out our projects on our socials! D.Mason Joinery @d.mason_joinery d.mason.joinery@gmail.com Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEenvironment page 15 Land and living in the Glenkens D oes farming matter? This was a question posed by Minette Batters (former Chief executive of the National Farming Union) in her introduction to the recently published Farming Profitability Review. “Whether farming matters and how it is valued is fundamental to the future of A series of articles by Nikky Wilson farming across the UK,” she stated. In this series of articles, the Gazette will aim to show how working the land matters to all of us living here. We want to explore, through interviews with local farmers and landowners, some of the issues facing the people who work in agriculture and forestry in the Glenkens. These are the people who shape the landscape so many of us love. They have a big influence on our lives as the producers of the food and materials we need to survive and thrive. We want to give them a voice and learn from them directly what matters to them, what they love about their work and how they deal with some of the problems they face. Some articles in this series have extended versions available on the Glenkens Hub at www.glenkens.scot Farming in Sri Lanka - a comparison with the Glenkens T his article was supposed to be the second in the series started in the last issue about land managers in the Glenkens. However, circumstances beyond my control – the US/Israeli war against Iran – have conspired against me. I’m writing this from Sri Lanka where I’ve been stranded after my flight home was cancelled, whilst my notes from my last interview are back in Dalry. So this piece is an alternative; reflections on farming systems in Sri Lanka and the contrasts and similarities with the Glenkens. We – Steve (my husband) and I - worked with small farmers in Sri Lanka over thirty years ago. After a long absence, we planned a holiday there and our itinerary included a return visit to the area we worked in. Sri Lanka is a country of climatic contrasts with lush tropical conditions in part of the island, hilly country with tea estates at high altitudes and arid lowlands in the north. The project we worked on back in the 1990s was located in the north eastern side of Sri Lanka, in what was described as the dry zone. It’s an area developed for commercial rice growing so irrigation is a major feature in the landscape: flat paddy fields with villages located on the edge of the irrigated land. Farming families were allocated two-and-ahalf acres of paddy land for cash cropping along with half an acre of what is called a ‘home garden’. This is a plot of unirrigated land in which people build their houses and grow fruit, vegetables, medicinal plants, coconuts (a staple in the Sri Lankan diet – you can’t make a curry without them!), trees for timber and flowers. Our work focused on helping farmers who had just moved into the irrigation scheme to develop their home garden from scratch in what was, for many of them, an unfamiliar environment – much hotter and drier than they were used to. In the thirty years since we worked there, the home gardens have developed tremendously and the area is now very lush and green with lots of tree cover. Whilst this landscape is very different from the Glenkens, during our visit we started to see how many similarities there were in the lives and economies of farmers in both countries. Here are some of our thoughts. Farm systems have been changing, with consolidation of land holdings occurring and the expansion of larger cash cropping farms. Along with this has come mechanisation; harvesting the rice used to be done by hand and is now regularly done by things that look remarkably like combine harvesters. This relates to a shortage of labour which has become very expensive. Farmers are also squeezed by the high cost of inputs and decreasing profit margins, problems which are made worse by the middlemen who sell the inputs and buy the crops. Farmers have responded by diversifying their income sources. It isn’t a touristy area so they don’t have self-catering cottages, but it does include producing ornamental fish and drying fruit for the export market. The population has also changed, with some farming families selling up and moving away from the area and being replaced by apparently wealthier families who earn their living elsewhere. (This was very evident but we didn’t get to the bottom of why it was happening.) Overarching all of this is climate change. We arrived in what should have been the dry season but in fact it rained heavily for several days, threatening the unharvested rice crop. People told us that unseasonable and extreme weather is becoming the new normal – flooding in many parts of the island hit the international news in December last year. In another similarity to the Glenkens, wildlife is a problem for farmers – in this case wild elephants. They come into the fields and home gardens and even break into people’s homes to steal rice and bananas. Finally, we understood from talking with farmers how little support they get from the government, and how they feel that agricultural policy is made by distant people who don’t understand farming! A typical home garden looks like this; usually the upper storey provides shade for lots of other plants to grow underneath. They often appear a bit chaotic and unplanned but the different layers fit together quite well. Women are often the head of the household and responsible for the home garden. Reflecting on all the changes we saw, and the pressures farmers are under here, we were surprised at how familiar this sounds to the situation of farmers in the Glenkens. Of course, living standards here are very different, with a sign of wealth being a motorbike or three-wheeler parked outside the house. We did come away feeling hopeful for the future of some farmers, but not all. Some are doing really well whilst others struggle with debt and poverty. So, next time you pick up a can of coconut milk, a bunch of bananas or a packet of rice, spare a thought for the farmers that produce them in what are often challenging conditions. Nikky Wilson (with input from Steve Connelly) A big thank you to our friend Chesha for lending us her computer to write the article on. Also to Kevin Peace from Dalry for the idea to write about our work in Sri Lanka. Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEcommunity page 16 Days out in and around the Glenkens V isitors to the Glenkens sometimes find themselves looking for something interesting to do, especially if the weather is not quite as planned. Whether you have just yourselves, children, grandchildren or grandparents to entertain, hopefully there is something here for you. I have assumed two things firstly, that you have access to a car and enjoy (or don’t mind) driving, and secondly, that you can look up online or ask for more details on any of these suggestions, so it is just a list. Here are a few of my favourite day (or half-day) trips out within reach of the Glenkens: 1) Galloway Forest Park Murray's monument, Red Deer Range, Wild Goat Park, the Black Loch and Clatteringshaws Loch (soon also to host the Scottish Dark Skies Observatory - see p3). 2) Off the beaten track - Raiders' Road, Stroan Viaduct, the Otter Pool and Clatteringshaws Loch. 3) Scenic drive – New Galloway to Laurieston; turn right in the middle of Laurieston village and follow the single-track road to Gatehouse of Fleet (visit the Mill on the Fleet). 4) The Machars - from New Galloway, take the Queens Way past Newton Stewart to Wigtown (the region's Book Town), Bladnoch Distillery, Garlieston, Whithorn, Isle of Whithorn (there's a lovely walk around headland), St Ninian’s Cave, Port William (might need to be two trips if you want to do it all!). 5) Portpatrick - choose (or avoid) Liifeboat Day, local walks, Mull of Galloway experience. 6) Gardens - Castle Kennedy Gardens or Glenwhan Gardens or Logan Botanic Gardens 7) Hill walking - For the fit and experienced only (take a map and compass); Forrest Estate to Corserine, Meikle Millyea and Carlins Cairn or Cairnsmore of Fleet. 8) Easy hill walk – from Dalry Town Hall follow Southern Upland Way signs to the river, Earlston hydro power station and up Waterside Hill (take a camera). 9) Wanlockhead – Lead Mine, mining museum, preserved miners’ cottages, gold panning, narrow gauge railway, fossicking on spoil heaps, wild camping in Mennock Pass 10) Safe sandy beach Sandyhills (beware fast moving tides if you walk along the coast), drag a magnet through sand and ‘catch’ magnetite, see old salt pans, cheap beachside parking or Mossyard, sandy beach and great rock formations. from Wanlockhead there is the Gem Rock Museum in Creetown and the Gem Shop in Castle Douglas. 11) Largs - Nardini ice cream in Art Deco building, a variety of restaurants and short ferry to Cumbrae. 17) Kirkcudbright - art galleries, art centre, Broughton House, walk around St Mary’s Isle, excellent new eateries Swally & Scran and a new wine bar too. 12) Coast drive - from Ayr to Stranraer, Ayr town and beach, Burns Cottage in Alloway, Dunure harbour, Culzean Castle, Lendalfoot (you might see seals near the Varyag memorial). 13) Loch Doon - the castle that moved, osprey nest, Roundhouse Cafe, Ness Glen for walks, picnic sites beside loch, great caravan site. 14) Dark Sky Park – on a clear night, see the Milky Way from almost anywhere out of town (best on a moonless night in spring or autumn), a favourite spot is Clatteringshaws. 15) Local museums Carsphairn Heritage Centre, Crossmichael Heritage Centre, Dalbeattie, Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright, Newton Stewart, Stranraer, Dumfries and the Devils Porridge Museum near Annan. 16) Rocks and geology - apart 18) Entertaining children (some of these are temporarily closed, so check before you visit) - Mabie Farm Park, Cream o’ Galloway, Ernespie Farm Park, Heads of Ayr Farm Park, Dalscone Farm Fun. Galloway Activity Centre (also a recommendation for adults). 19) Historic sites - Sweetheart Abbey, Waterloo Monument, Lincluden Collegiate Church 20) Staying local – red kite feeding station near Laurieston, Pack Road walk and ruins of Polmaddy Village just north of Dalry, Holy Linn waterfall (signposted from the Dalry to Moniaive road). To find more things to do in the area visit the Glenkens Hub at www.glenkens.scot, D&G What's Going On (www.dgwgo.com) or put ‘Dumfries and Galloway days out’ into an internet search engine. Paul Goodwin LING community larder expands L ocal Initiatives in New Galloway (LING) is pleased to announce that we have received funding from Dumfries and Galloway Council to expand the work of our Community Larder. The larder was set up to alleviate our own food waste at New Galloway Town Hall; we run several food-related projects such as the Community Café and Hubbub, and did not want our leftovers to contribute to the millions of tonnes of food thrown out every year. This project quickly grew as we sought partnerships from local supermarkets who now donate to us some of their leftover stock destined for landfill. Packaged and tinned goods go straight to the Larder shelves, while fresh produce is made into delicious meals by our stellar kitchen team – these are then placed in the larder freezer for anyone to take. And the larder continues to grow! This new initiative, funded through D&G Council’s Poverty and Inequalities fund, will see us delivering three homemade frozen meals a week across the Glenkens to any individuals struggling to cook for themselves. This could be due to poverty, mental or physical health difficulties, or even just unsociable working hours that make having a hearty, sit- down meal that much more challenging. This project is only funded until September 2026 so we are keen to make the most of our funding. If you or someone you know might benefit from these meal deliveries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Community Inclusion Lead, John Muir, at john.muir@ling.org.uk. The Community Larder can be found in New Galloway Town Hall, immediately on the left as you enter through the side door. Dominique Pope, LING Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEcommunity page 17 Galloway Food Hub seasonal recipe R hubarb complements the pork chops in this dish perfectly, adding a touch of sharpness. Served with mixed grains, it's an easy midweek supper. Ingredients can be purchase from the Galloway Food Hub (swap grains for rice that we sell on the Hub and balsamic vinegar for Iren's amazing fruit vinegar!) - see ad on p8 for info on how to shop on the Hub. PORK CHOPS WITH RHUBARB Method: Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Ingredients: • In a small roasting tin, toss the rhubarb, onion wedges and garlic with the balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil and some seasoning. Roast in the oven for 20 mins. • 190g rhubarb cut into 5cm lengths • 1 red onion cut into wedges • 3 garlic cloves bashed with skin on • 1tbsp balsamic vinegar • olive oil for drizzling • 1 tbsp butter • 2 rosemary sprigs • 2 pork chops • 250g pouch mixed grains • 100ml chicken stock • parsley to serve • Meanwhile, melt the butter over a high heat and fry the rosemary. Add the pork and cook for 2 mins on each side until nicely browned, then remove from the heat. Take the roasting tin out of the oven and add the grains and chicken stock and mix together. Add the meat and the rosemary to the roasting tin, placing the chops on top. Roast for 10-12 mins further, or until the pork is cooked through. Serves 2 Prep: 10 mins Cook: 30 mins Serve each chop with a big spoonful of the grains, scattered with parsley. Recipe from BBC Good Food Loving living in the Glenkens T hose living in the Glenkens know that this is a vibrant, dynamic and brilliant place to live for people of all ages. The people, the scenery, the opportunities for outdoor living, and the range of jobs available, all contribute to making this a place that many can’t imagine leaving. The ‘Our Glenkens’ project is about celebrating the individual stories of those who live and work in the Glenkens. The project offers authentic, community voices which highlight what the Glenkens has to offer those considering relocating or returning to the area. Last year, with South of Scotland Enterprise support, we profiled 10 young people sharing their connection of what life in the Glenkens means for them. This year we have profiled 12 more, with support from Scottish Government Climate Engagement Fund. The short videos created through the project speak for themselves - you can find them all online www.glenkens.scot/ our-glenkens The project has been inspired by the work of Uist Beo, which showcases the stories, people and places of the Outer Hebrides. We were delighted to hear from them the difference that their community-led platform was making in promoting Uist as a lively, energetic and dynamic place to live. The Our Glenkens videos are part of our wider Genkens Community Action Plan (CAP) work to promote living and working in our rural area and to encourage repopulation. We are sharing these videos at a time when depopulation is a hot topic in Dumfries and Galloway, with the council have recently published reports on this topic by University of West of Scotland and CoDel consultants. These reports set out the causes, challenges and recommendations for action to address depopulation in our region. The Glenkens featured as a case study in the reports, as it is important that the lived experience of our rural communities is heard. Andrew McConnell, GCAT Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEcommunity page 18 SPRING GLENKENS STORY & GALLOWAY CONVERSATIONS: THE GALLOWAY HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEME SAT 18 APR | 3:00PM | NEW GALLOWAY TOWN HALL CULTURAL GLENKENS SCHOOL LIAISON PROJECT RESTORING ELSPETH MCEWEN WED 6 MAY | 6:30PM | CATSTRAND GARROCH GLEN: LING & CULTURAL GLENKENS PICNIC, NATURE HUNT & HISTORY WALK SAT 16 MAY | 10:30AM TRANSPORT CATSTRAND | 11:00AM GARROCH GLEN THRIVING TOGETHER - TOWARDS A POSITIVE FUTURE THU 30 APR | 7:30PM | CATSTRAND GALLOWAY CONVERSATIONS: ELSPETH MCEWEN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF AN ACCUSED WITCH SUN 31 MAY | 3:00PM | CATSTRAND HIGH ST, NEW GALLOWAY | 01644 420 374 | GCAT.SCOT/ARTS Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEcommunity page 19 Forest school sessions with Bairn Banter F amilies attending Bairn Banter have had a busy start to the new year, both at the Lagwyne Hall and within the woods at Heart of the Glen. January brought the group a Saturday filled with Scots poetry, tartan crafts and an exercise for the tastebuds, as the children prepared and sampled a platter of Scottishthemed foods. As February arrived, love filled the air of the Lagwyne Hall as Valentine's Day gave us plentiful crafting opportunities and heart-themed snacks. As we march our way into spring, we naturally find ourselves embracing the great outdoors and taking every opportunity to get our hands in the soil. The garden has the new addition of two dwarf apple trees, kindly donated by the Pollinators Project back in November. These will complement the range of plant species in this area and hopefully increase the biodiversity of the garden, encouraging more insects and producing some tasty fruits to enjoy on a Saturday. T They began by exploring winter and learning about the animals that live in the Antarctic. Using a globe, the children enjoyed finding and pointing out different places around the world, which sparked lots of great discussions and curiosity. This global exploration naturally led us into a space theme, which quickly became a favourite! The children loved learning about planets, stars, and rockets - especially the highlight of the topic: launching our very own rocket into space! This term, the children have also been learning about their bodies and what we need to eat to keep ourselves healthy. Through activities and discussions, the children explored healthy choices, different food groups, and how our bodies As we move into our second year of the project, we will look to seek funding for more tools to allow the children to get ‘hands on’ with their individual projects - for example, the introduction of wood whittling. Spaces for sessions are limited so please make sure to book - take a look on the Glenkens Hub for further information about session times (www.glenkens.scot), or visit the Bairn Banter Facebook page to book. Over the coming months, there will be a bounty of free activities for children within the Glenkens, as well as special events such as a trip to Culzean Castle, the upcoming annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday 4 April, and our sponsored animal -themed fundraising walk/toddle for the charity, Banardos. April marks a special milestone for Heart of the Glen’s Forest Learning Session, as we celebrate one whole year of these monthly collaborative sessions with Bairn Banter. Heading into May there are lots of exciting activities coming up. Bairn Banter has been invited to attend the nationally renowned, Carsphairn-based musical festival, Knockengorroch (see front page), and will also be present at the Carsphairn Show on Saturday 6 June. Support from Carsphairn Renewable Energy Fund Ltd (CREFL) has enabled Glenkens families to participate in a range Melissa Ade, Bairn Banter and Forest __Learning Sessions Coordinator Dalry School Nursery he children of Dalry Nursery have had a wonderfully busy and exciting term so far. of fun activities including willow weaving, bird nest making, tree conservation, campfire cooking, tool use, animal tracking, plant identification, den building and so much more! work. They really enjoyed finding out what helps us grow strong and stay active. We are now moving on to learning about Easter and spring, noticing the changes in nature, new life, and the traditions that come with this time of year. We are also getting ready for our annual Easter Bonnet Parade, a highlight of the term! We hope to raise lots of money to buy new resources for our outdoor play area, helping us continue to improve our active, creative, and imaginative outdoor learning experiences. If you have a child aged 3-5 and would like to enrol them at Dalry Nursery, send us an email on Gw12moorejulie3@glow.sch.uk Julie Moore, Dalry ELC Nursery Manager Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEcommunity page 20 Spring decluttering - a fresh start for your home and mind A s the days get longer and the light begins to return, many of us feel the urge to open the windows, clear out the dust of winter, and make our homes feel lighter again. Spring has always been the traditional time for a good clear-out, and for good reason. Decluttering at this time of year can make your home easier to manage, more enjoyable to live in, and even improve your wellbeing. Over the winter months it’s easy for things to build up. We spend more time indoors, cupboards get filled, paperwork piles grow, and before we know it the house can start to feel crowded. When our surroundings feel cluttered, it can affect how we feel too. Many people tell us they feel overwhelmed, stressed, or simply stuck when their home is full of things they don’t use or love. Decluttering isn’t about having a perfect house, and it certainly isn’t about throwing everything away! It’s about making your home work for the life you live now, not the life you lived ten years ago, or the one you aspire to live someday. When you clear out what you no longer need, the things you keep become easier to find, easier to look after, and much more enjoyable. If you’re not sure where to start, the key is to keep it simple and not try to do everything at once. Choose one small area – maybe a drawer, a cupboard, or a single shelf - and focus just on that. Take everything out, look at each item, and ask yourself three questions: Do I use it? Do I need it? Do I like it? If the answer is no to all three, it may be time to let it go. It also helps to have a plan for where things will go. Keep a box for charity donations, a bag for recycling, and a place for things that belong somewhere else in the house. Knowing what you will do with items makes decisions much easier. One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting until they have a whole free day to declutter. In reality, small sessions done regularly work much better. Ten or fifteen minutes at a time is enough to make steady progress without feeling exhausted or discouraged. Spring decluttering doesn’t have to be dramatic. Even clearing one cupboard, sorting a pile of papers, or letting go of clothes you no longer wear can make a real difference. Each small step creates a little more space, a little more calm, and a home that feels ready for the new season. And that, after all, is what spring cleaning is really about - not perfection, but a fresh start. Mel Carruthers Mel Carruthers is the owner of Dumfries & Galloway’s home organising company, More Organised. Mel and her team have been helping clients declutter and organise their homes across the region since 2017 (see ad on p4 for further info). WRIGHTS STORE & POST OFFICE DALRY DALRY DALRY SWEET TREAT SATURDAY DALRY INFORMATION FRESH CREAM CAKES AVAILABLE TO ORDER OPENING TIMES OPENING HOURS Mon-Fri 7.30am-5.30pm MONDAY – FRIDAY Sat 8.30am-5pm Sun 8.30am-3pm 7.30am – 5.30pm POST8.30am OFFICE– 5pm SATURDAY Mon-Fri 10am to 3pm SUNDAY 8.30am – 3pm Sat 9am to 12noon Sun closed LOCAL SUPPLIERS LOCAL SUPPLIERS DALMELLINGTON BUTCHERS DALMELLINGTON COUNTRY HENDERSON BUTCHERS RAMSAY OF CARLUKE BUTCHERS BUTCHERS UPPER TREATS DULLARG EGGS SWEET BAKERY GLENKENS HONEY MITCHELLS FRUIT & VEG CREAM O' GALLOWAY SWEETCAKES BAKERY GALLOWAY LODGE IRVINGS BAKERY GLENKENS HONEY COMPANY COWS & CO CHEESE THE CRESS COMPANY CREAM O GALLOWAY BORDER BISCUITS GALLOWAY LODGE PRESERVES HAWKSTONE BREWERY MITCHELLS FRUIT & VEG IRVINGS BAKERY SULWATH BREWERY SCOTTISH GALLOWAY PASTA ...local delivery available... GLENKENS HONEY COMPANY POP IN FOR A CHAT AND A BROWSE Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEcommunity Glenkens Food Month 2026 ll organisations, businesses and interested individuals are welcome to join an open discussion on the future of Glenkens Food Month. A become a much loved and valued feature of our annual calendar. Glenkens Food Month started in 2019, initially led by New Galloway Community Enterprises and latterly by Glenkens Community & Arts Trust (GCAT). Taking place throughout September, it has The programme has evolved over the years, and provides an opportunity for local businesses to showcase their work as well as celebrating bringing people together through food. Many organisations and businesses participate each year, some linking existing events to the calendar and others creating new and exciting experiences for the local community and visitors. page 21 Areas of discussion will be: • What's gone well over the last seven years of Glenkens Food Month? • What could be improved or changed? • Shared aims and values what are we trying to achieve, and who for? We invite any groups and organisations, businesses, enterprises and interested individuals - those who have participated in past Food Months or otherwise - to come and share your views, experiences and ideas. This event is organised by Propagate and GCAT and will be held on Thursday 9 April at 6.30pm at the CatStrand New Galloway. Abi Mordin, Propagate Thriving Together - Towards a Positive Future T he future of our land is shaped not only by policies and plans, but by relationships the relationships between the people who live in a place and the organisations responsible for managing it. Across Scotland, communities are increasingly stepping forward with ideas, energy and a deep sense of care for the places around them. At the same time, public agencies are exploring new ways to work alongside communities to ensure that land is managed in ways that benefit everyone who values and uses it. What happens when these perspectives come together in a spirit of openness and collaboration? People from across the local area are invited to gather at the CatStrand for an evening designed to explore exactly that question. 'Thriving Together – Towards a Positive Future' will be a welcoming, ideasbased event where community members, land users and those interested in the future of local landscapes can share experiences, ask questions and explore new possibilities for partnership. photographer Ted Leeming, will highlight the inspiring story of Kilsture Forest Community Group, who have developed a proactive and constructive relationship with Forestry & Land Scotland. Their experience demonstrates how trust, dialogue and shared purpose can help unlock positive outcomes for communities and the landscapes they care about. The evening, organised by local Through open conversation, those attending will be invited to share their own experiences and ideas - exploring how communities and public agencies might work more effectively together, what barriers still exist, and what practical steps could help build stronger relationships in the Galloway District Lead Volunteer. The Cubs had written a story entitled A Haggis, and Chealsea kindly judged the competition. Elliot being the winner received a lovely little haggis, freshly caught on the Bennan Hill. It was a difficult task as all the stories were good. Cub Scouts started in 1916, and at that point they were called Wolf Cubs (see photo to the right of a Wolf Cub badge). The Cubs have a birthday challenge to try and complete 110 activities. We, as Cubs, will try our very best during 2026 to do that. Chelsea presented the Cubs with a birthday badge. We hope to have a stall at the Scottish Alternative Games in August, to raise funds for our group. We appeal to anyone who is spring cleaning shortly and who has any bric-a-brac, toys, children’s books, etc, to please keep us in mind – thank you! We may grumble about the dreich weather but let’s be thankful for black roads, shops open, and snowdrops in abundance showing off their lovely white petals, daffodils appearing to tell us spring is future. The aim is not simply discussion, but inspiration: identifying positive examples and practical solutions that could help shape a more collaborative and hopeful future for communities and the places they cherish. Insights from the evening will help inform practical recommendations for both communities and agencies, and will also contribute to Ted’s forthcoming 'Call to Action' for incoming MSPs following the 2026 Holyrood elections. Thriving Together – Towards a Positive Future will be held at the CatStrand on Thursday 30 April, at 7.30pm. Update from the Glenkens Scouts T he previous Gazette featured Pippin and Fred’s amazing fundraiser for Stepping Stones foodbank in Castle Douglas. What an achievement! Pippin and Fred are members of our Cub pack, and we are so proud of them. Our Scottish food tasting evening went down a treat. Lily started off proceedings when she recited the Selkirk Grace. We welcomed a visit from Chealsea Wilkinson, our newly-appointed around the corner, and hopefully the Cubs can take part in activities outdoors. Yours in Scouting, Heather and Hannah Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEhistory Restoring Elspeth by Ros Ollin I received Restoring Elspeth recently from the author, Ros Ollin, and I read it in one sitting. Ros phoned me at Dalry Library two or three years ago to discuss the story of Elspeth McEwen. Ros had found me through my videos about Elspeth, and she wanted to talk about her for her book. It is a book of poems inspired by Elspeth’s tragic story as the last woman burned in Galloway as a witch. Elspeth lived near Cubbox, Balmaclellan, and died in Kirkcudbright at Silver Craigs, by execution. The fighting ministers of South West Scotland Y ou wouldn’t imagine nowadays that ministers of the church would elect to serve as combatant soldiers with all that entails, including the taking of human life. But in the Great War this was more common than you might think. The Scottish Ministers War Memorial in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburg,h records that fourteen Ordained Church of Scotland Minsters, six Ordained United Free Church Ministers and one Ordained Free Church Minister died as combatants during the First World War. Four of those listed came from overseas parishes, and of the seventeen who came from Scottish parishes, an amazing eight came from the South West of Scotland. Andrew Stewart was the minister of the United Free Church on the Isle of Whithorn and was commissioned into the Northumberland Fusiliers. On 18 September 1917, he was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry but was killed in action at Ypres just two days later. There is a memorial plaque and font dedicated to him in his former church at the Isle of Whithorn. John Davis was the minister at Buittle, near Dalbeattie, and enlisted into the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private in 1916. He died on active service page 22 on 22nd July 1917 and is buried in Amara Cemetery, Iraq. Although some may regard medics to be non-combatants, they are trained to use firearms and expected to use them in defence of themselves and their patients. He is listed as a combatant on the St Giles memorial. There is a memorial plaque to him in his former church and also a gravestone type memorial which has been placed inside the grounds of a listed derelict church in Buittle church grounds. Herbert Dunn was the minister at Sheuchan Church, in Stranraer, and was commissioned into the Cameronians. He died as a 2nd Lieutenant on 25 October 1915 and is buried in Alexandria, Egypt. There is a plaque memorial to him in his former church which is now the High Church of Stranraer. Lieutenant Frank William Saunders was the minister of Anwoth Church, Gatehouse of Fleet, before he was commissioned into the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. He was 37 years old when he died on 1 August 1918 and was buried in a small churchyard in France. Anwoth church is now privately owned but we understand that it contains a memorial to him consisting of a brass plaque with a bust of him plus a frame with photographs, etc. Robert Gordon Millar from Dumfries was the minister of St Mary’s Church, Dumfries, when he was commissioned The poems are powerful and moving, giving you an emotional insight into Elspeth’s life and death, and I thoroughly recommend folk getting their hands on a copy (or pop into the library). Ros will be giving a talk about Elspeth and reading from her book at the CatStrand on 31 May - try to get along and see her then if you can! You can find out more about Elspeth on my YouTube channel, Galloway Retold. Angela Miller Angela is Librarian at Dalry Library and producer of Galloway Retold YouTube channel (see p24). For Dalry Library opening times see p31) into the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as a 2nd Lieutenant. He died (leaving a widow) on 11 May 1917 Memorial in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh from wounds received the previous yet to identify any memorials month and is to him apart from the main Ayr one of nearly eleven thousand Burgh memorial. British soldiers buried at Etaples cemetery in France. Like others Gavin Lang Pagan was the in this article, he is recorded minister at St George’s Church, on a number of memorials Edinburgh, but had previously including individual and parish been minister at St Columba’s memorials in his church, St Church, Largs. He served with Andrews University Roll of 15th Battalion Royal Scots and Honour, Dumfries memorial, the remnants of his Battalion Arbroath High School memorial combined with 16th (McCrae’s) and Arbroath and District Roll of Battalion. He was 44 years old Honour. when he was killed in action near Arras on 28 April 1917. There is Dugald McArthur, from a stained glass window memorial Ardrossan, was a 2nd Lieutenant to him in St Columba’s church. in the Black Watch and died on 21st April 1917. He was In the 21st century, we have previously the minister of New come to expect a more Ardrossan Parish Church where shepherding role of our men of there is a memorial window to the cloth in ministering to the him and other members of the sick and injured, consoling the church who fell during the First bereaved and giving spiritual World War. He is commemorated guidance. So it may come as on the Basra memorial in Iraq some surprise that, during the and in the Glasgow University Great War, the conscience of a Roll of Honour as well as church minister could often lead the main civic memorial in him on a more active path, to Ardrossan. take up arms against the enemy - especially in the South West of John Rankin Donald Smith was Scotland. the minister of Cathcart Street church, in Ayr, and served in the More detailed research could Royal Scots Fusiliers as a 2nd begin with two books: Sons of Lieutenant. He died at Ypres on the Manse Muster Roll (1915) and 31 July 1917 and is remembered Muster Roll of the Manse (1919), on the Menin Gate memorial. He both compiled by Duncan was only 33 years old when he Cameron. Paul Goodwin died leaving a widow. We have Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEhistory Visiting Crossmichael Heritage Centre C rossmichael Heritage Centre is located in the Church Hall and the Old Hearse Hoose, both situated close to the village church. The main collections of material are held in the Church Hall and there is a smaller taster exhibition in the Hearse Hoose, including a Crossmichael time-line. The Church Hall archive is both analogue – in page 23 the form of wall- and floor-mounted displays, for example – and digital. Opening hours for the main Heritage display are every Wednesday 1.30-4.30pm from April until the end of October. The adjacent Hearse Hoose Timeline building is open Monday to Saturday from April to October. From time to time, we put on oneoff events and special exhibitions, and an additional feature of the Centre’s work is the ‘Living History’ strand – an ongoing oral and video history of the local community, patched together from interviews with residents and stitched into a ‘digital quilt’. For latest opening times visit www. Glenkens.scot/crossmichaelheritage-centre John Nelson The Romans display board showing an example of a Roman camp similar to the one at Glenlochar, Crossmichael, with creator of the display, Ed Hex, standing in front. Are you looking to plant some trees? We have grants available for small-scale native planting schemes. For full info, visit: www.dgwoodlands.org.uk Registered as a SCIO, no 052525 Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEhistory page 24 Galloway Retold with Angela Miller The story of Annie Hannah and Mary Timney I f you drive up to Carsfad, you will see two wee stone buildings on the left hand side of the road, and a layby on the right just before the turn off to Carsfad Power Station. The two wee stone buildings are all that remains of the Hannah family farm that used to be here. In the layby on the left, you will find an information board that tells you a little bit about Mary Timney, who used to live in a cottage at the Hannah farm, pretty much right by the side of the River Ken. The cottage no longer exists, just as most of the rest of the farm no longer exists. The reason why the farm and its cottages were abandoned? Well, it’s probably a bit more complicated in reality than this, but it was mostly to do with the actions of Mary Timney, and the dispute she had with Annie Hannah, her landlady. Living right next door to your landlady isn’t often the most comfortable thing, but for Annie and Mary, it ended up being entirely fatal. Mary was a young mother of four, married to an older man with a bad reputation. Annie was an older, single woman who lived at the farm with her brothers, where she spent most of her time caring for her elderly mother. When Annie’s mother passed away, Annie was left to deal with the farm’s tenants. Now, there’s some suggestion that Mary possibly thought Annie was having an affair with her husband, but that may just be idle gossip. But what is certain is that the two women did not get on. So when Annie Hannah was found lying, dying, in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor one day, the immediate finger of suspicion was pointed at Mary. And when, later that same day, poor Annie Hannah passed away in her bed in that same kitchen, Mary was promptly arrested. Mary was taken first to New Galloway police station (imagine that!) and then on to Kirkcudbright prison, while an investigation was conducted from the old Polharrow School, just around the corner from Carsfad. Now, it must be said, that all of the resulting evidence pointed to the fact that Mary was indeed the murderer. We cannot presume that she was innocent because of her protestations, but she was certainly considered guilty from the get-go by everyone in the area. In fact, the national press across the whole of the UK was fascinated with this rare woman-on-woman act of extreme violence. But when Mary stood in the dock at the High Court in Dumfries, and was handed a sentence of public hanging by hardline judge Lord Deas, the locals were horrified. Women were almost never hanged any more, and they certainly weren’t publicly hanged. Yet, in spite of much local protestation, Mary was indeed hanged outside the Old Prison on Buccleuch Street in Dumfries. On 29 April, 1862, Mary became the last woman in Scotland to be publicly hanged. Three of Mary’s children were taken into care and given new names. The fourth - her eldest daughter - was given a home with a female philanthropist in England who had been aghast at the treatment of Mary and her children. Mary’s eldest was made to give evidence against her mother at trial. Annie Hannah is buried beside her mother in Dalry Kirkyard. I have made two videos about Mary and Annie’s story, which you can find on my Galloway Retold YouTube channel. Angela Miller is the librarian at Dalry Library and a keen local historian. You can view her YouTube channel by searching YouTube or Google for 'Galloway Retold'. Newspaper Clipping Reporting on Mary's execution, on display in Dumfries Museum Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEarts page 25 From the Bookroom In 'From the Bookroom' Glenkens-based author of the novel The Road From Damascus and co-author of Burning Country: Syrians in Revolution and War, Robin Yassin-Kassab, takes readers on a journey into his world of writing, reading and general thoughts on life. O ne of my favourite books is Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor, who was not an Irishman but an Irish-American woman from Georgia in the American deep south. Her stories are usually darkly comic, or tragic-comic, and they focus on racial and class prejudice, hypocrisy and self-deception, and religion. While provoking laughter, they are always deadly serious in intention. “All comic novels that are any good,” wrote O’Connor, “must be about matters of life and death.” O’Connor died of Lupus at the age of 39. She knew she was dying for most of her writing life, and her work and her characters are as haunted by death and the possibility of judgment as you would expect. In the short novel Wise Blood, her anti-hero Hazel Motes sees “Jesus move from tree to tree in the back of his mind.” Motes wears his dead mother’s glasses when he reads, though they stop him from seeing properly. He is not very bright, but he carries the burden of a burning, if perverted, moral sense. Like many or most of O’Connor’s characters, Motes is a case study of loneliness and destitution. He is orphaned, his brothers didn’t survive childhood, his family home has collapsed, even his home village has been abandoned. But this background hasn’t turned Motes into the hard-nosed cynic he believes himself to be. He has strong faith that the broken car he buys is a fine machine really. Advanced Massage Practitioner He can’t see the cynicism of the supposedly blind preacher he taunts, nor the worldliness of the young girl he wishes to seduce. Powered by his wounds and a righteous anger, he stands on the bonnet of his useless car to seek disciples for his Church Without Christ. “The only way to the truth is through blasphemy,” he preaches. He finds a potential friend in Enoch, another lonely, lost boy, another son to a cruel, now absent parent, and someone who provides another example of false religion. Propelled by his intuitions, which he understands as his “wise blood” talking to him, Enoch steals a mummified corpse from an exhibition, makes an altar for it under his bed, and tries to involve Motes in his madness. But the boys fail to connect. These two are typical O’Connor characters in that they are people who misinterpret themselves in moral terms. Her people tend to fall into two categories: those who think they’re good, but are in fact bad, and those who think they’re bad but are in fact good. Wise Blood was the novel that I picked up in London last month, but I do recommend the Complete Stories as a starting point. You can find Motes and Enoch in several stories there, alongside classics like A Good Man is Hard to Find and Everything That Rises Must Converge. The writing is bright, sharp and deep, and the shortness of the stories means it takes just half an hour to submerge yourself fully. We’re a small, dedicated local team offering professional laundry for holiday lets, hotels and private customers, always with a personal touch. Crisp. Clean. Consistent King Steet, Castle Douglas DG7 1DS 01556 288 008 Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEarts page 26 Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEinformation page 27 USEFUL GLENKENS CONTACTS DOCTORS’ SURGERY Glenkens Medical Practice - 01644 420 234 COMMUNITY CONTACTS • Balmaclellan: Martin Warnock - 07939 261 391 • Carsphairn: Liz Holmes - 07718 358 160 • Corsock: Julie Garton - 07769 647 702 • Kirkpatrick Durham: Heather - 07551 639 629 • Crossmichael: Richard Middleton - 01556 670 691 • Dalry: Michele Owen 07940 313 445 • New Galloway: 07741 656 601 • Parton: Tom - 07835 821 976 FOOD DELIVERIES • Galloway Foodbank 07730 788 335 • Galloway Food Hub - glenkens.scot/localdirectory-listing/glenkensfood-hub • Ballards Butchers 01556 502502 (they also deliver groceries) • Grierson’s Butchers: 01556 502 637 • Henderson’s Butchers: 01556 502 654 • Mitchell’s Greengrocers: 01556 502 077 • Fleet Fish: call 07966 103 912 to find out about Glenkens delivery days • Roan’s Dairy - 01556 620 374 • Harris & Co: www. harrisandco.uk LOCAL ORGANISATIONS/GROUPS Glenkens Community Shop: Contact Kate Bone on 07900 312425 9 or drop by the shop on Main Street, Dalry Glenkens Scout Group: Contact Heather McIntosh on 01644 420 375 Local Initiatives in New Galloway (LING): Contact info@ling.org.uk Dalry Communities Properties Trust (DCPT): Contact Michelle Owen at sjtdalrycc@ gmail.com Dalry Town Hall: Contact Lesley Blissett at lesleyblissett52@gmail.com Glenkens Community Centre: Contact Sarah McAdam on minimac01644@gmail.com Lagwyne Hall: Contact lagwynehallsecretary@outlook.com for info, or to book email lagwynehallbooking@gmail.com New Galloway Community Enterprises (NGCE): Contact ngce5000@gmail.com or pop into New Galloway Community Shop Balmaclellan Community Trust: Contact Julia Higgins at julia.higgins55@outlook.com CatStrand: Contact info@catstrand.com or 01644 420 374 or pop in to the CatStrand Schools: Visit the school office or call Dalry Primary on 01644 430 105 (for Nursery/ELC too), Dalry Secondary on 01644 430 259 or Kells on 01644 420 340 Carsphairn Heritage Initiative: Contact Ben Ade at carsphairnhi@gmail.com Galloway Food Hub: Contact hello@ gallowayfoodhub.org.uk or visit www. gallowayfoodhub.org.uk Bairn Banter: Contact Melissa on bairnbanter@outlook.com or 07979 492 791 If you would like to add your community organisation to this list please get in touch with the Gazette contact details are on the back page. GLENKENS CHURCH TIMES CHURCH OF SCOTLAND Sunday Services Crossmichael, 9.30am: 12, 19 & 26 Apr. 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31 May Balmaclellan, 11.15am: 3 May Carsphairn, 11.15am: 12 Apr, 10 May Kells, 11.15am: 19 Apr, 17 & 31 May Dalry, 11.15am: 26 Apr, 24 May SPECIAL EVENTS: Thu 2 Apr, joint communion, 7pm, Kells Church. Friday 3 Apr, joint Good Friday service, 7pm, Crossmichael Church Hall. Sat 4 Apr, Spring Teas, 2pm, Dalry Church. Sun 5 Apr, early service, 9am, Dalry Church followed by breakfast & Easter Day service, 11.15am. For info contact Ian Knox on 07840 506 516 or i.knox29@btopenworld.com, or Irene McCreath on 07974 861927 or at irenemccreath.im@gmail.com SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH St Margaret’s Church, New Galloway, DG7 3RP The Rev Dawn Matthew Sundays:10.30am, Holy Communion with refreshments after the service. Tuesdays: open for private prayer in a quiet space when the 'church is open' sign is outside. SPECIAL SERVICES: 2 April, Maundy Thursday, 6pm Eucharist. 3 April, Good Friday, 2pm Reflection. 5 April EASTER DAY, 10.30am. DIARY DATE: Saturday 2 May, Plant & Bake Sale, 10.30am to 12noon, in aid of Castle Douglas Hospital League of Friends. For further information please contact Christine Rankin, Vestry Secretary, on 07749 212 201 or visit www.stmargaretsnewgalloway.org Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEinformation GLASS RECYCLING • Balmaclellan: beside the shop, Balmaclellan • Carsphairn: in lay-by on A713, south of village • Crossmichael: Memorial Hall, St Michael's Road • Dalry: playpark car park, Kirkland Street • New Galloway: Carson's Knowe car park • Kirkpatrick Durham: St David Street USEFUL NUMBERS ● Pothole Hotline: 0845 276 0000 page 28 MINUTES/REPORTS OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT SPENDING ● Police, non-emergency: 101 or email stewartryCPT@ scotland.police.uk GLENKENS DISTRICT TRUST (GDT) www.glenkenstrust.org.uk/gdtcorporate-information ● Doctor: 01644 420 234 CARSPHAIRN RENEWABLE ENERGY FUND LTD (CREFL) www.carsphairn.org/CREFLArchive ● NHS 24: 08454 24 24 24 ● D&G Council: 030 33 33 3000 GARDEN WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE You can now apply for a Garden Waste Collection Service permit at £40 per bin. for regular collections from March to November 2025. Apply online at www.dumgal.gov.uk/ wasterecycling or in person at a customer service centre such as Dalry Library. The Glenkens Gazette is a member of independent UK press regulator, Impress. To find out more about our complaints process you can visit www.glenkens.scot/ complaints-and-corrections or scan the QR code here. Local Job Vacancies Up-to-date job and volunteering opportunities can be found online at the Glenkens Hub on www.glenkens.scot ADVERTISE IN THE GAZETTE (price per issue incl VAT) SMALL: 6cm x 6cm, £50 1/4 PAGE: 9cm w x 13cm h, £108 1/2 PAGE: 18cm w x 13cm h, £200 FULL PAGE: 18cm w x 27cm h, £332 Please get in touch further details including small business/ charity rates and series discounts. GALLOWAY COMMUNITY TRANSPORT MINIBUS www.gallowaycommunitytransport.org DRIVERS phone: Jon 07841 512449 / Jason 07704 662925 APRIL - MAY 2026 WANTED email: gct@catstrand.com / gctadmin@catstrand.com 1-2THE daysGCT workGIG a week DEBUT OF BUS! 7 hours per day Galloway Community Transport in partnership CPC training provided with the CatStrand, successfully operated our Self-employed basis, £14 p/h first “Gig Bus” for the James Yorkston gig on 5th March, and we were happy to receive very positive feedback from the clients! We are looking to run this service again for future events, so please message us on 07841 512449 and let us know the events where THE STEWARTRY VETERINARY CENTRE YOU would like to leave your car at home and enjoy a CASTLE DOUGLAS SURGERY HOURS stress-free evening! Contact Jon on 07841 512 449 or gct@catstrand.com Mon-Fri 2.00-2.30 pm & 5-6 pm Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm Sat 2-2.30 pm DALBEATTIE SURGERY HOURS Mon, Wed, Fri 3-3.30 pm Tues & Thurs 6-6.30 pm FOR APPOINTMENTS AT BOTH SURGERIES OR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY Email glenkensgazette@ hotmail.co.uk or call/ WhatsApp 07727 127 997  01556 502263  MINIBUS DRIVING VAT Reg. No. 334 0905 24 deliver our services on the following route: NEW E-TRANSIT MINIBUS @ GCT! Thanks to funding from Plugged-in Communities, GCT will have received a new all electric Ford eTransit minibus by the time you read this! Featuring a wheelchair lift for increased accessibility, and a maximum seating capacity of 12 passengers, it promises to be a superb asset to GCT and the wider community. Wherever possible, this vehicle will be put to good use for local projects and community group trips. You should see it out and about around the Glenkens very soon! Pictures show the actual vehicle in production! GLENKENS MEDICAL PRACTICE General Medical & Dispensing Services The Surgery High Street New Galloway VETERINARY SURGERY ROAD We are lookingOAKWELL for drivers to help us CASTLE DOUGLAS VEHICLE HIRE FOR MEMBERS FOR vehicles APPOINTMENTS CALL We have for hire by community organisations. ranging from 4 seat capacity to 16 seats, including wheelchair accessibility 517 Kirkcudbright/Borgue/Brighouse Bay. This will be 1 - 2 days a week, For information about membership and terms and conditions of hire see the GCT website or phone: 07841 512449 01644 420234 Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEtransport page 29 GALLOWAY COMMUNITY TRANSPORT www.gallowaycommunitytransport.org email: gct@catstrand.com / gctadmin@catstrand.com phone: Jon 07841 512449 / Jason 07704 662925 APRIL - MAY 2026 DEBUT OF THE GCT GIG BUS! NEW E-TRANSIT MINIBUS @ GCT! Galloway Community Transport in partnership with the CatStrand, successfully operated our first “Gig Bus” for the James Yorkston gig on 5th March, and we were happy to receive very positive feedback from the clients! We are looking to run this service again for future events, so please message us on 07841 512449 and let us know the events where YOU would like to leave your car at home and enjoy a stress-free evening! Thanks to funding from Plugged-in Communities, GCT will have received a new all electric Ford eTransit minibus by the time you read this! Featuring a wheelchair lift for increased accessibility, and a maximum seating capacity of 12 passengers, it promises to be a superb asset to GCT and the wider community. Wherever possible, this vehicle will be put to good use for local projects and community group trips. You should see it out and about around the Glenkens very soon! Pictures show the actual vehicle in production! MINIBUS DRIVING We are looking for drivers to help us deliver our services on the following route: 517 Kirkcudbright/Borgue/Brighouse Bay. This will be 1 - 2 days a week, 7 hours per day. CPC training can be provided Our driving roles are offered on a self-employed basis and are paid at £14 per hour. For an informal discussion, please call Jon on 07841 512449 or email gct@catstrand.com VEHICLE HIRE FOR MEMBERS We have vehicles for hire by community organisations. ranging from 4 seat capacity to 16 seats, including wheelchair accessibility For information about membership and terms and conditions of hire see the GCT website or phone: 07841 512449 07704 662925 www.gallowaycommunitytransport.org REGULAR SERVICES We are modifying our regular shopping service at time of publication, please call for further updates: 07841 512449 Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEevents WHAT'S ON page 30 April/May APRIL Sat 4, Bairn Banter's Easter Egg Hunt, Lagwyne Hall Garden, Carsphairn, 10.30am Thu 9, Food Month 2026 discussion/planning, 6.30pm, CatStrand, see p21 Sat 11, Spring into Life, 10am-4pm, New Galloway Town Hall, see p5 Sat 11, Glenkens Producers Market, Dalry Town Hall, 10am-1pm Sat 11, Community Litter-pick, 10am, meet New Galloway Town Hall Sun 12, A Home for Hamish, 3pm, CatStrand Tue 14, LKT Ranger Education (ages 5-8), see p12 Fri 17, Bloom; step dancing taster workshop, 7.30pm, CatStrand Sat 18, Glenkens Story: Galloway Hydro Scheme, 3pm, New Galloway Town Hall, see p5 Sat 18, Kae Sakura & Monika Smekot, 7.30pm, CatStrand Sun 19, The Audience: National Theatre Live, 4pm, CatStrand Tue 21, LKT Ranger Education (ages 8-12), see p12 Sat 25, Race Night, 7pm, New Galloway Town Hall Tue 30, LKT Youth Water Safety, see p12 MAY Wed 6, Dalry Film Club: Dark Water, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall Fri 8, Los Vega -Son Jarocho, 7.30pm, CatStrand Sat 9, Glenkens Producers Market, Dalry Town Hall, 10am-1pm Sat 16, Nature Hunt & History Walk, Garroch Glen, 10.30am pickup from CatStrand, see p18 Sat 16, Becci Wallace, 7:30pm, Catstrand Wed 20, My Darling Clemintine in concert, 7.30pm, CatStrand Fri 22, Sat 23, Sun 24, Mon 25, In Search of the Unattended Shadow: an installation by Jim Buchannan, 11am-4pm, CatStrand Thu 21-Sun 24, Knockengorroch Festival, Carsphairn, see front page Sat 23 12noon-1.30pm & Sun 24 1-2.30pm, Hand-Held Journeys: a workshop with Jim Bucchanan, New Galloway Town Hall Thu 28, THE BACCHAE: Company of Wolves, 7.30pm, CatStrand Sat 30, Macbeth Muet: La Fille Du Laitie, 7.30pm, CatStrand Sun 31, Galloway Conversations: Elspeth McEwan - the life and death of an accused witch, 3pm, CatStrand, see p18 Thu 30, Thriving Together Towards a Positive Future, 7.30pm, CatStrand, see p18 Glenkens & District Community Councils Balmaclellan Community Council: Bi-monthly, 7.30pm, Balmaclellan Village Hall - contact Martin on 07939 261 391 Corsock & Kirkpatrick Durham Communty Council: contact mcnabblaurie@hotmail.com or 01644 440 200 Carsphairn Community Council: Bi-monthly, last Monday of the month, 7pm, Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn - contact carsphairncc@gmail.com or 07531 035 824 Balmaghie Community Council: contact secbalmaghiecc@ btinternet.com or 01644 450 621 Dalry Community Council: First Monday each month, 7pm, Dalry Town Hall - contact sjtdalrycc@gmail.com or 07940 313 445 New Galloway & Kells Community Council: Second Monday each month, 7.30pm, New Galloway Town Hall Parton Community Council: contact ericaporteous@hotmail. co.uk or 01644 470 277 Crossmichael Community Council: Second Wednesday every month - contact crossmichaelcc@gmail.com or 07803 204 433 Full minutes of local Community Council meetings can be viewed at Dalry Library or online at www.glenkens.scot For up-to-date information visit the Glenkens Hub at www.glenkens.scot Glenkens Gazette GAZETTEevents page 31 REGULAR EVENTS & OPENING TIMES Balmaclellan Village Hall Tuesday Afternoon Teas, 1st Tues each month, 2.30-4pm, warburton.julie@ googlemail.com Kettlebells Exercise Class, Tue, 6-7pm Art Explorers, Sat 10.15am, every other week during term-time Saturday Sketchers, Sat 11.15am, every other week during term-time Treble Makers, Sat, every other week during term-time For info contact Cat on 01644420 374 Glenkens Crafters, Wed, 10am-12noon, julia.higgins55@outlook.com New Galloway Town Hall Community Library, Saturdays only 10am-12pm Men’s Monday Morning Coffee, Mon 9.30-11am Make Do & Mend, fortnightly from 14 Feb, 7-9pm Community Cafe, Mon, 12.30–2pm Stewartry Birdwatchers, 2nd Thu each month Sep to Apr (Sep & Apr, 7.30pm; Oct-Mar, 2.30pm) Men's Shed, Balmaclellan General Opening Times: Mon, Wedn & Fri, 9.30am–12noon Stick Making - Mon, 7-9pm Art Group, Thu, 2-4pm Dance for Wellbeing, Mon, 2.30pm (adults) & 4pm (children) Social Dance, Mon, 7pm (beginners) & 8pm (improvers) Wet Felting Group, Tue, 10am Tai Chi, Tue, 3.30pm Sports Evening, Tue, 7pm (carpet bowls or table tennis) Zumba, Wed, 6.30pm Lagwyne Hall, Carsphairn Ukulele Group, Wed, 6.30pm Tuesday Morning Social, 11am-2pm, 07710 124 255 Carsphairn SWI, 3rd Thu of the month, 7.30pm Craft Group, Fri, 10am-12noon, includes tea & coffee, carsphairncraftgroup@ gmail.com Bairn Banter; family stay & play session, Sat, 10am Martial Arts, Thu, 5.30pm, all ages New Galloway History Group, Fri,10am (meets monthly) COMMUNITY LARDER - open whenever the Town Hall is open CatStrand, New Galloway Energising Yoga Flow, Tue, 9.30am Social Dance Lessons, Tue, 7pm (beginners) & 8pm (improvers) Musical Misfits, Wed, 3.30pm, termtime Dramarama, Wed, 4.15pm, term-time Piano Lessons, 4–6.30pm, term-time Morning Flow Yoga, Thu, 9.30am CatStrand Singers, Thu, 11am Piano lessons, Sat from 9.30am, term time excl last Sat of the month Dance Steps, Sat 1pm, monthly during term time The Smiddy, Balmaclellan Tai Chi, Wed, 2-3pm Art Explorers, Sat, 10.15, fortnightly Saturday Sketchers, Sat, 11.15am, fortnightly Keyboard lessons, Sat, 12.30pm, termtime, excl last Sat of the month Guitar lessons, Sat 1pm, term-time, excl last Sat of the month Hubbub, Thu, 12noon–3pm drop-in For further info email info@ling.org.uk, phone 07749 249 781 Glenkens Community Centre Citizens Advice Drop-ins, every other Mon, 10am-4pm Glenkens Youth Group, Mon, 7-8.30pm Dalry Good Neighbours Club, Tue, 2pm, 07795 613 148 Wee Wonders, Thu, 9-10am Kickback Martial Arts, Thu, 5.30-7pm, kmabrian@gmail.com or drop-in Song Share, 1st Friday each month, 8-11pm, anne.chaurand@btinternet. com Yoga For All, Fri 9.30am, drop-in, 07733 111 466 Friendship Group, Sat (excluding Glenkens Producers Market days), 1011.30am, 01644 430 052 Table Tennis/Badminton, available to hire by arrangement, 07500 861 041 Glenkens Charity Shop Opening Times: Mon 10am-1pm, Tue 6-8pm, Wed, Fri & Sat 10am-4pm Dalry Library Main St, Dalry - 01644 430 234 Library Opening Times: Tue 2-5pm, Fri 12noon-5pm with the first hour for NEC Bus Pass & Blue Badge appointments, etc. Book at the library or call 01387 260 196. Bookbug and Parent & Toddler Session, Tue, 10.30-11.30am Glenkens Book Group, last Fri each month, 2pm, 01644 420 361 Lego Stay 'n' Play, every 3rd Sat of the month, 1-3pm, contact Michele Owen on Facebook Dalry Town Hall Tai Chi, Mon, 2pm Dog Training, Tue, 7pm, 07831 590 822 Gentle Movement, Tue, 2pm Mossdale Village Hall Mossdale Painters, Wed, 9.30-11.30am Various Bumps, Babies & Beyond, every 2nd Mon, 10.30am, Kirkpatriack Durham Village Hall Learn to Play Bridge, Mon, 7-9pm, Lochinvar Hotel Keep Fit with Alex, 7.15-8.15pm, KPD Village Hall Strictly Get Dancing, Mon, 7pm, Galloway Activity Centre, Parton Spalding Bowling Club Sweep Nights, Mon, 7pm, shazfish1@gmail.com Cosy Corner, Tue, 1-5pm, Crossmichael Church Hall, 07889 016 963 Glenkens Oil Painters, Wed, 10am, Corfield House Art Studio Crossmichael Heritage Centre, Wed 1.30-4.30pm & Hearse Hoose Mon-Sat, both Apr-Oct Cub Scouts, Wed 6.15-7.30pm, Scout Hall, New Galloway Patchwork Workshop, Thu, 1-3pm, Crossmichael Church Hall Dragon Boats on Loch Ken, Sun 9.30am, Galloway Activity Centre Knockvennie Snooker Club, contact Andrew on 01556 690 677 Outdoor Bowls, Dalry, contact Fiona on 07500 554 751 Snooker/Indoor Bowls, contact Gordon 07834 321 789 Mum & Baby Movement, Thu, 9.3011.30am, Laurieston Village Hall Crossmichael Youth Club, Fri, Crossmichael Memorial Hall For up-to-date information visit the Glenkens Hub at www.glenkens.scot Glenkens Gazette I teased the podcast topic in the last Galloway Retold section of the Gazette, but I no longer need to tease as you can go and check it out on YouTube or your favourite podcast listening app under the name Talking Galloway Podcast! page 32 This month’s issue sees Andy I myself talking about Galloway with Jo Jackson of Cultural Glenkens. We discuss her lifelong connections to Galloway, as well as her work at the CatStrand with the Cultural Glenkens project. We also discuss our own projects, and have two magazine sections to the show as well - Concerning Corepaths and Cultural Gleanings. These are segments that we would love viewer/listener input into, so if you have any events you’d like to let us know about, or any issues with walks or corepaths in the region, please let us know via our Facebook page, or email talkinggallowaypodcast@ protonmail.com We will be talking with some great guests in the future, covering walking, history, geography, landscape, working and living in Galloway as topics. It’s been a pretty hectic time getting the first issue together, but we have learned an invaluable amount in the process. With all of that learning in mind, we expect to have the podcast out once a month, which will hopefully still leave us both with plenty of time and energy for our own videos too. Look out for the next episode at the start of April! the National Lottery Heritage fund which helped us hire the community centre and cover costs, including the cost of recording the beautiful rendition of Bonnie Gallowa' that is our theme music, arranged by Anne Chaurand and played by Anne and Faith Hillier. Many thanks also to Blackie for recording and production and to the Glenkens Community Centre for the venue, and to the Glenkens Community Shop for funding for equipment. Angela Miller Below are two QR codes, one for the YouTube video and one for the audio version We would like to thank the CatStrand and the Genkens Community & Arts Trust for their support getting the podcast off the ground. Also thanks go to Free Valuation Events We are currently inviting entries for our busy programme of auctions in 2026. Pop along to one of our free valuation events held in our Dumfries saleroom every Wednesday from 9.30am - 12 noon to see what your items may fetch. No appointment necessary. The Auction Centre Irongray Road Dumfries DG2 0JE 01387 721635 dumfries@thomsonroddick.com www.thomsonroddick.com WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Submit events, activities, news stories, cartoons, reviews, tips & techniques, fiction, photos, ads or ideas... Contact Sarah Ade on 07727 127 997 or glenkensgazette@hotmail.co.uk Editing & Design: sarah.ade@gmail.com JUNE/JULY COPY DEADLINE: 5 MAY The Glenkens Gazette is an initiative of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, a Registered Scottish Charity No SC032050 The role of the Gazette is to represent the voice of the community and does not necessarily represent the views of GCAT.  Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Glenkens Gazette 153 Description An account of the resource Editor: Sarah Ade Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GG-153 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Glenkens Gazette Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/20/757/Connelly_2026_NatureNetworksInTheGlenkens.jpg 2780c6af51d84f90788c5152bba06642 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/20/757/connelly_2026_nature_networks_in_the_Glenkens_-_final_report.pdf af9079c0420b6c2fbe838045c6a8488b PDF Text Text pdftext_placeholder Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Community Action Plan Description An account of the resource Documents relating to the Glenkens and District Community Action Plan, initially drawn up by Glenkens & District Trust in 2020. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens Feasibility Study Dr Stephen Connelly February 2026Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Contents Acronyms ................................................................................................................ ii Summary ............................................................................................................... iii 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Genesis of the project and its relation to other work...................................... 3 1.2 Report structure and methodology .............................................................. 4 1.3 What this report is not ................................................................................ 5 1.4 A note on ‘community’ and ‘land manager’ ................................................... 6 2 Nature networks ............................................................................................... 8 2.1 Policy Context ............................................................................................ 8 2.2 Ecology ................................................................................................... 10 3 Creating Nature Networks in the Glenkens ........................................................ 13 3.1 Socio-Economic Context .......................................................................... 13 3.2 Organisational Context and Capacity......................................................... 17 3.3 Ecology ................................................................................................... 19 3.4 Mapping and Data .................................................................................... 29 4 Proposed Habitat Corridors: Priorities for Network Development ........................ 31 4.1 Broadleaved Woodland ............................................................................ 31 4.2 Hedgerows .............................................................................................. 38 4.3 Pollinators ............................................................................................... 39 5 Important Habitats for Restoration, with Lower Network Priority ......................... 41 5.1 Why Networks May Not Always Be a Priority ............................................... 41 5.2 Grassland ................................................................................................ 41 5.3 Wetlands and open water ......................................................................... 42 5.4 Land Managed for Nature Restoration ........................................................ 43 6 Monitoring ...................................................................................................... 46 6.1 Monitoring Nature Networks ..................................................................... 46 6.2 Citizen Science ........................................................................................ 47 6.3 Art, Fun, and Knowledge ........................................................................... 49 7 Supporting Network Development .................................................................... 51 7.1 Sta ........................................................................................................ 51 7.2 Resources ............................................................................................... 53 8 Conclusions ................................................................................................... 57 8.1 Introduction: Key Outcomes ..................................................................... 57 8.2 Habitats: Network Potential ...................................................................... 58 8.3 Key Lessons ............................................................................................. 61 8.4 A Glenkens Approach To Nature Networks ................................................. 62 8.5 Next Steps for Nature Networks ................................................................ 64 Appendices ........................................................................................................... 65 Appendix 1: Designated areas in the Glenkens ...................................................... 65 Appendix 2: Skills and attributes of a nature networks project team ....................... 67 Appendix 3: Overcoming cultural barriers ............................................................. 69 Sources ................................................................................................................. 70 Acknowledgements................................................................................................ 72 iEstablishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Maps and Figures in the main text Map 1 The Glenkens: area covered in this report ...................................................................... 2 Map 2 Native woodland, showing the ‘proto-network’ of existing woods ................................. 22 Map 3 North Glenkens - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors ........................... 32 Map 4 Lochs Ken and Woodhall - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors ............. 34 Map 5 Water of Urr/Ken-Urr links - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors ............ 36 Map 6 Far North Glenkens - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors...................... 37 Map 7 The Pollinators Network in early 2026.......................................................................... 40 Map 8 Indicative locations of land already being managed for nature restoration .................... 44 Figure 1 Habitat mosaics and networks in grasslands ............................................................ 25 Figure 2 The Glenkens approach to nature networks .............................................................. 62 Cover images: Upper: Existing woodland corridor section in the North Glenkens (Photo: Connelly) Lower: Excerpt from NatureScot Natural Capital Tool “Woodland Opportunities” map (produced by the Natural Capital Tool; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights (2025) OS AC0000860537). Acronyms CEH DGW FLS GCAT GFT GSAB HABMOS INNS LBAP LPP NBN NGO NR NRF PAWS RLUF RSPB SF SLE SPA SSSI SWSEIC (UK) Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands Forestry and Land Scotland Glenkens Community & Arts Trust Galloway Fisheries Trust Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere Habitat Map of Scotland Invasive Non-Native Species (Dumfries & Galloway) Local Biodiversity Action Plan Local Place Plan National Biodiversity Network Non-Governmental Organisation Nature Restoration Nature Restoration Fund Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites Regional Land Use Framework Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Scottish Forestry Scottish Land and Estates Special Protection Area (under the Birds Directive) Site of Special Scientific Interest South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre iiEstablishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Summary This Feasibility Study lays the groundwork for a landscape-scale programme of interventions in the Glenkens aimed at linking existing areas of high ecological value through the creation of new habitats and the ecological enhancement of current land uses. Together, these interventions would form a set of diverse, connected nature networks, contributing to improved biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and climate adaptation. The programme is intended to sit within, and give practical expression to, the wider vision articulated by Glenkens communities for a diverse, productive and sustainable landscape. The study was commissioned by Dalry Community Council and funded by Inspiring Scotland’s Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund. It was undertaken within a broader programme of community-led land-use work in the Glenkens, and responds directly to the Scottish Government’s ambition to establish a nation-wide system of nature networks. While NatureScot provides national guidance and local authorities are expected to lead delivery at strategic scale, this study recognises that translating high- level policy into practical, place-based action requires detailed local knowledge and sustained engagement. In this context, community involvement is not supplementary but essential. The Glenkens is a productive rural landscape, predominantly owned and managed by private landowners and tenants for food production and forestry. Ecological and social outcomes are often valued, but they are typically secondary to business viability. The area does not have extensive community or state land ownership, nor large philanthropic estates focused on rewilding. In response, this study explores a ‘third way’ for nature restoration: one that grows nature networks out of existing land uses by identifying shared agendas and practical solutions that align the priorities of land managers with those of local communities. Methodologically, the study adopted an organic and developmental approach, rather than applying a fixed or idealised model of nature network design. Evidence was drawn from interviews and informal discussions with seven environmental organisations, ecological and land-use analysis using multiple spatial datasets, and interviews with ten land managers alongside a representative body, the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS). The assessment identified priority habitat types where a network approach is both ecologically meaningful and practically achievable in the Glenkens context. These include broadleaved woodland, corridors within commercial forestry, wet woodland, hedgerows and pollinator habitats. Other habitats—particularly grasslands, wetlands and areas already undergoing forms of nature restoration—are recognised as iiiEstablishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 ecologically important, but were found to be less well suited to a network-based approach and are therefore not prioritised within this study. Monitoring, support and enabling structures are identified as critical to delivery. The study emphasises the importance of participatory monitoring and citizen science, alongside appropriate governance, sta ing, expertise and resourcing. Drawing these findings together, the study proposes a distinctive Glenkens approach to nature networks, which may be replicable in other predominantly privately owned rural landscapes in Scotland. This approach is shaped by a number of core local conditions: the need to achieve meaningful outcomes at sub-catchment scale in the absence of wider network connections; a complex pattern of private land ownership; a highly active and capable non-land-based community with a strong track record of policy engagement; the presence of well-networked environmental NGOs with complementary initiatives; and a legacy of weak communication and mistrust between stakeholder groups. Within this context, the recommended approach is dynamic, pragmatic and adaptive. It is guided by the Glenkens Land Use Vision, the Lawton Principles for ecological restoration, and the community-development principle of “starting where people are at”. At the same time, it is tempered by an explicit recognition of economic realities shaped by agricultural subsidy frameworks, funding uncertainty, and cultural barriers to engagement. Central to this approach is the use of a twin-track process that balances ecological ambition with socio-economic acceptability. ivEstablishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 1 Introduction This Feasibility Study lays the foundation for a landscape scale programme of interventions which will link existing patches of valuable habitats through creating new areas and improving the ecological status of current land use, to create diverse, linked ‘nature networks’ of habitats. It fits squarely within the Glenkens communities’ vision for living in a landscape which is an exemplar of sustainable land use practice in building resilience for climate, biodiversity & communities with a balanced mosaic of land use [which] enables soil and waterway regeneration, and significant biodiversity improvements support climate adaptation and sustainability 1. The Glenkens is a productive landscape, primarily owned and managed by private landowners and their tenants for food and timber. For many of these, ecological and social benefits are important, but secondary, considerations. The Glenkens does not have either large scale community or state land ownership 2, or large estates owned by philanthropists with an interest in rewilding. The approach proposed here is a ‘third way’ for nature restoration, which will grow nature networks out of existing land uses through developing and finding shared agendas and common solutions to the di ering priorities of landowners and managers and the rest of the Glenkens communities. As the Farming Advisory Service puts it, Land managers are not just part of this story – they are central to it. Restoration doesn’t mean a return to the past, but a managed transition to land use that balances productivity and resilience with the need for a dynamic, living landscape3. This is a feasibility study. For networks, and each component intervention, to be feasible, they must be all of:   practically do-able ecologically beneficial, and Glenkens Land Use Vision at https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/a-vision-for-land-use-in- the-glenkens 2 Forestry and Land Scotland manage about 10% of the approximately 60,000 hectares covered in this report. The largest community-owned land area is the 49 ha of Carsphairn Community Woodland. 1 https://www.fas.scot/article/nature-restoration-fund-2025-a-call-to-action-for-scotlands- land-managers/ 3 1Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026  acceptable to the wider community and especially to land managers. They therefore need to enhance, or at the very least fit into, land-based business models without significant cost. The changes proposed are thus not radical in themselves – creating nature networks is unlikely to be about rewilding the Glenkens at a landscape scale. However, the cumulative, collective outcomes could be significant to landscape, ecosystem resilience, and potentially also to local economies and the engagement of the village communities with their rural surroundings. Map 1 The Glenkens: area covered in this report The boundary of the Glenkens adopted for this study is shown in Map 1. It comprises the upper parts of the Water of Ken valley above the outfall of Loch Ken, including the part or all of the community council areas of Balmaclellan, Balmaghie, Carsphairn, Crossmichael, Dalry, New Galloway and Parton. Because of community and funding links 2Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 with these communities, Corsock and the upper Urr Water valley are also included here. The Dee catchment has largely been excluded, because the issues around creating nature networks are very di erent in the uninhabited plantations of the Galloway Forest Park. The exception is the lowest section where the Black Water of Dee leaves the Park and flows through privately owned agricultural land and woodland to Loch Ken. The total area under consideration is around 600 square kilometres (60,000 hectares). 1.1 Genesis of the project and its relation to other work This study is part of a multi-year programme in the Glenkens. The first concrete output of this was the Glenkens Land Use Vision, adopted formally as part of the Glenkens Community Action Plan4 in 2023. Since then, realising the Vision has been taken forward on several mutually reinforcing fronts as resources became available. These included participatory monitoring and citizen science, the inaugural Land Notes Festival 5, a feasibility study into governance structures for progressing the Vision6, the development of Pollinator Networks7, the creation of an agroecological farm at Lochhill8 and an innovative partnership between the community-based Upper Urr Environment Trust and a forestry investor in the Upper Urr valley9. Developing nature networks would be a significant step forward towards achieving the Vision’s goals at a landscape scale. The current project has been commissioned by Dalry Community Council, and has three contributing strands: 1. opportunity mapping to identify ecologically valuable sites and interventions, and to explore the possibility of such interventions with land owners and managers (including tenant and owner-occupier farmers, estate owners and managers, private and public sector forest managers, community groups) 2. training in community engagement in ecological baselining through biological recording, adopting a citizen science approach. 3. participatory monitoring of landscape change, incorporating the ongoing outcomes of the August 2025 first Glenkens Land Notes Festival. The first two strands are funded through Inspiring Scotland’s Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund, which is part-funded by NatureScot. The third strand was funded by NatureScot through the ‘Participatory Monitoring of Land Use Change’ pilot project, which the https://glenkens.scot/glenkens-community-action-plan https://gcat.scot/land-notes-glenkens-festival-of-land/ 6 S. Connelly (2024) Feasibility Study into a Glenkens Land Use Forum at https://glenkens.scot/reports- resources-archive/feasibility-study-into-glenkens-land-use-forum-march-2024 7 https://glenkens.scot/glenkens-news/glenkens-pollinators-project 8 https://www.lochhillagroecological.farm/ 9 The Glaisters Bridge Community Woodland - see https://www.uuet.co.uk/ 4 5 3Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Glenkens participates in. The Festival also had support from Inspiring Scotland, Creative Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund. 1.2 Report structure and methodology The next section briefly sets out the policy and ecology background to nature networks, and raises some of the complexities and challenges posed by institutions and science, drawing out what it means to attempt to develop nature networks from the bottom up at a local scale. Section 3 brings this to the Glenkens, explaining the social and ecological context within which nature networks could be developed and sets out the data sources used in this study. Sections 4 and 5 discuss sets of habitats in turn: those for which a network approach appears to o er most (§4) and those where alternative approaches to nature restoration may be more e ective than using the networks concept (§5). Sections 6 and 7 cover what will be needed to deliver nature networks in order to monitor progress, and the potential contribution of communities to this (§6) and what support will be needed in terms of sta ing, governance and financial and organisational resources (§7). Section 8 summarises the key learning from the project, including how suitable each habitat type is for network development. It sets out a ‘Glenkens approach’ as a set of guiding principles and methods, and a few ‘next steps’ for 2026, in the absence of dedicated resources10. The methodology of the study was organic and developmental, rather than starting from a fixed blueprint for assessing the feasibility of networks. It was experimental, seeking to develop and test a twin-track approach that considered both what was ecologically desirable and what was socio-economically acceptable, rather than starting from one or other of these strands. In particular, the study aimed to avoid developing a very clearly defined scientific position on “what should be done on the ground for nature” and then presenting this to land managers. Past experience has suggested that this is not an e ective way to engage, and risks creating resistance. The project methodology was therefore rather unstructured and followed a process of trial, error, success, failure and reflective learning. In one location, this approach has led close to practical action during the lifetime of the project, with a detailed planting schedule drawn up to connect separate sections of the Water of Ken Woods SSSI in the autumn of 2026. Data gathering involved three overlapping stages, undertaken in the following sequence though with substantial overlaps and circling back between methods: 10 At the time of writing there was no guaranteed ongoing funding in place. 4Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 a. Interviews and informal discussions with seven environmental organisations to establish nature restoration priorities from a locally informed conservation perspective. These also explored what, if anything, these organisations were currently doing or planning in relation to habitat restoration or the development of nature networks. This stage was reinforced through familiarisation with the key documents guiding conservation activity in the region – the Dumfries & Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP)11 and the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Natural Habitat Management Plan 201812 - and with the spatial distribution of key species as recorded in the NBN Atlas Scotland. b. Ecological and land-use analysis using a range of spatial datasets and maps (see §3.4 for detail). This formed part of the experimental methodology, as it was not clear at the outset which combination of maps and data sources would be most useful for developing a su icient level of detail to inform the next stage. In particular, this involved exploring how best to use NatureScot’s Natural Capital Tool13, which was still under development at the time of the study. c. Interviews with ten land managers and with a representative organisation (the National Farmers Union Scotland – NFUS). Land managers were selected partly due to the size of their land holding, and collectively those interviewed manage a very substantial proportion of the Glenkens. The interviews also aimed to capture perspectives from across di erent types of private land holding, as well as from the largest public-sector land manager in the area (Forestry and Land Scotland). The final set of interviewees was influenced by the findings of the previous two stages, targeting to an extent those who it seemed likely could make an identifiable contribution to network creation, and by practical issues about access, which was facilitated through a small number of trusted intermediaries. Interviewees have not been identified in the report, in order to allow for open and frank discussions. The final report synthesises all this material, drawing on the evidence gathered to come to reasoned judgements about network feasibility. 1.3 What this report is not This report focuses on nature networks as one important component of landscape-scale nature restoration in the Glenkens. The development of nature networks should, however, be planned alongside a wider range of initiatives. As discussed in §2.1, some species and habitats benefit strongly from corridor creation, while for others the https://www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024- 08/Local_Biodiversity_Action_Plan.pdf 12 https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Galloway-and-Southern-Ayrshire- UNESCO-Biosphere-Natural-Heritage-Management-Plan-Sept-2018-1.pdf 13 https://www.nature.scot/doc/natural-capital-tool 11 5Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 protection, expansion or improvement of habitat patches may be of greater importance. In addition, there are community-led nature restoration initiatives already underway, as well as opportunities available to private landowners through the Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) and agricultural subsidies. As far as possible, this report is confined to exploring the feasibility of nature networks. It is not intended to be a comprehensive nature restoration study, and its recommendations are designed to inform and support a broader Nature Restoration Strategy, Framework or programme, rather than to stand alone. Where relevant, links between nature network creation and other aspects of nature restoration - and more broadly the delivery of the Land Use Vision - are noted, but not explored in depth. The report also places less emphasis on community-led land management initiatives, largely for reasons of scale. The primary opportunities for establishing functional nature networks in the Glenkens lie on privately owned land, and to a lesser extent on state forestry land. The role of communities is therefore more likely to be focused on data gathering, monitoring and other forms of participation, rather than on direct delivery of networks at landscape scale. The analysis concentrates on the establishment of land-based habitats. Rivers and watercourses already form an extensive and functionally connected network and are habitats in their own right. While they do not require establishment, they do require protection and enhancement, and this work sits largely within the remit of organisations such as the Galloway Fisheries Trust (GFT) and the Loch Ken Trust. Nevertheless, nature network interventions elsewhere in the landscape need to take account of river systems, both because they o er opportunities for enhancement (for example through riparian planting), and because poorly designed planting or land-use change has the potential to cause harm to the waterways. Finally, the report does not explore the Galloway Forest Park or other areas of commercial plantation forestry in any detail. Discussions with Forestry and Land Scotland and private estate managers indicated that establishing networks through conifer plantations involves a di erent set of challenges, including long-term management plans and policy constraints, and requires sustained engagement, advocacy and advisory work to support change. 1.4 A note on ‘community’ and ‘land manager’ This study starts from the principle that land managers and land owners are members of the local communities: the oft-repeated distinctions between ‘community’ and ‘landowners’ or ‘farmers’ in particular are unhelpful. Yet they do reflect a reality of economic, cultural and attitudinal divisions which need to be recognised and accommodated – and hopefully addressed – in any realistic approach to creating nature networks. 6Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 There is a separate issue with terminology in a complex land tenure and management situation. ‘Land managers’ is used here to mean the farmers and foresters and estate managers who make decisions about how the land is used. Some of these also own the land they manage, as owner-occupier farmers or owners of multi-land-use estates. Some land managers are tenant farmers, while others are employed by estates either directly or as contractors. Finally, some land is owned by people who live in the Glenkens, some by individuals based elsewhere, some by commercial organisations with a significant local presence, and some by organisations with no local presence or real non-financial interest. Although the last of these stretch the definition, all are in some way part of the ‘Glenkens community’, with a stake in the use of the land. 7Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 2 Nature networks 2.1 Policy Context 2.1.1 Nature Networks Policy The origins of this project lie in the Scottish Government’s ambition to establish a nation- wide system of evolving, flexible and resilient nature networks14. These are intended to connect nature-rich areas, enable wildlife and natural processes to move and adapt to land-use and climate-change pressures, and support meaningful public engagement with nature. Nature networks are also expected to provide biodiversity-rich spaces that deliver local wellbeing benefits and reflect community priorities. NatureScot provides national guidance, while local authorities hold the lead delivery role. This reflects the need to plan networks at scales that can accommodate long- distance climate-driven species movement, and to integrate network development with local authority responsibilities for biodiversity (e.g. through Local Nature Reserves, Local Conservation Sites, Biodiversity Action Plans etc.) and wider land-use planning. The Dumfries & Galloway LBAP already emphasises the importance of “ecological networks” linking “fragmented and isolated habitats,” and views such linkages as more feasible than large-scale habitat creation. LBAP priorities for species and habitat conservation have informed this study, although the current plan (published in 2009) is due for renewal in 2026. Given national policy, it is highly likely that the revised LBAP will strengthen the role of nature networks, while maintaining the existing conservation priorities. Nature network development also fits within regional policies. The 2024 South of Scotland Regional Land Use Framework (RLUF)15 aims to halt biodiversity decline and “drive nature recovery”, prioritising improved management of high-value sites, including nature networks. The RLUF envisages “healthy, diverse, resilient ecosystems supported by resilient nature networks and regenerative agriculture” (p. 41) with delivery dependent on coordinated action from land managers, communities, agencies and other stakeholders. The RLUF also highlights the role of community-level planning - through Local Place Plans (LPPs) and Community Action Plans - in strengthening dialogue between stakeholders, increasing understanding of local natural assets and supporting informed community participation in land-use decisions. Key sources are the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish- biodiversity-strategy-2045/documents) and NatureScot’s Nature Networks Framework (https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-networks-framework). 15 https://www.southofscotlandrep.com/media/kpsbxf2b/rluf_v1_240919.pdf 14 8Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 2.1.2 Community-Level Planning While it is appropriate that local authorities lead at the strategic scale, nature network planning places additional demands on financially stressed organisations and also requires highly localised ecological and land-use knowledge to translate broad strategies into implementable interventions. This underscores the importance of community involvement. In the Glenkens, the response (embodied in this project) has been to propose network development at sub-catchment scale: large enough to allow meaningful landscape and network thinking, yet su iciently local to support detailed planning by communities and land managers. This aligns with the scale of the Land Use Vision and complements emerging LPPs16, most of which are broadly supportive of network development even though they pre-dated explicit spatial planning for nature networks, and do not consider cross-council coordination. Ideally, a Glenkens Nature Network Plan or Strategy would be developed in dialogue with local authority and regional strategic planning, along with detailed boundary work to link with neighbouring sub-catchments. In the current reality, however, the Glenkens approach is intended both to deliver tangible biodiversity and community benefits in its own right and to serve as a pilot of a replicable methodology. Any risks associated with proceeding independently are limited at this early feasibility stage; by the time large- scale implementation is possible, relevant local authority and other sub-catchment processes may be taking place. 2.1.3 Uncertain Futures At the time of writing – winter 2025-6 – there is a huge amount of uncertainty in key policy areas. Agricultural Subsidy Reform Because establishing nature networks in the Glenkens will involve changes to the management of privately owned farmland and woodland, proposals must be compatible with sustaining and enhancing profitable land-based businesses. Land-management decisions are heavily shaped by agricultural subsidy regimes - formerly EU Common Agricultural Policy payments and, post-Brexit, the Scottish Government’s support framework. This is in flux, and while we can be fairly certain that future payments will increasingly incentivise environmentally beneficial practices, two significant issues limit clear assessment of what is economically feasible for land managers at present. At time of writing, four Glenkens LPPs were publicly available: Balmaclellan (consultation draft), Carsphairn (adopted), Crossmichael (consultation draft), Dalry (adopted). 16 9Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026   Tier 1 (basic payment) requirements, centred on Whole Farm Plans, are only now being implemented, placing new demands on farmers’ time and planning capacity, with expectations that the requirements will develop further over time. Tier 2 (enhanced) and Tier 3 (elective) payment structures, which will determine the financial viability of many nature-positive actions, will not be announced until 2026 at the earliest. Land managers are understandably reluctant to commit to actions that might either jeopardise future eligibility or incur costs that might have been subsidised if they had waited for the new regime to be in place. The advice and training support available under the future Tier 4 (complementary) is similarly unknown. There is also considerable uncertainty over how alternative, natural capital-based, payments may develop in the coming years. While the Woodland Carbon and Peatland Codes are relatively well established, the potential role of biodiversity net gain 17 is very unclear, though it may become of huge significance in funding nature restoration. Land Reform Additional uncertainty arises from the evolving land-reform agenda. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 requires owners of more than 1,000 contiguous hectares to produce a publicly available land-management plan and to engage with communities and tenants on its development. Further detail will be set out in secondary legislation and guidance, so at present, the principal e ect mirrors that of agricultural subsidy uncertainty: some landowners are cautious about committing to participation in nature network planning when communities with alternative ideas may have to be engaged with. Less tangibly, the reforms have increased concern about external scrutiny and future obligations. 2.2 Ecology Nature networks are proposed as a response to the ongoing depletion of biodiversity, much of which is linked to habitat loss and fragmentation driven by the intensification and expansion of commercial land uses, particularly agriculture and forestry. Nature restoration e orts are guided by the Lawton principles, summarised in Making Space for Nature18 as “more, bigger, better and joined up” (p. 78) i.e. the creation of larger, higher- While biodiversity net gain (BNG) is not required across all development in Scotland – in contrast to England – "significant biodiversity enhancements" are mandated by the National Planning Framework 4 (https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-planning-framework-4/) for major developments. Other, smaller-scale, applications of the Scottish biodiversity metric (https://www.nature.scot/doc/biodiversity- metric-scotlands-planning-system) may emerge. 18 J. Lawton (2010) Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s Wildlife Sites and Ecological Network (aka ‘The Lawton Report’) – report to DEFRA from a panel chaired by Sir John Lawton. Available from https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20130402170324/http:/archive.defra.gov.uk/environm ent/biodiversity/documents/201009space-for-nature.pdf. 17 10Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 quality habitats that are well connected. This approach also reflects the need to build resilience to climate change by enabling species movement within the landscape. A nature network connects nature-rich sites, including restoration areas and other environmental projects, through a series of areas of suitable habitat, habitat corridors, and stepping-stones. The primary purpose of a nature network is ecological connectivity. 19 The ecological rationale behind such corridors lies in their ability to facilitate the movement of organisms. However, enhancing the quality of the remaining habitat is usually the first priority: connectivity is most e ective when there are high-quality sites with thriving wildlife populations to connect. Most species rely on a combination of key resources - food, water, nesting or shelter sites, protection from predators or disturbance, and opportunities to find mates. These resources are often distributed patchily across the landscape and may vary seasonally, making movement between habitats essential for survival. Connectivity therefore operates through multiple, dynamic spatial patterns and ecological processes, and at scales that vary depending on the species or system in question. Even within broad habitat types such as broadleaved woodland, plant and animal species have highly di erentiated requirements. These needs are met through a wide variety of microhabitats and niches, meaning that apparently uniform habitat categories often contain substantial internal variation. Species also di er markedly in their capacity to move within and between habitats, especially where movement requires crossing ‘hostile’ environments. For example, the Willow Tit - one of the UK’s most threatened small birds - is extremely reluctant to cross even short stretches of open ground, while closely related species readily fly tens of metres or more across agricultural land between woodland patches. Similarly, woody corridors appear to work better for ‘habitat generalist’ plant species than for forest-restricted ones 20. The point is that species benefit very di erently from networks. Connectivity for some can be achieved through ‘stepping stones’ of physically separate habitat patches – ecologists describe this as ‘functional connectivity’ - without physical ‘structural connectivity’, while for others structural connectivity is crucial. For others still, even that may not be su icient to enable movement. This level of ecological complexity poses significant challenges for planning nature networks. The very concept of a ‘network’ can appear to be undermined by the diversity of species-specific requirements. Moreover, existing habitats themselves are complex: a single small woodland may contain distinct areas characterised by di erent tree species, 19 20 https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-networks-framework#Definition See J. Liira and T. Paal (2013). 11Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 vegetation structures and microhabitats. Habitat condition is also crucial: functional networks will depend on habitats of su icient quality. Yet condition is dynamic and spatially very varied, making it di icult to understand in enough detail to be useful, and undermining the usefulness of existing land use and habitat mapping. In addition to habitat complexity, knowledge gaps significantly constrain network design: while general ecological principles are well established, detailed ecological requirements are unknown for many species, and available datasets are often insu iciently fine-grained for confident, local-level network planning. 2.2.1 A Pragmatic Approach to Network Planning The combined e ects of ecological complexity and informational uncertainty strongly support a pragmatic, habitat-based approach to network development. This should be underpinned by the following principles:       Plan around broad habitat types, rather than individual species, except where priority species require targeted action and where their habitats also provide known wider ecological value. Start - where possible – with protected sites and those known to be of special value and look to connect these Promote habitat diversity at every practicable spatial scale. Connect fragments of similar habitat types wherever achievable. Maintain and create mosaics of habitat, maximising ecological variety. Avoid degrading or fragmenting one habitat network when establishing or enhancing another. Ideally, these principles would be implemented within a comprehensive, landscape- scale nature restoration programme aligned with all four Lawton principles. However, even in the absence of such a wider programme, developing nature networks on a standalone basis can deliver substantial benefits by enhancing connectivity among existing habitat patches. 12Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 3 Creating Nature Networks in the Glenkens 3.1 Socio-Economic Context 3.1.1 Land as Productive Resource Most of the land is in productive use, primarily for livestock rearing and coniferous plantations for commercial forestry. The former is very varied, changing roughly from north to south and high to low altitudes from extensively grazed sheep pasture on the highest, unimproved grassland, through mixes of sheep and beef cattle on land that has undergone varying degrees of ‘improvement’ through drainage and fertilisation21, to intensively managed, high-input silage production and grazing for dairy cows. Rural support payments are of overriding importance to Glenkens farming, and, to a lesser extent, to forestry, where they impact most on the viability of creating new woodlands. While local details are not available, across Scotland’s ‘less favoured areas’ no sheep farms made a profit without government support in 2023-24, and fewer than in one in five cattle farms (18%) and mixed cattle and sheep farms (17%) broke even without support22. This includes the more intensive dairy farms of the southern Glenkens, as well as the hill farms further north. The future details of the farm payments scheme are thus absolutely crucial to establishing nature networks, and the uncertainty noted above around this – and any alternative funding sources - is currently a major block on progress. While land-based employment remains the largest single sector and occupies by far the greatest land area, it now accounts for only one in six members of the workforce 23. Most of the population lives in the villages and is either in other occupations (56%) or retired (28%). The landscape supports many uses beyond direct production of food and timber, which combine amenity and leisure value with contributions to the local economy, and each of which has di erent implications for biodiversity management. These include game shooting on some of the estates; walking and horse riding for pleasure, particularly in some of the native woodlands and along the long distance Southern Upland Way; water sports (sailing etc.) on Loch Ken and fishing on the rivers and lochs; and general aesthetic enjoyment of the landscape, which draws significant numbers of tourists to the Glenkens. ‘Improvement’ is a di icult word. Historically its meaning is clear: land was ‘improved’ to make it more productive for farming or forestry. In the present context of biodiversity restoration as a goal alongside production, many past ‘improvements’ are seen as problematic. However, we are stuck with the word, so it is used as a category in this report, without either positive or negative connotations. 22 https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-farm-business-income-annual-estimates-2023-2024/ 23 Figures derived from Scotland’s Census 2022 (https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk); for a digest see S. Connelly (2025) at https://www.calameo.com/read/00168660073c4df03777c). 21 13Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Nature restoration is thus deeply intertwined with both the landscape and the wider local economy, and is of concern not only to those who directly manage or work on the land, but also to those in the community who are not so directly connected to it for their livelihood. 3.1.2 Land Ownership and Tenure Land holding is very varied. Approximately 10% of the area studied is state owned and managed forest land. Most of the rest is comprised of traditional ‘mixed’ estates, combining farm and (increasingly) commercial forest land, in the hands of families (some of whom have owned the land for centuries) as well as international companies; farms worked by local farm families, some of whom have amassed considerable holdings (>1000 ha) through consolidation; tenant farms, some of which are worked along with their own land by owner occupiers; farmland owned by companies based outside the Glenkens; and private forestry estates owned by external businesses acting through forest management companies. There are also a significant number of smallholdings, few of which are actively farmed, with many becoming ‘wilder’ in various ways (see §5.4.1). The situation is thus very complex. Ownership and management of land are often in separate hands, which in particular may mean that tree planting or other long-term change involves di erent discussions (with owners) from farming practice changes such as animal stocking levels (with tenants). This impacts engagement in the emerging natural capital markets, with long term contracts for carbon sequestration and so on potentially excluding tenants from benefitting, even if they bear costs 24. As an outsider to the local farming or forestry communities it is far from easy to identify land ownership, or who has what management responsibility for any given area 25. Interests are also complex: each landowner and farmer will have di erent business models, including intricate balances of di erent economic enterprises within a single estate, and with varying long- term plans for their land. They also vary hugely in their attitudes to, and engagement with, environmental issues and actions, and in the cultural assumptions they bring (more or less tacitly) to land management. 3.1.3 The Non-Land Based Community The non-land based community is diverse, in background, age, qualifications and occupation. Canvassing public attitudes to nature restoration was outwith the scope of this study, but a characteristic of the Glenkens communities is the quantity of consultation and engagement in community-based planning which has taken place in the past few years. Coming from this there are public, formally adopted, statements of https://ahdb.org.uk/carbon-markets/what-are-farm-tenants-rights-when-it-comes-to-carbon-markets The Who Owns Scotland website (https://whoownsscotland.org.uk) is useful for ownership, but does not have complete coverage for the Glenkens, and is not entirely up to date with recent land sales. 24 25 14Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 support for a more diverse landscape and land-based economy, resistance to habitat losses through forestry, agricultural intensification and wind farm developments, and a desire for more control by the local communities over this development. These are put forward through the community councils’ Local Place Plans and the Land Use Vision, a component of the Community Action Plan adopted by for the Glenkens as a whole. There is also a great deal of environmental activity organised by local groups, alongside the projects noted in the Introduction. This has two implications for establishing nature networks. On the one hand there is likely to be widespread support from the non-land management sectors of the community (the majority, numerically) and potential resources to be drawn on in terms of volunteers and expertise. On the other hand, there is a risk of tension between this group and land managers, which may make positive engagement over nature networks with the latter more complicated, especially if the Land Reform Act provisions start to have real impact and communities exert their new right to engagement in management planning. 3.1.4 Cultural Constraints This tension is associated with a widely shared but intangible set of cultural constraints to engagement by landowners and managers in initiatives originating outside their community. They are presented here without any critical intent, but as an honest appraisal of significant – but not insurmountable – factors a ecting the feasibility of any nature network or restoration project26. There is a prevalent sense of being misunderstood and constantly subject to unfair criticism. Identity really matters: farming, shooting, and forestry are deeply rooted ways of life, not just economic activities, and land managers typically see themselves as good stewards of the land. An important aspect of this is the cultural expectation of productivity and a reluctance to use ‘good land’ for nature restoration. Linked to this is a sense of grievance that the public don’t appreciate the importance of food production, and so of farmers’ contribution to a fundamental social good. There may be generational di erences here, which in themselves can create tensions within the farming community. There is a closely connected tradition of autonomy and distrust of outsiders such as NGOs, government agencies, and even local, non-farming people (especially if they are perceived as setting themselves up as ‘experts’.) This is compounded by a fear of losing control, particularly when external funding comes with conditions, for example over increasing public access to land. These paragraphs are a summary, with the authors’ permission, of an unpublished paper by experienced Glenkens community development workers Morag Paterson and Helen Keron, for Dalry Community Council and GCAT (Landscape Scale Nature Restoration: Supporting Information from the Glenkens, August 2025). 26 15Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 The resulting tendency to resist external direction is reinforced by practical conflicts between land managers’ goals and those proposing nature restoration. Long-term restoration ambitions can clash with short-term economic cycles, tenancy constraints, and time pressures. There is often a physical scale mismatch: benefits for a landscape - such as habitat connectivity - may not suit an individual farm’s practical needs. Landowners may consequently be asked to change land use in ways that disrupt operations, creating frustration and irritation at the perceived (and often very real) ignorance of those without embodied knowledge and skills in farming within the local ecosystem. This is reinforced when technical communication feels disconnected from local knowledge, and when engagement happens late in the planning process. The overall impact is often wariness, scepticism and reluctance to engage. It is important to acknowledge that there is also a less well-evidenced, and less often discussed, set of attitudes among the non-farming public, which tends to stereotype farmers as conservative, responsible for environmental degradation, and unwilling to engage. This is often coupled with a very real lack of knowledge and understanding of how farming and other forms of land management operate, and a limited appreciation of the complexity of livestock and land management, particularly in marginal conditions. There is also a widespread belief that farmers are relatively well-o , despite their assertions to the contrary, and that they are supported by public funds and therefore should be more responsive to public and policy demands. Foresters share some of this sense of being misunderstood and vilified, and of having their contribution to the economy under-appreciated. Public attitudes tend to be even more negative towards forestry than farming; some farmers are also antagonistic, viewing commercial forestry as damaging to the environment and landscape, as well as to the traditional local farming economy. What is striking across sectors, however, is a broadly shared concern for the environment, alongside significant variation within groups. Levels of concern do not align neatly with distinctions between farmers, foresters, and the non-land-based public. Issues such as climate change cut across these sectors, with scepticism and commitment evident in all. There is certainly su icient common ground on which to build, although important nuances remain - for example, di ering views on the value of wildness27. It is therefore crucial to find ways to overcome assumptions and prejudices so that meaningful dialogue is possible and genuine di erences can be addressed28. This is evident both in the interviews carried out for this study, and in the academic research literature (see e.g. P. Howley et al. (2014)). 28 Appendix 3 reproduces the final sections of Paterson and Keron’s cultural barriers document, suggesting ways to overcome, or at least work e ectively within, these constraints. 27 16Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 3.2 Organisational Context and Capacity Although there is currently no overarching nature networks programme for the Glenkens, the feasibility of establishing such a programme is significantly strengthened by the presence of organisations already active in related areas. A range of public bodies, NGOs, and land-based organisations are delivering projects that align closely with nature network principles, while several others have expressed a clear interest in future involvement. All of the following could play valuable roles in supporting a nature networks project. NatureScot has shown sustained interest in supporting innovation and pilot work in the Glenkens and is actively engaged in the current programme through the team developing the Natural Capital Tool. Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is another potentially important partner, with statutory responsibilities for biodiversity and habitat management. Habitat corridors are already embedded in forest management planning at the block scale. While these corridors deliver significant benefits for habitat creation, block-level planning has limitations for developing networks that cross multiple blocks and extend into neighbouring private landholdings. Locally, FLS sta report that they are beginning to consider larger-scale nature networks but currently lack a formal strategy. Positively, this suggests openness to innovative approaches; however, the absence of a strategic framework constrains network development where changes would be required to long- term block management plans29. Several NGOs have well-established track records of practical delivery, technical advice, and partnership working in the region. Galloway and South Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB) is strongly committed to nature network development and adopts an approach that closely mirrors the Glenkens’ emphasis on integrating ecological priorities with land management aspirations. Dumfries & Galloway Woodlands (DGW) is particularly active in nature network development and is enthusiastic about working in partnership with any Glenkens initiative. It is currently working in a collaborative project with RSPB, the National Trust for Scotland, and the Loch Ken Trust to develop a willow tit habitat corridor between Kenmure Holm and Threave Estate. As part of this work, discussions are underway to extend the habitat northwards beyond the Holm on the same landowner’s land to link into the Water of Ken Woods network (see §4.1.2). Blocks are typically a few thousand hectares, and block plans are renewed every 10 years. Forestry planning is, of course, over much longer timescales than this but in principle changes can be made at 10- yearly intervals. 29 17Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 From 2026, DGW will also be funded for development work towards a large-scale Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) project, described as taking a “more strategic approach to partner with landowners across the region to develop native woodland creation plans, with consideration of wildlife corridors and nature networks”30. This work could directly support woodland corridor development in the Glenkens, either as a lead organisation or in a supporting role to a dedicated Glenkens Nature Network or NRF-funded project. In addition, DGW administers the Dumfries & Galloway Tree Planting Grants, which support small-scale native woodland creation (up to £1,000 per applicant per year), below the threshold for Forestry Grant Scheme eligibility. The flexibility and speed of these grants are particularly valuable for engaging landowners, as support for planting, fencing, tree protection, and natural regeneration can be agreed as part of network discussions rather than requiring a subsequent funding application. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is directly involved in the Kenmure– Threave wet (willow) woodland corridor and provides an important advisory resource for bird conservation in the Glenkens. The Galloway Fisheries Trust has an active programme of riparian planting, driven by its focus on river habitat quality. It is working collaboratively with FLS to create a broadleaf corridor along the Polmaddy Burn and has recently completed a major restoration project on the Blackwater of Dee, replacing conifer regeneration with broadleaves along a 23 km stretch. While GFT has no current plans for wider Glenkens involvement, it would be a strong technical partner for any future initiative and provides specialist advice on ensuring that land-based habitat corridors support, rather than compromise, river systems. The Crichton Carbon Centre provides expertise in wetland and peatland habitats and in the hydrology of water networks. It is due to begin a major wetland restoration programme, “Cairn to Coast”, in late 2025, which may include components within the Glenkens and could align closely with nature network objectives. The South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre (SWSEIC) provides ecological advice, delivers training for ecological monitoring (including citizen science), and maintains the regional ecological record service, o ering valuable support for evidence-based network planning and monitoring. Three further organisations contribute from a land management perspective, rather than a primarily ecological focus. Propagate is working closely with the current project and is delivering a parallel Pollinators Network initiative on behalf of Dalry Community Council, supplying small numbers of fruit trees for planting across the Glenkens. Propagate’s peer-to-peer 30 https://dgwoodlands.org.uk/dumfries-galloways-wood-wide-network-project-gets-underway 18Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Regenerative Farming Network already includes several members in the area who are likely to be sympathetic to the nature network concept. National Farmers Union Scotland is potentially an e ective route to reaching farmers who may not already be oriented toward habitat management. As the farmers’ own representative organisation31, NFUS has a level of legitimacy and trust that non-farming bodies often lack. This positions it well to help overcome cultural and institutional barriers to nature network engagement. Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) is another representative body, with a wider remit than NFUS, encompassing all rural business. Like NFUS it could be a valuable partner in reaching land managers, and potentially in coordinating some kind of action. Informal contact has elicited enthusiasm and o ers of support for developing nature networks. Overall this organisational landscape demonstrates that while a formal Glenkens Nature Network organisation or programme does not yet exist, the institutional conditions, partnerships, expertise, and delivery capacity required to establish one are already substantially in place. 3.3 Ecology This section introduces the principal habitats of the Glenkens to give the ecological context and justification for the networks proposed and discounted in §§4 and 5. It draws mainly on the 2018 GSAB Natural Heritage Management Plan, which in turn was informed by the 2009 D&G Local Biodiversity Action Plan. The material here is a very brief summary: please refer to these documents for details of habitats, species, proposed and recommended management practices and so on. The available Glenkens communities’ Local Place Plans have also been consulted. These contain a wealth of valuable factual detail, mainly duplicating material in the LBAP and the GSAB Management Plan. The communities express general support for biodiversity enhancement and management, and in Dalry for wetland management and riparian planting in particular, as well as for ‘biodiversity corridors’ of smallholdings along roads (e.g. the B7000), specifically managed for biodiversity and/or ecological restoration. 3.3.1 Geographical Overview The landscapes and habitats of the Ken and Urr valleys are broadly characterised by distinctive areas intimately linked with land use, in particular the transition from hill sheep and cattle rearing to intensive livestock farming on ‘improved’ land. These areas do not have hard boundaries - rather there are gradations between them, and intimate mixing of habitats and landscape components at every scale. The zones are also linked Not all farmers view NFUS in this way, or are positive towards it. However, su icient numbers do support it to give NFUS a potentially vital role in nature network creation. 31 19Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 by the rivers, and much of the network of broadleaved woodland which threads through the Glenkens is riparian or on the valley floors and sides. Land parcels – fields and woodlands – are often bounded by hedgerows or stone dykes, which may contribute to connectivity between larger habitat patches, or (conversely) create unhelpful hard boundaries between neighbouring habitats. The following brief description is intended to orient the reader, as the feasible networks are obviously closely related to major landscape types and the way other habitats weave through them. The highest land around the peripheries of the Glenkens is dominated by rough, unimproved (and semi-improved) grassland and associated heath and bog habitats. A greater area is an intermediate zone dominated by grassland of various types, in a complex mosaic with heathland, wetland and woodland habitats, and areas intermediate between all these types. Much of the grassland has been ‘improved’ to varying degrees: much has been drained, and some also sprayed and reseeded with improved grasses for grazing and/or silage. A limited area is ploughed and used for fodder crops, and more has been ploughed in the past (particularly in the Second World War). There are also large areas of commercial plantations, mainly of Sitka Spruce, but with blocks of other species (primarily but not entirely exotic conifers) and open spaces and plantings of native broadleaved trees along some watercourses. The river valleys of this zone support areas of woodland of varying types, including Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland and fragments of Atlantic Rainforest. The valley sides and floors are also farmed, with intensive production of silage and some fodder crops (e.g. maize and turnips) particularly in the flat floodplains. Further south and lower down this zone transitions to characteristic drumlin country. Some of this is covered in woodland (including commercial forestry), scrubland and traditional wood pasture, but further south this is increasingly replaced by improved grassland. Except where they have been most improved for farming by draining and the bulldozing of rocky areas, the drumlin areas have a characteristic fine-grained mix of habitats, associated with water and soil di erences: within a few tens of metres the ground can change from rock to thin, dry, fertile mineral soils to alluvial or peaty wet soils of varying fertility. Finally, towards the southern boundary of the Glenkens the land opens out and is dominated by rolling countryside with improved grassland, with very little commercial forestry or native woodland. 3.3.2 Designated Areas Protected areas are envisaged by the Scottish Government as the core of nature networks. In the Glenkens, 970 ha are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest 20Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 (SSSIs) of which 663 ha are also Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds and Ramsar wetland sites. The sites are: Woodland SSSIs: Water of Ken Woods, Hannaston Wood, Airds of Kells Wood Wetland and open water SSSIs: Kenmure Holms, River Dee (Parton to Crossmichael), Woodhall Loch, Grassland SSSIs: Cleugh Other Designations: Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere; Galloway Forest (and Dark Sky) Park, Galloway Hills Regional Scenic Area. Details of the sites, including the reasons for their designation where relevant, are given in Appendix 1. 3.3.3 Priority habitats There are important habitats in the Glenkens in addition to those sites protected by the SSSIs. GSAB identifies 13 ‘high focus habitats’32, plus a further three in the Glenkens33 important for ‘high focus species’34. The LBAP has a much more extensive list of ‘priority species’ (LBAP p. 281). The details are set out in the GSAB’s Management Plan: here I provide a brief description of the habitats’ relevance to nature networks35, divided into broad woodland, wetland and grass/open land habitat types. Woodland Native (principally broadleaved) woodland o ers the most straightforward opportunities for establishing habitat corridors in the Glenkens. Although the existing woodland is to some extent fragmented, with many small, more-or-less isolated pockets, a proto- network is visible at landscape scale, largely following the river valleys. (See Map 2, which has deliberately been left with little place information to allow the pattern of woods to stand out.) This forms a very favourable starting point for nature network creation, providing a basic framework within which interventions can fill relatively small and well- defined gaps. The ‘high focus habitats’ are Blanket and Raised bog, Upland heathland, Purple moor grass and rush pasture, Montane heath and montane scrub, Native upland oak woodland, Native wet woodland, Acid grassland, Oligotrophic lochs. 33 The habitats important for high focus species are Moorland Fringe for Black Grouse, Woodlands for Red Squirrel, Fresh Water Habitats for Water Vole and Brown Trout. 34 The ‘high focus species’ are Black grouse, Golden eagle, Curlew, Golden plover, Red squirrel, Water vole, Brown trout, Juniper, Downy willow. 35 As suggested in the introduction, some of these habitats are ecologically important but less susceptible to management as part of networks. 32 21Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Riparian planting is of particular interest, given the existing distribution of woodland and the additional benefits it can bring to river habitats, such as temperature reduction through shadowing and bank erosion reduction. Practically, riparian fringes are often already fenced o from grazing land. Potential also exists for establishing specifically wet woodland networks, in part riparian but also incorporating existing – and potentially new – areas away from river or loch sides. Both general native broadleaved (oak, ash etc.) and specifically wet woodland species (willow, alder) may be feasible and desirable for rather di erent reasons at some sites, requiring careful species choice and management. (Note, however, that planning for wet woodland, and in particular for distinguishing between wet and other woodland, is hampered by the habitat maps, which do not have separate categories, making local knowledge and ground surveys essential.) Map 2 Native woodland, showing the ‘proto-network’ of existing woods 22Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 In general, broadleaved woodlands in the Glenkens contain a mix of native tree species and have a high biodiversity value, supporting a wide range of plants, fungi, invertebrates, mammals and birds, some of which are of national conservation importance. Native upland oak woodland and Native wet woodland are UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority habitats; the Dumfries & Galloway LBAP further identifies Native Ash36, Birch, Wood Pastures and Parklands, Traditional Orchards and Scrub Woods as priorities, while acknowledging that in practice many woods comprise several di erent types. The GSAB management objectives include    increase total area of native woodland in the Biosphere increase connectivity between existing native woods through suitable habitat creation and new planting creation and enhancement of woodland along riparian corridors, in areas of dense bracken and on steep slopes. (Planting in these areas may also meet wider catchment management objectives e.g. flood alleviation.) Two priority species also have woodland habitats which require particular management. Red squirrels: managing woodlands for red squirrels is a priority, particularly given that grey and red squirrels are both found in the Glenkens. This implies care over species choice, since red squirrels favour smaller seeded broadleaved species (e.g. birch, rowan, willow, alder and ash) in contrast to grey squirrels’ preference for larger seeds (e.g. sycamore, oak, beech, chestnut and hazel). Conifer plantations with suitable species mixes also provide better habitats for red squirrels than grey. GSAB objectives include:   maintain and enhance areas of woodland that can support red squirrel through good forest management new planting should strive to link existing woodland suitable for red squirrel. Willow tits: these are the UK’s most-threatened resident species, with a stronghold in the region. They require wet willow woodlands, with rotting wood, a dense shrub layer, and, ideally, open water to enhance insect populations. They will not cross more than a few metres of open ground, so physical corridor creation is important. Existing scattered and fragmented wet woodlands in the Glenkens should be connected, preferably with more willow habitat or (still valuably) with other woody habitat through which willow tits will pass. Traditional Field Boundaries and Margins This is a habitat category of potential importance for nature networks. Well-maintained hedgerows and stone walls (dykes) are useful habitats in their own right: some of the principal dominant species, Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Ivy, are especially valuable for 36 The current LBAP pre-dates the onset of ash die-back disease (Chalara). 23Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 invertebrates, including agricultural pollinators. Bramble – another very common species, on dykes as well as in hedgerows - is also important. Field boundaries also provide connectivity between other habitat patches (particularly woodland) across more intensively managed land. Hedgerow trees add further value, particularly for bird species. However, in many cases hedgerows have been overcut and overgrazed and are of little habitat value. Dykes provide habitats for many small mammals, which in turn are prey for raptors, with Barn Owls of particular conservation interest. The adjacent field margins, as well as the boundaries themselves, are home to agriculturally valuable insects which are also important food sources for birds and bats. They can also provide useful transit routes between wetter sites for great crested newts. GSAB’s management objectives are all highly relevant to establishing nature networks:     increase connectivity across farms by using field boundary features to link with other habitats e.g. planting a hedge to link two areas of woodland improve structure and diversity of hedgerows to create a range of habitats and food sources protect hedgerows, dykes and grass margins from stock to prevent browsing/damage improve diversity of grass margins to increase their value to pollinating insects. If more complex stock management is introduced to enhance grassland habitats (e.g. mob grazing), then maintenance and repair of dykes and hedgerows may be of importance in some places where (electric) fencing is impracticable or economically unviable (though see §7.2.4 for electronic ‘virtual fencing’ as a possible alternative). Wetlands and open water Away from the rivers and riverbanks themselves, wetlands of di erent kinds o er complex opportunities for network establishment at a range of scales. Open water, and patches of wet ground, are also important elements of other habitat types, particularly wet woodlands and grassland, and therefore need to be thought about when establishing those corridors (i.e. not all wetlands need to be part of specific wetland corridors.) Water flow and drainage conditions also need consideration, including both seasonal and secular changes. Wetlands comprise a range of di erent habitats supporting a correspondingly wide range of plants and animals. They also play important roles in flood risk management, water purification and carbon sequestration. In the Glenkens they include a number of LBAP habitats: Wet Woodland, Swamp, Fen, Marsh, and Reedbeds. The GSAB management plan identifies nutrient poor (oligotrophic) lochs such as Woodhall SSSI as a high focus habitat, but also acknowledges the importance of other freshwater habitats, including for supporting the high focus species Brown Trout and Water Vole. 24Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 At a large scale, there are peat networks which could be (re-)established, principally through forest-to-bog programmes i.e. converting existing commercial plantations on peat to their original, raised bog habitats, with gains in both biodiversity and carbon sequestration terms37. At a smaller scale, grassland areas are typically threaded by flows of water o and around higher land. This supports a network of di erent habitat types, depending on topology and soil: nutrient poor bogs on peat of di erent depths, richer fen habitats, and open water as both ponds and streams, which collectively create a habitat type of importance for insects and wading birds such as Curlew and Snipe. Management of these areas is primarily a matter of controlling grazing pressure – not always reducing stock levels, but managing animals appropriately to favour particular habitats and avoid damage in wet weather. Managing water flows is also important, which for habitat creation/restoration can often mean rewetting drained areas. The potential for both of these is closely interwoven with farming practices. A distinction (without hard boundaries on the ground) can be made between two kinds of area. Figure 1 shows this contrast between two typical sites. Figure 1 Habitat mosaics and networks in grasslands In the more intensively managed drumlin areas (Figure 1 left), the network is one of watery habitats around and between improved grassland (generally of lower biodiversity value) This report does not cover upland peatland restoration of blanket bogs per se. A holistic Glenkens nature restoration programme would need to look at this in association with grassland and other upland habitat types, but for present purposes the upland peat does not really constitute a network involving potentially mobile species. 37 25Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 on the characteristic rounded hills. In the rough grassland areas (Figure 1 right) the hydrology is somewhat similar, leading to a complex mix of habitats linked by water flows, but the less distinctive topology and the use of the whole area for extensive grazing makes it more useful to think in terms of generic grassland habitat management, discussed below. Grassland and Other Open Grazing Land Grazing land is an important component of the Glenkens landscape, and fundamental to its farming systems. Some types, and specific sites, are of high biodiversity value, as summarised below. However, in terms of establishing networks this is a challenging category:    The various habitat types are frequently intermingled in a dense and not obviously patterned way, resulting from the interactions of underlying topography, soils and hydrology, together with the history of land management – this creates di iculties for: o knowing what is most important in ecological terms in any given area, especially given that neither categorisation nor resolution of available maps is particularly helpful in this context o establishing workable management plans beyond very rough changes to livestock type (e.g. cattle rather than sheep) and stocking levels (typically reduction, but also mob grazing etc.) over fairly large areas, which will benefit some habitats but not necessarily all, all of the time. Because of grazing land’s importance to farm economies, management changes for biodiversity/habitat reasons must be integrated with little or no short-term cost in time, money or other resources. In the marginal areas in particular this is challenging since the stock are managed on a whole-farm basis, moved around according to season and weather in ways which mean that, for example, reducing stocking on a particular field has knock-on e ects across the farm. On the more intensively farmed land, the grassland is a financially important resource: losing it, or reducing its productive quality, has significant cost implications (partly because it would reduce the area eligible for subsidy, at least under the current payment system). Additionally, rewetting land can carry risks to livestock from disease and parasites. Farm practices often have long histories, and are unique to each farm, engrained in some cases at least in multi-generational memories, practices and legal agreements (e.g. over numbers of sheep on a tenanted farm). In the intensively farmed areas the whole thrust of farm management has been towards production and ‘improvement’ for decades – reversing this is asking farmers to change a mindset as well as their business model and practices. Proposals for change may therefore meet resistance which goes beyond the purely economic and practical, and is potentially harder to address. That said, farmers also tend to be very pragmatic, and where economically viable solutions can be found they may well adapt. The subsidy regime is of 26Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026  paramount importance here, particularly to smaller scale, traditionally minded farmers. Grazing is an essential management tool for grassland habitats. Without some level of stocking, valued biodiversity will be eliminated by the more aggressive plant species. Consequently farm management and biodiversity management have to be integrated. This complexity is reinforced if corridors are designed across land management boundaries (whether of ownership or tenancy), where unconnected management systems and business plans come together with no past or present integration or obvious, existing mechanism to create it in future. In purely biodiversity terms, GSAB identifies several distinct high focus grassland habitats: Purple moor grass and rush pasture: this is important for a number of plant, invertebrate and bird species, though its extent and condition is unknown. It is one component of the Cleugh SSSI in the Glenkens. The ideal grazing management for maintaining the complex assemblage of species, as set out in the GSAB Management Plan (p. 22), exemplifies the complexity and site-specific nature of grassland management. Acid grassland: Upland acid grassland covers large areas of the higher land, though much has been converted to commercial forestry. It also varies in current biodiversity value, often being the result of overgrazing of other upland ground covers: in consequence the GSAB management objective is to increase the species-rich areas, probably in the context of (re)creating a matrix of grass and heathland. As such the potential for habitat expansion and/or network creation is limited. Lowland acid grassland is present in tiny, scattered pockets across many of the rough grazing areas in the Glenkens, and much the same argument applies. Neutral and Calcareous Grasslands: These extremely species-diverse habitats exist in tiny pockets in the Glenkens, requiring histories of little or no ‘improvement’, dry sites and (for calcareous sites) specific underlying geology. Although even at 10 m resolution only one patch of neutral grassland appears in the Glenkens habitat mapping (near Balmaclellan), the SSSI citation for the Cleugh refers to both types as elements in the very fine-grained matrix of habitats on the site, and it is possible that unmapped pockets exist elsewhere. Two further high focus habitats are found in the higher areas. Upland heathland, and montane heath/scrub are important UK Biodiversity Action Plan and LBAP listed habitats. Only very scattered scraps are present in the Glenkens, and none of these are obvious candidates for corridor development at this stage, though all would be important in any 27Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 holistic nature restoration programme. (Note that currently plans exist for expansion of montane scrub at the grassland-forest boundary on the eastern side of the Rhinns of Kells ridge, led by a private estate owner.) 3.3.4 Problematic Species Dumfries and Galloway is troubled by a number of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), and as with any land management, work to establish nature networks must take care not to facilitate the spread of these – a particular risk since the whole point of these networks is to encourage species dispersal. Dumfries and Galloway is troubled by a number of Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS), and as with any land management, work to establish nature networks must take care not to facilitate the spread of these – a particular risk since the whole point of these networks is to encourage species dispersal38. From a terrestrial network creation perspective, Grey Squirrels are a particular problem: increasing woodland connectivity risks encouraging the growth and spread of the population, and thus threatening the red squirrel population. This risk is worsened by the specific preferences of the two species, with oak woodland favouring grey squirrels. Management objectives thus include not planting large-seeded species such as oak, beech, chestnuts and hazel in areas where these species are currently scarce, and planting species which are favoured by red squirrels, including blackthorn, hawthorn, wild cherry and some conifers, including the non-native Douglas fir and Norway spruce. Although not categorised as an INNS due to its commercial importance, Sitka spruce can present challenges for the establishment of habitats which are ecologically richer than commercial plantations. The species readily self-seeds into open ground, and areas several hundred metres from plantations may be colonised by seedlings that are di icult to eradicate. This can hinder the development of habitat networks adjacent to commercial forestry land, as well as the restoration of bog habitats or establishing diverse woodland, scrub or grassland corridors within forested areas. Furthermore, Sitka spruce plantations provide relatively poor habitat for red squirrels compared with some other conifer species (for example, Norway spruce) but the establishment of more diverse commercial plantations can also be compromised by ongoing Sitka spruce regeneration. 3.3.5 Potential Conflicts A final ecological issue for nature network establishment is the potential for conflict between equally desirable habitats. (This is on top of the potential for conflict with non- Species of concern include American Skunk Cabbage, Curly Waterweed (Lagarosiphon), Grey Squirrel, Mink, New Zealand Pigmyweed (crassula), North American Signal Crayfish and Rhododendron. For more detail, see the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (https://invasivespecies.scot/), as well as the GSAB Management Plan and the LBAP. 38 28Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 ecological land management objectives.) Sometimes choices will have to be made between objectives for habitat creation on the same piece of land, such as     creating oak woodland vs. red squirrel protection (and therefore choosing other species) mixed broadleaved woodland (typical of drier areas) vs. willow woodland creation in riparian planting protecting margins of oligotrophic lochs vs riparian planting tree planting vs. creation of wetlands. There are also specific issues for grassland bird habitats and adjacent woodlands. While the woodland edge is a valuable habitat for some bird species, woodland-based raptors can predate ground nesting birds in grassland, to the extent that many waders will not nest within a few hundred metres of a woodland. In other cases the issue will be specific to network creation, where a valuable habitat interrupts a potential structurally connected network - for instance where a high quality grassland patch lies between woodland patches. In such cases judgements will have to be made depending on context e.g. what the local priority is, whether functional but not structural connectivity is su icient, how much damage is likely to be caused by planting, and – ideally perhaps – whether a compromise can be reached through, for instance, planting spaced tree clusters rather than continuous woodland. 3.4 Mapping and Data This study drew on the following spatial ecological data sources:       NBN Atlas Scotland for locations of species sitings The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology’s (CEH) CEH Habitat map – for the most detailed (10 m resolution) land cover across all habitat types, including grassland Scotland’s Soils for peat For woodlands: HABMOS Native Woodland, Scottish Forestry (SF) Native Woodland (and the simplified version of the latter), and the Lost Rainforests map of Atlantic Rainforest fragments NatureScot’s Site Link for maps of designated sites, with links to site designation and management documents NatureScot’s new (2025) Natural Capital Tool (beta version) for habitat data and network opportunities. Landowner information was obtained in part from Who Owns Scotland. Satellite imagery was taken from Google Maps and Google Earth Pro. All of the above provide useful information, but all were found to have drawbacks and limitations. 29Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 For scoping woodland networks the most useful were HABMOS and the SF survey, with the Natural Capital Tool for identifying opportunities, particularly high priority gaps and the permeability of the surrounding matrix. Satellite imagery was always needed to determine more precise boundaries, the existence of small pockets of woodland (and sometimes individual trees) and to an extent the quality of the woodland. (The ‘canopy cover’ layer of the SF Native Woodland data was also useful for this.) All of these have limits, though, and field visits were essential for detailed scoping and planning planting, given the fine details of habitats and their intersection with land management. There is therefore an obvious challenge with resourcing wide-scale network development. For hedgerows and dykes no spatial data is freely available. The National Hedgerow Map is a commercial product which looks potentially extremely useful, albeit expensive (estimated at £8000+VAT for the study area). (The same company produces a National Tree Map which was not examined in detail, due to access constraints, but may compare favourably with the use of drones at scale.) In consequence Google Maps were the only data source used here, though the resolution in the Glenkens is too poor to be any more than indicative of the presence (rather than the size or quality) of hedgerows. For grassland the CEH map and Natural Capital Tool were the most useful, again supplemented with Google Maps and Google Earth imagery. The complexity and fine scale of the grassland habitats creates di iculties for all of these. While the satellite imagery is useful for distinguishing between improved and rough grazing, it is rather poor for distinguishing between grassland, heathland, mire, bog etc. given the resolution. The CEH map’s 10 m resolution is better for this, but its usefulness is seriously reduced by its single categorisation of ‘improved’ grassland, without distinguishing between slightly improved rough grazing and intensively farmed silage fields – all the sub-categories are within unimproved habitats. The Natural Capital Tool is more useful for this, but the underlying definitions and methodology needed more work at time of writing to make the categories more reliable. They are also insu iciently fine-grained to pick up the details of a complex matrix of di erent habits. Even field visits are limited, since to establish potential grassland corridor routes would involve detailed surveys across large areas. Expectations that local knowledge would resolve these problems were challenged in practice: while some land managers may know their land in ecological detail, one farmer reported that he did not, but that he relied on his livestock to determine what and where to graze. This does not, of course, mean that they graze in the most ecologically beneficial way. 30Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 4 Proposed Habitat Corridors: Priorities for Network Development In this section three networks are discussed: broadleaved woodlands, hedgerows and ‘pollinator pathways’ (i.e. plants and trees which support insects of particular value as pollinators). These have been selected for a mix of ecological and pragmatic reasons, as the most useful and feasible networks on which work could be started. Section 5 discusses habitats which are important for nature restoration, but where the creation of networks is not necessarily the most feasible or valuable approach. 4.1 Broadleaved Woodland Broadleaved woodland o ers the greatest potential for short- to long-term habitat corridor creation in the Glenkens. There is an existing framework of woodlands, a high level of community support (including from some land managers), funding and expertise available through D&G Woodlands (DGW) to take rapid practical action, and a general social interest in and acceptance of the value of woodlands and tree planting. Creating or enriching small areas of woodland may often be compatible with existing farming practices: fencing o problematic areas such as riverbanks may actually be beneficial for stock management, and any potential losses can be restricted to unproductive pockets of land. Because of the long-term nature of woodland creation, negotiations over planting will usually involve landowners as well as managers where these are di erent people. Tenant farmers in particular may not be able to agree to planting. This can be problematic where landowners are physically distant and/or not very engaged in the locality. 4.1.1 Approach to Identification The candidate networks were selected based on:    where relatively small interventions could potentially substantially increase existing connectivity, identified principally using the NatureScot Natural Capital Tool linking Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) with existing tree elements where land managers or other organisations were particularly supportive or already active. 4.1.2 Candidate Networks/Locations Five potential candidate network areas are listed below, in descending order of their probable feasibility. All would need further exploration, both on the ground and with relevant land managers, in order to realise them. Each is shown with a rough, indicative position on maps on a base map of the Woodland Opportunities layer from NatureScot’s Natural Capital Tool. 31Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 1: North Glenkens Map 3 North Glenkens - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors Networks: 1a: Water of Ken Woods/Hannaston Wood SSSIs; 1b: Ardoch and Earlstoun Loch; 1c: Polharrow Glen 1a: Water of Ken Woods/Hannaston Wood SSSIs. The core of this network area is the linkages between the separate parts of the Water of Ken Woods / Hannaston Wood SSSIs. This involves four private estates (Garroch, Glenlee, Earlstoun, and land owned by the Maxwell family) and possibly Drax’s land around Glenlee Power Station.   Garple Burn to Glenlee is the longest stretch between SSSI components. Negotiations with one of the land owners mean that it is hoped that planting along two strands of the network will take place in autumn 2026. Glenlee to Old Glenlee: three potential corridors, all with small gaps, mainly on the Garroch Estate but including land belonging to Drax. Some of the corridors are of 32Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026   mixed quality, categorised by Scottish Forestry as PAWS 39 and near-native woodland, though some of these areas have been fully replanted with broad leaved species in 2024-25. Hannaston and three western Water of Ken woods are already apparently well linked, although a ground survey is needed to confirm continuous woodland cover and its condition. The network could be significantly extended up the Garroch Glen with the filling of small gaps at Knocksheen and Knocksheen Glen, and further still (to above Drumbuie) with additional riparian planting. The Garple-Glenlee sites have been assessed on foot, but the remainder of the above would all require ground truthing, as the woodland is very diverse and its species make- up, age structure, quality and continuity cannot be definitively assessed from remote sensing data. 1b: Ardoch and Earlstoun Loch. An exciting possibility is linking the above northwards from the Garple Wood SSSI to the native woodlands (including fragments of Atlantic rainforest) along the Trolane Burn as far as Ardoch and Gordonston Woods. This is almost continuous woodland, but establishing the network will be complicated by multiple landholdings, including some smallholdings at Gordonston. From Ardoch, two possible corridors could be created, linking existing stepping stones of variable quality that are already linked in places by very thin riparian tree cover and possibly hedgerows. One leads north-west across Earlstoun Estate land at the end of Earlstoun Loch; the other south-west across Blawquhairn Farm (part of the Sinclair landholdings) to the woods at the south end of the loch. Both shores of the loch have a substantial amount of woodland, with the largest gaps containing some scattered scrub along the shore. There is potential for gap-filling here to link the ends of the corridors from Ardoch woods, and also to link southwards to 1a (requiring further riparian planting along the Water of Ken) and westwards to 1c in the Polharrow Glen. Any riparian planting from the power station to Dalry bridge would require careful community engagement, as this riverbank is a highly valued walk for local residents. Sensitive planting could enhance the setting, but also risks hiding the river from the path, and would probably be resisted. 1c: Polharrow Glen. Forrest Estate plans to create a broadleaved corridor from the headwaters of the Polharrow Burn to the estate boundary a few kilometres from the Water of Ken confluence. There are some important gaps between this boundary and the PAWS are Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites, where tree cover has been continuous for centuries but the original, usually native broadleaved, woodland has been replaced by plantations, usually of non- native conifers. 39 33Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 corridors of 1b. Preliminary discussions with Knocknalling Estate suggest the north bank of the Polharrow could be more densely wooded as far as the wooded gorge which leads down to the confluence with the Water of Ken at Inverharrow. Further discussion would be needed with land managers for the link from Inverharrow south along the river and the upper shores of the loch. 2: Lochs Ken and Woodhall Map 4 Lochs Ken and Woodhall - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors A set of broadleaved woodlands, riparian planting, and wet woodlands come together around New Galloway and the Kenmure Holms SSSI, and are potentially connected southwards along the west side of Loch Ken through FLS’s Bennan Block to established 34Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 and new planting at Mossdale, along the Water of Dee to the Airds of Kells SSSI and the Loch Ken shore. A more tenuous but potentially feasible extension southwards along Woodhall Loch to around Laurieston could be connected back to Loch Ken via existing stepping-stone woods across the Dornell Estate and/or along the B795 (e ectively the southern edge of the Glenkens for the purposes of this study). The rationale for this includes:     existing fragments of high-quality broadleaved woodland, including the Airds of Kells SSSI, separated by relatively short distances, with river- and loch-side fringes o ering substantial potential for improvement and extension the northern-most section is on land owned by a sympathetic landowner, and capable of being networked with the Water of Ken Woods network described above organisational support for interventions, including plans by NTS, RSPB and D&G Woodlands for a willow tit habitat corridor (wet woodlands, etc.) from Kenmure Holms SSSI to Threave Castle, of which this would form the northern section, and FLS’s intention to convert much of the lower part of Bennan Block to broadleaves over the coming years although not explored with relevant FLS managers, the A712/Queen’s Way (Knocknairling Burn–Clatteringshaws Loch) and Pultarson Burn glens both contain discontinuous broadleaved woodland that could potentially be linked into the New Galloway woodlands, extending corridors westwards. Challenges include:   the current timescale for conversion of the Bennan Block extends over several decades, leaving at least one short stretch of conifer (Norway spruce) as a seed stand; however, recent emphasis on native networks may change this, and there may be su icient loch side space (owned by Drax) to bypass the spruce stand potential conflicts with other important habitats: o careful species and management choices would be required to develop native (oak, ash) woodland alongside wet (willow, alder) habitats for willow tits o some sections of the corridor are important wetland habitats that would need to be protected from impacts of woodland creation, including the Woodhall Loch SSSI and the loch and grassy shores of Loch Ken SSSI, with their important wintering goose populations. 35Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 3: Water of Urr Map 5 Water of Urr/Ken-Urr links - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors The banks of the Water of Urr have remarkably continuous riparian woodland from the A712 near Corsock to the A75 at Ramhill Bridge, a straight-line distance of approximately 10 km. While variable in width and density, this corridor would be worth exploring with the half-dozen or so landowners involved. D&G Woodlands are supportive of the idea, although they have not made approaches to the landowners. There are also a number of larger broadleaved woods in the valley that could be connected into a riparian-based network. Organisationally, the Upper Urr already has an active community group developing a woodland area that could form the basis for leading a mid-Urr network, as well as exploring the potential for linking their site further downstream. The principal opportunity in the mid part of the Water of Urr is riparian planting. The existing network is most easily visible on the CEH Land Cover Map (2024, 10 m 36Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 resolution). The very speculative concepts of Ken-Urr links are also visible as very incomplete chains of ‘stepping stone’ habitat patches. 4: Far North Glenkens Map 6 Far North Glenkens - indicative map of broadleaved woodland corridors A relatively small but continuous broadleaved network is developing around Dundeugh Hill and Kendoon Loch. This appears to be largely independent work of various landowners (including Carsphairn Community Woodland) undertaking extensive planting, but there are a few key gaps on FLS land. As at Loch Ken, FLS is in principle supportive, but has existing long-term management plans into which nature networks have yet to be fully integrated. Further up the Carsphairn Lane, fragments of woodland - much of it willow - exist on private land and may have potential for linking into the more continuous woodlands along the Water of Deugh and Kendoon Loch. 37Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 5: Ken–Urr links This is a highly speculative idea, intended to stimulate longer-term thinking. The preceding proposals are all constrained by watersheds, largely reflecting the geography of the Glenkens. However, two currently tenuous potential broadleaved woodland corridors can be identified which would link the Urr and Ken valleys. (See Map 5 above.)   From the Water of Urr at Corsock north-westwards to Knowetop Lochs (a Local Nature Reserve), and from there either (or both) north-west to link with the Garple Woods via Barscobe, or south-west along the Shirmers and Dullarg Burns to the woodlands on the eastern shores of Loch Ken. From Glenlair and Ardmannoch in the Urr valley through Barwhillanty Estate to the woodlands along the valley sides above Loch Ken between Parton and Parton Mill. This would be a complex, multi-landowner project requiring extensive new planting to connect existing stepping stones, but it would create a genuinely extensive, inter-valley network rather than linear habitat corridors. The second corridor is probably more immediately actionable, with much of the corridor falling within a single estate with a supportive owner. 4.2 Hedgerows Hedgerows have considerable potential for network establishment in some parts of the Glenkens. There are many kilometres of varying composition and ‘quality’ in terms of density, width, and species richness, which already provide important habitat and act as corridors between other habitat patches, particularly woodlands. Hedgerows are important for spring-flowering plants and shelter for pollinators, animals and birds. The development of a more consistent and extensive hedgerow network therefore overlaps with the pollinators network discussed in the following section, and can contribute important biodiversity elements at field level on farms. The importance of hedgerows is perhaps particularly great in the intensively managed farmland in the southern part of the Glenkens, where fields are in many cases likely poor in biodiversity terms. However, there is a mix of stone dykes and hedgerows as traditional boundaries, and many fields no longer have either. Any systematic approach to development should therefore also involve riparian trees and scrub: many of the small watercourses running through farmland retain some woody vegetation, which can be linked with field boundaries. (See Figure 1 (left image) for an example.) Hedgerows also o er significant opportunities for community involvement. Developing a substantial network would require extensive ground surveying, and there is a relatively simple, readily available, and well-tested hedgerow survey methodology that community 38Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 members could be trained to use 40. Given that hedgerows are a familiar and much- appreciated element of the landscape, it seems likely that local residents - both adults and young people - could be productively involved, potentially in hedge-laying as well as survey work. Establishing hedgerows will probably have little opportunity cost for land managers, and may o er benefits in terms of shelter and foraging opportunities for stock and habitat for pollinators. However, as linear features they can be relatively expensive to establish if fencing is required, and they require on going management. The feasibility of widespread hedgerow establishment is therefore likely to depend on the availability of funding through the new rural payments scheme. 4.2.1 Approach to Identification/Candidate Locations Detailed appraisal was not carried out for the current study, due to the lack of available data. A suggested methodology is as follows:    Use the National Hedgerow Map to identify two kinds of priority areas: o areas with significant but broken hedgerow networks that would benefit from increased connectivity o specific - potentially quite short - lengths of boundary with no or poor hedgerows that could connect woodland patches. Use the social networks developed through the citizen science strand of this project to contact interested community groups, and work with them to develop potential hedgerow survey areas. Approach relevant landowners based on the outcomes of these two stages. 4.3 Pollinators The concept of a specific pollinators network comprising (initially at least) domesticated fruit trees is included here both because of the importance of this ecosystem service to agriculture and the cultural importance of fruit trees, and because it has been the focus of a successful initiative in the Glenkens in 2025. Funded by a grant from Scottish Power Energy Networks to Dalry Community Council and delivered by Propagate, this initiative demonstrated enthusiasm among local residents and groups for fruit tree planting, and resulted in the planting of 130 trees across the Glenkens (see Map 3). 40 See https://hedgerowsurvey.ptes.org/hedge-surveys. 39Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Map 7 The Pollinators Network in early 2026 These scattered plantings do not in themselves constitute a network, but they are only part of known recent fruit tree planting activity. There are also many existing fruit trees - and other important pollinator resources - already established in the Glenkens, particularly in gardens and hedgerows. The proposed next step would therefore be to map existing fruit trees across the Glenkens and, on that basis, determine an e ective way forward. As with hedgerows, and particularly because many fruit trees are located within settlements, they are readily identifiable during flowering and fruiting seasons. Given the existing involvement of a community-based organisation, such a survey could productively be carried out by local communities. 40Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 5 Important Habitats for Restoration, with Lower Network Priority 5.1 Why Networks May Not Always Be a Priority This section discusses habitats that are important for nature restoration in the Glenkens, but where the creation of networks at a landscape scale is not necessarily the most valuable or immediately feasible approach. A holistic nature restoration programme would pursue habitat creation inspired by all four of the Lawton principles - more, bigger, better and joined up - with the combination and balance of these tailored to each habitat type within the local ecological and social context. In some cases, it may make more sense to focus on protecting and creating high-quality habitats than on linking them, for a number of reasons. 5.2 Grassland The core tool for managing grassland areas to improve habitats would be stock management. As discussed in §3.3, this is likely to face intertwined ecological, economic, practical, cultural and, in some cases, legal obstacles. Networking improved habitats adds a further layer of complexity, since even at a single-farm scale identifying possible linkages between important habitat patches may be di icult, and at any larger scale runs into practical and cultural problems associated with coordinating farm management across boundaries. However, grassland is so important in both habitat and social terms in the Glenkens that it must form part of any holistic nature restoration programme. What is suggested here is the identification of significant grassland areas, which could contribute to creating any or all of more, bigger and better habitats, and which might – if the details work out – also constitute networks. A pilot action could involve: a. Identifying an area containing a small number of landholdings with large, more or less continuous areas of semi-improved and unimproved grassland and heathland. b. Conducting detailed discussions with land managers about the nature of the land, in as much detail as possible, and where changes in stock management might be made. c. Undertaking ground surveys to identify any areas of particularly high biodiversity value. d. Bringing together (b) and (c) to propose pilot management changes. A candidate area for such a pilot is the land on either side of the B7000 from the High Bridge of Ken to Blawquhairn Farm, north of Dalry. This area contains substantial areas of the relevant grassland types and involves only four large-scale land managers, three of whom were involved in this study. (This does not imply that they would be immediately supportive of the pilot, but they would probably be receptive to discussing it in detail.) 41Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 The area also o ers the possibility of linking with the Cleugh SSSI and with several rewilding plots along the B7000. The new rural payments scheme will be of enormous importance to the possibility of significant changes in grassland management, and any sustained e ort in this area should await the publication of the scheme’s detailed proposals (planned for spring or summer 2026). 5.3 Wetlands and open water 5.3.1 Bog, Mire, Wetland, and Peat Within the Grassland Areas As described in §3.3.3, throughout much of the Glenkens wetlands, bogs, mires and small areas of open water are intricately mixed and blend into heath and grassland, whether these areas are principally used for rough grazing or for intensively farmed silage production. As with grassland, this landscape structure does not lead obviously to large scale network creation. For nature restoration it is therefore suggested that wet habitats are either incorporated into holistic planning of grazing land habitats and piloted as part of this approach (as outlined above), or treated as small-scale networks in and around the improved grassland, probably at the scale of single fields or small groups of neighbouring fields (i.e. the kind of scale shown in Figure 1, where the squares are 250 ha). Piloting in the improved grassland areas would follow the same approach as with extensive grazing, but ideally – at least initially – on a single landholding. It is anticipated that delivering significant interventions will be di icult, and both this and the small-scale nature of the habitat networks suggest that the additional issues associated with multiple land ownership should be avoided. 5.3.2 Larger Scale Peatland Significant areas of blanket bogs occur in the upland areas of the Glenkens. Much of this is in poor condition, and would be a priority for restoration within a holistic programme. Habitat networks are unlikely to be central to this, unless at a very large scale the conversion of commercial plantations to bog allowed the connection of the fragments of Class 1 and 2 peat soils. An exception exists in the Water of Dee valley between Silver Flowe SSSI and Clatteringshaws Loch, where a series of raised bogs still exist, surrounded by conifer plantations, and could be linked through forest-to-bog conversion. This is, however, outwith the area covered by this report. 42Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 5.4 Land Managed for Nature Restoration Throughout the Glenkens there are landowners already engaged in nature restoration in di erent ways. While these areas do not in themselves constitute a network in structural terms at a landscape scale, for some species these ‘wilder’ areas may act as a functionally connected set of stepping stones, particularly where several such landholdings lie close together. These areas are noted here for their potential role in any programme of network establishment, both because they may already constitute pockets of rich habitat, and because their managers are likely to be supportive of the concept and potentially able to act as advocates with other land managers. The three categories outlined below are useful for distinguishing di erent types of landholdings and approach to restoration, but they are not mutually exclusive. 5.4.1 Smallholder Ecological Restoration At several sites in the Glenkens clusters of smallholdings were created between 1994 and 2004, under local ‘smallholding policies’ in Carsphairn and Dalry. Elsewhere, individual smallholdings have been created through independent land sales. Anecdotally, it seems that many of these are now owned by people deliberately restoring them to a more natural state (in some cases, but not all, self-describing as ‘rewilding’41.) The Dalry LPP contains a community aspiration to create additional smallholdings of this type in order to help build ‘biodiversity corridors’ along roads. Typically, these plots are reverting from grazing land to scrub and woodland, in some cases augmented with tree planting (including under the Pollinators Network project) and creation of ponds and watercourses, but in others allowing natural processes to take their course. As a result, and depending on the condition they started from, they can develop into very rich habitats, although this comes at the risk of losing some specialist grassland species. In some locations these plots lie close enough together that their management could be coordinated and/or they could be physically linked through negotiation with intervening landholders. Key areas, which have not been investigated in detail for this report, are along the B7000 near the Cleugh SSSI (where two landowners have started this process) (“A” on Map 4), the B729 between Carsphairn and the Marscalloch Hill forest (“B”), the A712 east of Balmaclellan (“C”), and in Gordonston Woods northeast of Dalry (“D”). See Map 4. This is a term I have otherwise deliberately avoided in this report, as it is ambiguous and controversial, and therefore unhelpful. 41 43Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 5.4.2 Reduced Intensity Agriculture Some land is being farmed in ways which favour nature restoration, whilst seeking (in some cases) to maintain productivity. These holdings are typically larger than the smallholders described above, and so potentially o er greater gains, though they more widely scattered geographically. In some cases, de-intensification is deliberate and includes farm management and other interventions (such as planting native crab apple trees) aimed at enriching habitats and maintaining a diverse mosaic. In other cases, biodiversity gains seem to be a result of (benign) neglect. The largest such area is probably the very diverse mix of grassland, woodland and scrub which lies east of Loch Ken, between the A712 and Parton - particularly from around Craig Farm Road south to Arvie Burn. Map 8 Indicative locations of land already being managed for nature restoration 44Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 5.4.3 Other Nature-Friendly Farming Initiatives Even where overall farming intensity has not been deliberately reduced, many Glenkens farmers have undertaken a range of nature-friendly measures, much of it supported through current and previous agricultural subsidy schemes. There is significant potential for this work to expand under the revised rural payments scheme, and to be enhanced through supporting collaboration and interventions at scale. For these initiatives to contribute e ectively to nature networks, mechanisms will be required to map and coordinate activity. The Regenerative Farming Network provides a potential vehicle for this among farmers who identify with that approach. For others, particularly those who regard themselves as more ‘traditional’, NFUS is likely to be the most appropriate organisation to play a leading coordinating role. For the estates, Scottish Land and Estates may o er a similar role. 45Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 6 Monitoring 6.1 Monitoring Nature Networks Monitoring the changes brought about by establishing nature networks is important in order to:    increase understanding of how biodiversity responds to this kind of intervention justify expenditure, both for accountability (“was this money well spent?”) and in proposals for future work enthuse the public and other stakeholders to become involved in further network development. Monitoring activity and immediate outputs is relatively straightforward: any implementation project could track lengths of network created, numbers of habitat patches connected, areas of habitat improved, and so on, along with socio-economic data such as numbers of landholders involved and members of the community engaged in citizen science initiatives. Details of the data to be collected would need to be developed for each project, although some standardisation across di erent habitats and projects would be advantageous in building an overall picture of e ectiveness. Evaluating impacts on biodiversity is a far more complicated and challenging issue. A small number of species to monitor would need to be selected, which were either:    targets for conservation in their own right, such as red squirrels and other GSAB and LBAP priority species, or indicator species associated with the target habitats and which would be expected to benefit from network creation, and collectively indicated species richness. The second category is deliberately narrowly defined: this would be a smaller set of indicators than would be required for a full nature restoration programme. (For instance, it would not include the important but relatively immobile mosses and liverworts characteristic of native oak woodlands.) Although this is conceptually straightforward, putting it into practice will be challenging. As the Nature Network Framework points out42, there are significant problems with the availability and accuracy of data on the occurrence of many species. This is compounded by the very limited information available on what habitat configuration constitutes functional connectivity for many species. 42 https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature-networks-framework Delivery Principles: Theme 4. 46Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 In practice, it will be important to make significant e orts to collect baseline data from the outset of any intervention and to monitor changes in indicators over time. This will always be resource-intensive, particularly where networks are being developed piecemeal through actions by individual landowners43. On a case-by-case basis, a monitoring plan will need to be developed that delivers at least a minimum level of information that is “good enough to be useful”, while remaining feasible without excessive investment in monitoring equipment or specialist sta time. Nothing more detailed can be prescribed at this stage, except that monitoring should be considered from the outset of any project and, where possible, some degree of standardisation in data collection and recording should be introduced. Ideally, records would be submitted through iNaturalist, but individual projects will need to decide which species to record, which system will work best for those involved, how the data will be analysed, and by whom. 6.2 Citizen Science Given the aim of nature networks to bring people closer to nature, and the sheer scale of monitoring required to evaluate their impacts, citizen science o ers considerable potential. Details of the citizen science strand of this project, carried out by Niki Inglis, are available in a separate report44. The following paragraphs present a brief summary, edited from that report’s Executive Summary. Three pilot sites were identified based on their location, variety, community networks and availability: Dalry School, Carsphairn Community Woodland (CCW) and New Galloway Community Garden (NCG). During the project, a total of five events were completed, including training, a school visit and three monitoring events. The monitoring events tested two di erent methods of gathering data to enable comparison and help establish a baseline for monitoring activities: Habitat overview for major tree locations, species and sizes, and plant diversity, abundance and distribution; Quadrat sampling for detailed species identification using apps, guides or shared knowledge. Tangible project outcomes included digital habitat maps of the pilot sites, an ecological summary report template, and the Glenkens Monitoring Toolkit as a shared resource for future monitoring events. It was possible to gain an understanding of the di erent capabilities involved and to provide guidance for building the capabilities of citizen scientists, from Level 1 In some cases it may be possible, and extremely valuable, to link with larger scale work being coordinated by GSAB and SWSEIC. 44 N. Inglis (2026) at https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/baseline-monitoring-of-the- development-of-nature-networks-in-the-glenkens. 43 47Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 citizen scientists at the start of their journey through to Level 3 after approximately three years, representing fully invested and engaged participants in the citizen science programme. With this in mind, three di erent scenarios for establishing a citizen science network were developed: Scenario 1: Distributed network: Engaging the community in self-serve biological monitoring and recording on a casual basis, creating a distributed network of citizen scientists across the region. Records would be completed as and when recorders are available, with local activities helping to share information in an engaging way. This could also include engaging citizen scientists in monitoring at home, in their own gardens. (£38 per site) Scenario 2: Monitoring events: Supporting sites or communities across the region to host monitoring events and build experience. The monitoring toolkit could be expanded to increase capabilities, and experts could mentor groups by attending events and sharing their knowledge and experience. (£600 start-up; £220 per event; £300 per year training) Scenario 3: Coordinated approach: Developing a dedicated core team to contribute to regional land-use and nature-recovery strategy by gathering data to inform decisions and track progress. 6–8 members of the core team could be deployed for monitoring at any site, including private sites such as farms or forest plantations. (£11, 800 per year) Whichever path is chosen, the importance of training to continue building citizen science capability cannot be understated. Developing appropriate monitoring metrics—including both biodiversity state indicators and engagement indicators— should also be carefully considered (see above §6.1). Considering that this project strand was predominantly focused on baseline monitoring through citizen science, and that further funding may take time to secure, it is recommended to begin with the distributed network. This would raise awareness and engage communities through casual monitoring as a lower-e ort, less resource-intensive starting point with potentially wide reach across the region. Moving forward, monitoring events could be added to contribute more regularly to data collection, monitoring and recording as awareness grows and funding is secured. In the longer term, by building up the citizen science network and establishing a coordinated approach, this work could contribute to the development of nature networks and inform local land-use strategy by filling data gaps, investigating habitats and recording wildlife across the region. Mapping and tracking improvements could be supported by field data from a wide range of sites, 48Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 including private land, potentially contributing to land managers’ biological reporting requirements and fostering collaboration towards nature recovery. These training sessions and others carried out to date in the Glenkens have mainly involved groups or individuals from the community with an existing interest in data recording. This is likely to work well in some settings, where habitats are directly observable on, or easily accessible from, public land (such as roadside hedgerows and woodlands with a tradition of public access and established path networks, for example parts of Glenlee Woods). However, it is possible - indeed likely, given comments from some land managers about concerns over increased public access - that obtaining frequent, large-scale access to private land for people outside the farming community as envisaged by the third scenario above, may be challenging. Addressing this is an important next step. Three approaches are worth testing:    negotiating access for community groups or a cadre of trained citizen scientists, which may work with some land managers, but probably not all training land managers to carry out their own monitoring, potentially building on requirements linked to agricultural subsidy schemes - some element of this is likely to be essential and would need to be developed carefully to minimise the additional work burden piloting estate-based citizen science initiatives, where monitoring is o ered as part of wider visitor, educational or diversification activities. This final approach emerged from a landowner engaged late in the project who was keen to establish baseline data and monitor change, and whose estate already provides accommodation and courses for visitors. While not universally applicable, this model has potential as a pilot and could, if successful, be promoted peer-to-peer among land managers. 6.3 Art, Fun, and Knowledge The third strand of the overall project is the involvement of members of the community in participatory monitoring. Where this involves habitat or species monitoring, it clearly overlaps with the citizen science discussed above. Participatory monitoring of land use change is a rather di erent element, however, and was one of the intended themes of the 2025 Land Notes Festival and actions following on from it. The most obvious example of this is Glenkens View Points, an open-ended fixed-point photography project recording land use change visible from a number of locations in the Glenkens. This uses as a baseline Donald Watson’s detailed paintings made from the same viewpoints from the 1950s until the 1970s. The Festival was successful in bringing people together to engage with issues of land, land use and change in creative and enjoyable ways. Importantly, these were collective 49Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 experiences and can be used as a foundation on which to build more focused actions going forward. From a nature networks perspective, the most useful of these would be:    extending the View Points QR code methodology to locations where visibly networked habitats are planned or anticipated; this could be built into projects as each is established placing a more explicit focus within the Festivals on observing and (where relevant) celebrating change, and on celebrating amateur record-keeping actively attempting to create a network of amateur record-keepers in the Glenkens. This last point was a hoped-for outcome of the Festival that did not materialise in practice. Progress on this could build on the citizen science training of Strand 2, but would also require additional e ort to reach people who are already keeping records but lack the interest, rationale or confidence to share them. Clearly a major issue will be to ensure that shared data is usable and used – SWSEIC will likely have a central role in this. 50Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 7 Supporting Network Development 7.1 Sta A clear outcome from this study is that establishing nature networks will be labour- intensive and slow. On the technical and ecological side, this involves detailed work with maps and records and, in virtually all settings, will require ground survey (though see the comments on drones below). On the social side, working with land managers takes time to establish contact, often involving trusted intermediaries, and progressing to actual habitat interventions is likely to require at least two meetings per land manager and possibly one or more site visits. Establishing common goals and vision is often time- consuming, and there may be a need for legal requirements, agreements etc., especially at scale and across landscape. Within the timescale of this project, it was impossible to do more than test land managers’ responsiveness. Of nine individuals not previously known to me, but who were mostly approached through mutual acquaintances, responses lay on a spectrum from:     enthusiastic at first contact growing enthusiasm after some discussion engaged but sceptical interest initial interest followed by no further contact despite follow-ups to  no response despite repeated contact attempts. Other approaches are clearly needed, of which some form of peer-to-peer engagement or collective engagement brokered by a land-based organisation seems most likely to be successful. This will be crucial. Nature restoration could be carried out at scale in the Glenkens by working only with enthusiastic landowners, but the creation of networks requires buy-in from people controlling specific, adjacent parcels of land, not all of whom may be interested. The enthusiasm and support of the NFUS and SLE therefore need to be cultivated and sustained, and other land managers’ groups and networks need to be sought out and engaged with. A wide set of skills, understanding and experience is required within a project, spanning:    technical knowledge and experience of land management, ecology, habitat restoration and mapping understanding of rural communities and economies citizen science 51Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026  the ability to work constructively and creatively with land managers (farmers at di erent scales and with di erent tenures, estate owners and managers, and state- employed forest managers), as well as with non-land-based community groups and individuals. These qualities could be distributed across several people, not necessarily all paid sta , depending on resources and the nature of any project. (See Appendix 2 for a detailed person specification for the ‘ideal worker’, which could form the basis for recruitment of an individual person or team). However, at its core, any project to proactively establish nature networks will require one or more individuals who have at least a working understanding across all these areas, and who can operate empathetically and flexibly as brokers and negotiators. Di erent delivery structures are possible. The following are illustrative examples – with very approximate costings - rather than an exhaustive list:     a small project team of two or three people (for example, a network negotiator, an ecologist/habitat restoration specialist, and a citizen science/community organiser), self-managing but operating for administrative purposes under the aegis of an organisation such as GCAT (c. £100000 per annum) a single individual combining most of the required skills, complemented by commissioned specialist input (e.g. ecology and mapping, or citizen science training and management), working as a contractor or directly employed by GCAT or Dumfries and Galloway Council (c. £50,000 per annum) a nature networks project o icer based within an existing environmental organisation such as DGW or GFT (c. £41,000 per annum) no funded sta , with the content of this report informing ongoing work by relevant organisations, aspirational maps publicised, and the nature networks concept promoted by members of the Community Action Plan Steering Group and others within land management communities to encourage individual land manager activity (zero cost). 7.1.1 Governance During interviews, the question was raised as to whether a new, standalone organisation is needed to lead land use programmes in the Glenkens, including nature networks and restoration, or whether the existing Land Use sub-Committee of the Community Action Plan Steering Group is su icient. Two broad options are outlined below, without judgement as to which is preferable; both have merits and disadvantages. Option 1 No new organisation: A paid worker or project team would be steered by the Land Use sub-Committee, or by a smaller group drawn from it. This would be e icient, avoid start-up costs, and carry credibility with funders and partner organisations, given that GCAT and the Community Action Plan are widely recognised and respected. This 52Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 approach would likely be e ective for delivering specific networks or restoration projects. Its disadvantage is that it would probably remain project-focused, and less e ective at supporting the broader development of the Land Use Vision (such as the Festival, accessing other funding streams, and building links with external organisations), which would remain the responsibility of the Sub-Committee. Option 2 A standalone Land Use Trust or similar: This would involve a small team of volunteer trustees committed to delivering the Land Use Vision, within which management of a specific restoration or nature networks project would form one strand. The advantages would include greater focus and visibility, compared with land use being one function of a wider Community Action Plan structure, and the flexibility that independence can o er. The challenges would include recruiting volunteer trustees with the necessary skills and capacity, potential disconnection from the community infrastructure provided by the Community Action Plan, and the need to establish credibility as a new organisation. These two approaches could potentially be combined if the Land Use sub-Committee were to become more proactive and adopt some of the characteristics of a more independent organisation. Whether this needs to be considered at present depends in part on the outcome of the current (winter 2025/26) application to the Nature Restoration Fund. If successful, the existing structures would need to remain in place for the duration of that project and probably through to the end of any NatureScot-funded delivery phase. At that point, it might be appropriate to consider establishing a standalone organisation to continue developing and delivering a Glenkens Nature Restoration Strategy. 7.2 Resources 7.2.1 Non-Sta Costs Establishing nature networks is resource intensive. Sta costs will almost inevitably be a major component of any large scale programme, but physical implementation is also very expensive. While it is impossible to provide total costs at this stage, given the open- ended nature of network creation, but some indicative figures are given below, arising from actions tested or discussed during this project.    Tree planting carried out directly as a result of this project: low-density planting of approximately one linear kilometre, totalling around 1.77 ha (not all of which required fencing), at a cost of approximately £6,000 Fencing on farmland: approximately £10,000 per kilometre Virtual fencing collars: approximately £30,000 upfront cost for collars for 100 cattle, with ongoing costs of around £3,000 per year. 53Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 To give a sense of scale, the Cairngorms Connect45 partnership has invested approximately £9 million to date in an area of a size comparable to the Glenkens, and is currently the largest nature restoration programme in Scotland. The 20-year Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery Scheme46 in England, covering a much smaller area than the Glenkens (approximately 5%), is receiving an unspecified but substantial proportion of £55 million announced by the UK government in July 2025. 7.2.2 Sources of Funding Unlike many large-scale restoration programmes, the Glenkens is characterised by highly fragmented and largely private land ownership. This suggests the potential need for a di erent funding model, combining    core project sta ing the bulk of implementation funds provided by agricultural and forestry subsidies; and additional funding for other elements, such as monitoring, citizen science, training and potentially for enabling measures such as support for planting or piloting innovative grazing approaches. Sources would probably include:    NatureScot funding in the first instance to support core capacity contributions from corporate actors (for example utilities operating in or near the Glenkens); and emerging funding mechanisms such as carbon finance (Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code), Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), and Natural Capital Investment (NCI). While all of these are high on current policy agendas, delivery mechanisms remain unclear in most cases, with the partial exception of the Woodland Carbon Code. However, at least some of this uncertainty is likely to be resolved during 2026, potentially allowing planning for larger-scale projects aligned with the rural payments scheme. 7.2.3 Expertise The Glenkens already benefits from a substantial pool of expertise, including:   established environmental and land-based organisations individuals contributing as volunteers or freelance specialists. For nature networks, however, a significant gap exists in practical, field-level advisory support for farmers and land managers. Some provision exists through the Farm Advisory 45 46 https://cairngormsconnect.org.uk/ https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f0bd04c230a6453c87605110cfcb0f1d 54Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Service47 (much of it online) and commercial consultants, but this is insu icient for the level of detail and local specificity required. While some support could be delivered through a project-based, network-by-network approach - essentially scaling up the model used in this study - this would be extremely time-intensive. What is more urgently needed is accessible, practical guidance on how to use the rural payments scheme to its full potential in support of nature restoration and network creation. This is not solely a nature networks or Glenkens issue, but one likely to be felt acutely across Scotland in the coming years. Tier 4 of the new rural payments scheme may address this need, but details are not yet available, and funding constraints make it uncertain whether provision will be adequate or su iciently locally specific to guide nature network creation at a sub-catchment scale. There may therefore - very speculatively - be space within this emerging advisory landscape for a locally based social enterprise, rooted in the Glenkens and sta ed by people with deep knowledge of local land, habitats and communities. 7.2.4 Technological Developments Driven by the increasing policy importance of nature restoration, its anticipated role in rural subsidy regimes, and rapid technological innovation, a growing range of technologies may support the development of nature networks. While exploring this lay outside the formal remit of the project, two technologies were repeatedly identified as having potential to significantly reduce the resource demands of detailed habitat survey and management. Drone photography: Sitting between satellite imagery and ground survey in terms of both resolution and cost, drone photography is likely to be particularly valuable once candidate network sections have been identified. It could allow su iciently detailed survey to inform intervention planning, especially for woodlands and hedgerows. Grasslands may be more challenging to assess using this approach, but drone imagery should nonetheless allow more fine-grained and accurate mapping of land cover types than is currently possible without extensive ground survey. Species-level identification will remain di icult or impossible in most cases – this is the contrast with woodlands, where tree species are often distinguishable from low altitude aerial photography. Virtual fencing: Virtual fencing - using satellite-controlled collars on livestock to control grazing - has significant potential. Although still a developing technology, systems are now commercially available. Costs are currently high, but may fall over time, and might 47 https://www.fas.scot/ 55Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 become eligible for subsidy if deployed as part of environmentally beneficial land management. The key advantage of virtual fencing is flexibility. Physical fencing is often prohibitively expensive and too inflexible for fine-grained, dynamic grazing control across varied rough grassland or complex landscapes such as drumlin fields with wet depressions. Virtual fencing could allow valuable areas to be excluded from grazing on a permanent or temporary (including seasonal) basis, making it a potentially transformative tool for habitat management within nature networks. However, virtual fencing has also been challenged on animal welfare grounds, and its potential use needs to be explored carefully. 56Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 8 Conclusions 8.1 Introduction: Key Outcomes The purpose of this study was to explore whether it is feasible to establish nature networks in the Glenkens: specifically, whether the Scottish Government’s policy initiative can be implemented at a sub-catchment scale within the context of the community’s existing Land Use Vision. This final section summarises the key outcomes, considers how di erent habitat types might fit within a nature network approach, and reflects on lessons learned about methods. It concludes with a proposed ‘Glenkens Approach to Nature Networks’ and identifies next steps.        For some habitat types, most notably broadleaved woodland, the establishment of nature networks is clearly feasible. o Practical challenges include limitations in ecological data and the complexity of engaging with land managers, as well as deeper, less tractable issues arising from the close relationship between habitats, the local economy and local cultures. For other habitat types, particularly grassland, wetlands and areas where restoration is already underway, a nature network approach is likely to be less e ective. o Greater gains would probably be achieved through nature restoration based on Lawton’s principles of “more, bigger and better”, rather than on connectivity. Data are fundamental to establishing baselines, selecting and reasoning for specific sites and monitoring progress post intervention, but are often inadequate or resource- intensive to collect with no designated funding stream. o Community involvement in data gathering o ers significant potential and can be developed using the staged approach set out in [Name of Strand 2 report], although integration with networks on private land remains an outstanding issue. The rural payments scheme will probably be critical to supporting nature network development. o Ongoing uncertainty about its detailed operation is likely to limit widespread land manager engagement until at least mid-2026. Looking ahead, establishing nature networks will require appropriate resourcing, primarily in sta time, and ideally within a wider, holistic nature restoration programme. Technological innovation – in particular drones and ‘virtual fencing’ – may be very valuable in reducing network establishment and management costs. Whatever the delivery model, any programme will need to be flexible, opportunistic and pragmatic, while remaining firmly guided by the Land Use Vision, the Lawton Principles, and the community development principle of “starting where people are at”. 57Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 8.2 Habitats: Network Potential Suitability for nature network approachStatus of network developmentProposed actions Broadleaved woodlandVery suitable. Riparian and other woodlands form an existing ‘proto- network’, with gaps which can be filled. Tree planting is uncontroversial and relatively easy to incorporate in business models.Potential networks scoped in detail; first network intervention will probably be planted in late 2026; further interventions under discussion with landowners.Commercial forestryPotentially very high: FLS and forestry policy in general are in principle supportive.Wet woodlandVery suitable. Care necessary to integrate with other riparian planting/habitats.HedgerowsVery suitable. Hedgerows are naturally linear features, and lend themselves to creating corridors between otherIndividual blocks often have significant networks – planning currently does not join between blocks or forest owners. Long term forest planning challenges rapid reorientation towards networks. More fragmented than dry broadleaved woodland. Potential networks scoped to an extent, potential interventions under discussion with landowners and other interested organisations. Existing hedgerows are generally in poor condition, but their extent andFinalise North Glenkens: Garple Burn to Glenlee planting Support work of D&G Woodlands on: - Blawquhairn Farm - Urr riparian planting and Urr-Ken link (Barwhillanty Estate) Sustained engagement Medium with FLS planners and private estate forest managers 58 Priority for nature network development High Support RSPB/NTS/DGW proposed Kenmure- Threave wet woodland/Willow Tit corridor, and links to North Glenkens corridors.Medium Access National Hedgerows Map, andMediumEstablishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Pollinators Grassland+ (extensively farmed): mosaic of unimproved and semi- improved grassland, patches of heath, bog, mire and intermediate habitat types typical of northern Glenkens. Grassland+ (intensively farmed): matrix of high value fields, in some cases with network of wet habitats (mainly drained to some extent), particularly between Suitability for nature network approachStatus of network developmentProposed actionshabitats, especially woodland patches. Could be very useful in intensively farmed areas, and o er scope for community engagement in survey. Very suitable. Much like hedgerows but potentially more extensive, in particular extending networks in settlement areas. Very suitable for community involvement, with a tested approach, a delivery organisation and demonstrated enthusiasm for participation.ecological condition is not known.explore possibility of drone survey.2025 planting of fruit trees at over 40 locations (not strategically planned as a network), under the parallel Glenkens Pollinators Project. Potential for extensive further planting, currently unmapped. Issues explored in depth with land managers and through mapping.Map existing pollinators and plan strategic approach to network creation.High Approach through holistic NR programme if possible.Low Approach with sympathetic land managers.Low Not very suitable: priority habitat for biodiversity but complexity of structure and stock management makes relevant interventions challenging and not very relevant. It may be useful at some sites to think about water networks (linking fen/bog/mire) within the grasslands, but in general the mosaic should probably be treated holistically. Potentially suitable for small (land Issues explored with land parcel) scale wetland network managers. development, but challenging given the high farm value of this land. 59 Priority for nature network developmentEstablishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 drumlins in mid- and south Glenkens. Wetlands 1: as part of the grassland+ categories Wetlands 2: riparian wetlands Wetlands 3: larger scale peat land Nature restoration land 1: smallholder rewilding Nature restoration land 2: de-intensifying agriculture Nature restoration land 3: other ‘nature friendly farming’ activities Suitability for nature network approachStatus of network developmentProposed actionsPriority for nature network development See above: these are important habitats but di icult to address through nature networks. Not very suitable. These are important for biodiversity, but di icult to create new areas, especially linear features, at scale. Require protection and enhancement. Medium. Large upland peat areas are better addressed as areas for restoration rather than as networks. Some configurations exist which could be restored as networks. Medium. Locations make this unsuitable for a network approach, except where a number of neighbouring sites could be linked. Low. Potentially very important for biodiversity-rich habitats in the Glenkens, but not very relevant to a network approach. Unknown.See aboveSee aboveLow NoneApproach through holistic NR programme if possible.Low NoneApproach through holistic NR or peatland restoration programme if possible.Low Network developing along B7000 E of the Cleugh SSSI. Elsewhere not networked. NoneExplore ways of reaching Medium smallholders, and assess interest in working collectively. Approach through Low holistic NR programme if possible. Unknown.Identification and mapping of what has been done by individual land managers. 60 Low.Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 8.3 Key Lessons a) Method     The twin track approach – using maps to suggest networks, in parallel with exploring land managers’ current and planned actions - works, but in practice was more map- and ecology-led than expected. Maps were important to initiate and then sustain interest: the key to making this work and defuse resistance is tact and respect in the conversation, rather than avoiding early discussion of what might be ecologically beneficial. It sometimes makes sense to discuss networks in isolation from other issues, but sometimes not. In general, grassland restoration was best handled as part of wider discussions about land management and habitat improvement. This is context dependent, though: sometimes framing a discussion specifically around networks is productive, as it forms a ‘hook’ to engage people with, even if the aim is to subsequently broaden the topic out. Ground surveys are important, and should be done collaboratively with landowners if possible, so that details of planting/management and habitats can be covered together. This will remain true even if drone photography allows for improved knowledge without a site visit. Engagement with land managers is slow: even successful engagement can take many phone calls and emails. b) Engaging the Land Management Community The approach taken was informed by the appreciation of cultural constraints outlined in §3.1.4 and the ways of working through these outlined in Appendix 3. The importance of these constraints was confirmed and reinforced during the project, though the variation in attitudes between the participating land managers was very noticeable, and unpredictable. Much seems to come down to personal qualities and interests. In particular , the project reinforces the value of land managers being recruited as trusted intermediaries and ‘champions’ within their own circles, and points to the (as yet untested) potential for peer-to-peer communication of ideas and practices. It also suggests an important role for organisations such as NFUS and SLE in organising meetings (and potentially programmes) which are unthreatening, pose low emotional and reputational risk, and positively validate managers’ ideas and creativity. c) Policy The study demonstrated that nature networks can be translated to a sub-catchment scale, and that it makes sense for the Glenkens organisations to pursue the idea further, 61Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 despite the enduring issue of the lack of connectivity and strategic positioning with networks at larger scales. Nature networks are not a panacea, and where possible nature network initiatives should be set within programmes driven by wider nature restoration policy. This may not always be possible, and opportunities for standalone network projects should not be passed up – a pragmatic and opportunistic approach to funding is needed, within a set of guiding principles. The current (early 2026) uncertainty around rural subsidies and land reform certainly makes engaging with (some) land managers more di icult. It also o ers an opportunity to shape responses to these policy fields as they evolve. The key will be to time engagement – such as farmer workshops – to catch land managers as they are working out what new policies will mean in practice. 8.4 A Glenkens Approach To Nature Networks The Lawton Principles for habitats: more, bigger, better, joined up Unpredictable resources Glenkens Land Use Vision A dynamic, organic, and pragmatic Glenkens approach to nature network Community development principle: start where people are at Scepticism and other forms of resistance Figure 2 The Glenkens approach to nature networks A Glenkens approach to nature networks, potentially replicable in other privately-owned landscapes of Scotland, works within a core set of local conditions: • • • The need to develop something worthwhile at sub-catchment level, without wider connections Largely privately-owned land, with a diversity of landowners and managers A very active non-land-based community with vision, expertise and a track record of local policy making 62Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 • • The presence of active and well-networked environmental NGOs with initiatives complementary to and overlapping with establishing nature networks A history of often poor communications between di erent stakeholder groups and individuals. The approach should be: dynamic, organic, and pragmatic guided by the Land Use Vision (for the Glenkens perspective), the Lawton Principles (for the ecology) and the community development principle of ‘start where people are at’ tempered by an appreciation of economic realities structured by the agricultural subsidy framework and other funding vehicles and the environment of scepticism and other cultural barriers to engagement. It will set nature networks in the context of other biodiversity and habitat initiatives, in particular the development of a long-term Glenkens Nature Restoration Strategy. 8.4.1 Steps for Engagement: An Illustration This reflects what was tested by this study. It is a replicable approach for working with single land managers: other approaches might include farmer-led group meetings to discuss grassland management, citizen science groups carrying out hedgerow surveys, etc. 1. Identify possible network segments using existing data and maps: in sequence the Naturel Capital Tool, then HABMOS and the CEH habitat map for more detail, the NBN Atlas for specific sites, and satellite imagery for the most detailed assessment. 2. Transfer these ideas to 1:25000 Ordnance Survey maps as focus for discussions 3. Familiarise with the land, if possible, through walking over it 4. Identify land owners and managers through the local community and Who Owns Scotland 5. Approach land manager(s), probably through trusted intermediaries rather than cold calling 6. Initial meeting to discuss the nature networks concept and gauge interest – this may or may not involve specific site discussions: this will be a matter of judgment in the meeting 7. Perhaps a second meeting to discuss possible interventions 63Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 8. Ground survey/walk to identify sites in detail – planting, regeneration, management, redlines, and management requirements 9. Work up a costed proposal. Who does this will depend on the intervention and the funder (e.g. if externally funded or applied for through subsidies) 10. Work out an e ective and acceptable monitoring system with land manager. 8.5 Next Steps for Nature Networks Given current uncertainty over funding and policy, and the lack of funding for immediate project work, this conclusion section gives only a very broad outline of areas in which work to establish nature networks could be taken forward in the first half of 2026:     Incremental network development: o disseminate an ‘aspirational map’ of habitat (and in particular woodland) networks, to inform land managers’ independent decision making o support DGW’s planning and funding of planting which contributes to network development, however piecemeal Citizen science development: o participatory monitoring/citizen science training and community building, through the Second Land Notes Festival (and any other opportunities if funding can be sourced) o pursue the issue of acceptable ways to monitor biodiversity in private land through conversations with land managers and their organisations, and with community groups. Develop and sustain links with land managers’ organisations: National Farmers Union, Scotland; Scottish Land and Estates; the Regenerative Farmers Network. Initiate discussions with Forestry and Land Scotland about developing a mechanism and approach for incorporating nature networks in their forest plans. 64Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Appendices Appendix 1: Designated areas in the Glenkens Woodland SSSIs Water of Ken Woods (Upland oak woodland, Lichen48) (70.3 ha) is a collection of five separate woodlands, with gaps between them of between 60 m and 2680 m. It is predominantly broadleaved, dominated by oak with smaller areas of other species. Hannaston Wood (Upland oak woodland, Lichen, Lowland neutral grassland) (25.7 ha) is contiguous with one of the Water of Ken Woods, separated only by a minor road (narrow enough for the canopy to be closed above it in places.) It is very similar, dominated by oak with other native broadleaves, and with Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland indicator species of ground flora and lichens, but there are also non-native tree species. The site also includes a small area of herb-rich neutral grassland. Airds of Kells Wood (Upland oak woodland, Upland mixed ash woodland) (28.9 ha) is the largest remaining block of oak woodland in the Ken-Dee valley, with mixed ash woodland on deeper soils closer to the Loch. Wetland and open water SSSIs Kenmure Holms (Fen meadow, Beetles, Dragonfly assemblage) (153.1 ha) is also a Ramsar site and SPA for its bird populations. There is a mix of habitats, including reed beds, sedge swamp, alder and willow carr, with patches of open water. River Dee (Parton to Crossmichael) (Lowland acid grassland, Open water transition fen, geese and swans, Dragonfly assemblage) (509.7 ha) is also a Ramsar site and SPA. It is complex and diverse, with large areas of open water, fen, swamp and lowland acid grassland of varying levels of wetness. The site also includes areas of willow and alder carr, broadleaved woodland and willow and thorn scrub. Woodhall Loch (Oligotrophic loch, Fen meadow, Open water transition fen, Beetles, Caddisfly) (127.3 ha) is an oligotrophic (low fertility) loch with a wide range of habitats including species-rich, base-poor fen along with base-rich fen, open water and floating and emergent vegetation. There is also willow and birch carr and wet alder-birch woodland. Although not a notified feature, priority bird species are also found, including curlew and willow tit. For each SSSI the ‘notified natural features’ which led to the designation are listed, along with the site’s area. 48 65Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Grassland SSSIs Cleugh (Lowland neutral grassland) (54.8 ha) is the best example of unimproved grassland in Dumfries and Galloway, with a wide range of grassland plant communities varying from dry base-rich knolls to wet acidic flushes. The Cleugh is a good example of the characteristic micro-scale variation in habitats. Other Designations The entire area is within the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, with most of the farmed and settled areas in the Biosphere’s transition zone. The more highly- protected bu er zone starts to the west of the Ken valley, and is coincident with the boundary of Forestry and Land Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park (also a Dark Sky Park). The western part of the Glenkens, including most of the Ken valley from a few kilometres east of the main river and lochs, also lies in the Galloway Hills Regional Scenic Area. 66Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Appendix 2: Skills and attributes of a nature networks project team This has been presented in the form of a detailed person specification for an ‘ideal worker’, but the range of characteristics needed is unlikely to be found in a single individual. Depending on resources available, the attributes could be divided in di erent ways across a mix of paid and voluntary sta . Nature Networks Development O icer (Glenkens) Purpose of the Role To support the establishment of nature networks across the Glenkens by working with land managers, communities and partner organisations, to identify, design and enable ecologically e ective, locally appropriate and practically deliverable interventions within a predominantly privately managed rural landscape. Essential Knowledge and Experience Technical and Professional Experience     Demonstrable experience in land use, ecology, nature restoration, conservation, forestry, agriculture or landscape management, or a closely related field. Practical understanding of habitat restoration and management, particularly in productive rural landscapes (e.g. farming, forestry, mixed land use). Experience of working with spatial data and mapping tools (e.g. GIS, habitat maps, aerial imagery) to inform planning and decision-making. Familiarity with Scottish biodiversity, land-use and nature-recovery policy, including nature networks, biodiversity action planning, and relevant funding or incentive schemes. Partnership and Engagement    Proven experience of working constructively with land managers, including farmers, estate sta , foresters or landowners, and an ability to understand commercial and operational constraints. Experience of community engagement, participatory processes or collaborative planning in rural or environmental contexts. Ability to work e ectively across organisational boundaries, building trust with a wide range of stakeholders, including communities, NGOs, public bodies and agencies. Skills and Competencies Delivery and Facilitation  Strong facilitation and negotiation skills, with the ability to identify shared interests and broker practical solutions between di ering priorities. 67Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026  Capacity to translate policy and ecological concepts into practical, on-the-ground actions that are acceptable to land managers and communities. Analytical and Strategic Thinking   Ability to think at landscape and network scales, while retaining attention to local detail and feasibility. Sound judgement in situations of ecological and policy uncertainty, with a pragmatic, adaptive approach to problem-solving. Communication    Clear written communication skills, with the ability to produce concise, policy- appropriate documents for varied audiences. Confident verbal communication skills, including presenting ideas, facilitating discussions, and engaging with both technical and non-technical audiences. Experience of contributing to, or producing, reports, feasibility studies, funding bids or strategic plans. Personal Attributes       A collaborative and respectful working style, recognising the knowledge, experience and concerns of land managers and local communities. Credibility and empathy when working in agricultural and land-based settings. Comfortable operating as a boundary-spanner between ecology, policy, land management and community interests. Willingness to work in a developmental and iterative way, accepting that approaches may need to evolve as learning emerges. Organised and self-motivated, with the ability to manage multiple strands of work, maintain momentum, and work independently with limited supervision. Willingness to live in the Glenkens. Desirable Criteria      Experience of Nature Network, ecological network or connectivity projects, particularly in lowland or farmed landscapes. Knowledge of citizen science, participatory monitoring or community-led data collection. Familiarity with Scottish rural funding mechanisms (e.g. agri-environment schemes, forestry grants, nature-recovery funds). Experience working in, or strong familiarity with, south-west Scotland or comparable rural contexts. Knowledge of the Glenkens. 68Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Appendix 3: Overcoming cultural barriers This is the final section of M Paterson and H Keron (2025) Landscape Scale Nature Restoration: Supporting Information from the Glenkens, Dalry Community Council and GCAT. Reproduced with permission of the authors. Overcoming cultural barriers requires multiple points of contact and, often, years of slow groundwork. Quick fixes or one-o interventions rarely succeed. Some approaches that can help include: • • • • • Focusing on relationships before projects, with trust built over time. Moving beyond traditional engagement techniques like town-hall meetings, which can feel performative or confrontational. One-to-one conversations, or side-by- side walking and talking on the land, often work better. Encouraging peer-to-peer outreach rather than relying on people perceived as “outsiders” to a group. The challenge is often finding the first trusted person willing to step forward. Practicing question-led dialogue, where the emphasis is on exploring possibilities rather than declaring right and wrong. Investing in the inner skills of dialogue - listening deeply, recognising emotions and identities at stake, and finding shared values that can anchor collaboration. What could help    Policy and subsidy support: Well-designed agri-environment schemes, collective funding models, or “payment for public goods” approaches could reward farmers for making changes that benefit the wider network, not just their own parcel. Collaborative mechanisms: Facilitating farmer clusters, catchment-based groups or landscape partnerships can help align actions across holdings so that no one farm carries a disproportionate cost. Flexibility in design: Rather than rigid prescriptions, allowing farmers to negotiate where and how interventions happen can keep restoration ecologically e ective and practically workable. 69Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Sources Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) (2023) What are farm tenants’ rights when it comes to carbon markets? https://ahdb.org.uk/carbon-markets/what-are-farm- tenants-rights-when-it-comes-to-carbon-markets. Connelly, S. (2024) Feasibility study into a Glenkens Land Use Forum. Glenkens: Dalry Community Council & GCAT. https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/feasibility- study-into-glenkens-land-use-forum-march-2024. Connelly, S. (2025) ‘What does the Scottish Census tell us about the Glenkens?’, Glenkens Gazette, No. 148, p. 21. https://www.calameo.com/read/00168660073c4df03777c. GCAT (2025) Land Notes: Glenkens Festival of Land. https://gcat.scot/land-notes-glenkens- festival-of-land/. DG Woodlands (2025) Dumfries & Galloway’s Wood Wide Network project gets underway. https://dgwoodlands.org.uk/dumfries-galloways-wood-wide-network-project-gets- underway. Dumfries and Galloway Council (2009) Local Biodiversity Action Plan. https://www.dumfriesandgalloway.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2024- 08/Local_Biodiversity_Action_Plan.pdf. Farm Advisory Service (FAS) (2025) Nature Restoration Fund 2025: A call to action for Scotland’s land managers. https://www.fas.scot/article/nature-restoration-fund-2025-a-call-to-action- for-scotlands-land-managers/. Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere Partnership (2018) Natural Heritage Management Plan. https://www.gsabiosphere.org.uk/wp- content/uploads/2022/05/Galloway-and-Southern-Ayrshire-UNESCO-Biosphere-Natural- Heritage-Management-Plan-Sept-2018-1.pdf. Glenkens Community Action Plan Steering Group (2023) A vision for land use in the Glenkens. https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/a-vision-for-land-use-in-the-glenkens. Glenkens & District Trust (2021) Glenkens Community Action Plan. https://glenkens.scot/glenkens-community-action-plan. Inglis, N. (2026) Baseline Monitoring of the development of Nature Networks in the Glenkens. Dalry: Dalry Community Council. https://glenkens.scot/reports-resources-archive/baseline- monitoring-of-the-development-of-nature-networks-in-the-glenkens Propagate (2025) Glenkens Pollinators Project. https://glenkens.scot/glenkens-news/glenkens- pollinators-project. People’s Trust for Endangered Species (n.d.) Hedge surveys. https://hedgerowsurvey.ptes.org/hedge-surveys. Lawton, J. (2010) Making Space for Nature: A review of England’s wildlife sites and ecological network. Report to DEFRA. London: DEFRA. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20130402170324/http:/archive.defra.gov .uk/environment/biodiversity/documents/201009space-for-nature.pdf. National Records of Scotland (2022) Scotland’s Census 2022. https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk. NatureScot (2025) A Biodiversity Metric for Scotland’s planning system. https://www.nature.scot/doc/biodiversity-metric-scotlands-planning-system. NatureScot (2025) Natural Capital Tool. https://www.nature.scot/doc/natural-capital-tool. NatureScot (2025) Nature Networks Framework. https://www.nature.scot/doc/nature- networks-framework. 70Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Paterson, M. and Keron, H. (2025) Landscape scale nature restoration: supporting information from the Glenkens. Unpublished report prepared for Dalry Community Council and Glenkens Community Action Trust, August 2025. Scottish Government (2023) National Planning Framework 4. https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-planning-framework-4/. Scottish Government (2024) Scottish farm business income: annual estimates 2023–2024. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-farm-business-income-annual-estimates- 2023-2024/. Scottish Government (2024) Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045. https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-biodiversity-strategy-2045/documents. South of Scotland Regional Economic Partnership (2019) Regional Land Use Framework. https://www.southofscotlandrep.com/media/kpsbxf2b/rluf_v1_240919.pdf. Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery Project (2025) Story map. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/f0bd04c230a6453c87605110cfcb0f1d. Academic papers Dolman, P.M. et al. (2007) ‘Woodland birds in patchy landscapes: the evidence base for strategic networks’, Ibis, 149, pp. 146-160. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2007.00748.x Gil-Tena, A. et al. (2014) ‘Woodland bird response to landscape connectivity in an agriculture- dominated landscape: a functional community approach’, Community Ecology, 15(2), pp. 256-268. https://akjournals.com/view/journals/168/15/2/article-p256.xml Howley, P. et al. (2014) ‘Contrasting the attitudes of farmers and the general public regarding the multifunctional role of the agricultural sector’, Land Use Policy, 38, pp. 248–256. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264837713002561 Liira, J. and Paal, T. (2013) ‘Do forest-dwelling plant species disperse along landscape corridors?’, Plant Ecology, 214(3), pp. 455–470. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11258-013-0182-1 Öckinger, E. and Smith, H.G. (2008) ‘Do corridors promote dispersal in grassland butterflies and other insects?’, Landscape Ecology, 23(1), pp. 27-40. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-007-9167-6 Thiele, J. et al. (2018) ‘Connectivity or area: what drives plant species richness in habitat corridors?’, Landscape Ecology, 33(2), pp. 173-181. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10980-017-0606-8 71Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens - Feasibility Study 2026 Acknowledgements I very much appreciate the contribution of the interviewees and other participants in the project, who gave very generously of their time and insights. I also very gratefully acknowledge the support and encouragement of the project steering group: Jenna Cains and Morag Paterson of Dalry Community Council, Helen Keron and Andrew McConnell of the Glenkens Community & Arts Trust, and Antoine Lemaire of GSAB. Niki Inglis and Kerry Morrison, the contractors for Strands 2 and 3 of the project, were brilliant colleagues. Anna Gri in and Antoine Lemaire at GSAB provided extremely useful critical insights. The NatureScot team developing the Natural Capital Tool were very helpful, and I hope that my questions and feedback have contributed to making the tool even more useful. Thanks to them for permission to use their maps in this report. 72 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Establishing Nature Networks in the Glenkens Description An account of the resource This Feasibility Study lays the groundwork for a landscape-scale programme of interventions in the Glenkens aimed at linking existing areas of high ecological value through the creation of new habitats and the ecological enhancement of current land uses. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CAP_36 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource GCAT Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Dalry Community Council Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Dr Stephen Connelly Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2026 CAP Theme 3 land use https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/33/755/NG51_Kenmure_Castle_New_Galloway_2.jpg 0ba854e5518e8cdc533f4c7da7d1412e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Galloway Images Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kenmure Castle Description An account of the resource Postcard of Kenmure Castle, New Galloway Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I_51 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cultural Glenkens Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Lottery Heritage Fund Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Avril Bridgeman https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/33/754/NG50_Kenmure_Castle_New_Galloway_1.jpg bfaf7a37087c1f93af31d60852680fcf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Galloway Images Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kenmure Castle Description An account of the resource Postcard of Kenmure Castle, New Galloway Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I_50 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cultural Glenkens Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Lottery Heritage Fund Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Avril Bridgeman https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/33/753/NG49_Kenmure_Castle_1908_New_Galloway.jpg b9fd7423753dfa1a9a51fa9ee511c719 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Galloway Images Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kenmure Castle Description An account of the resource Postcard of Kenmure Castle, New Galloway Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I_49 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cultural Glenkens Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Lottery Heritage Fund Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Avril Bridgeman Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1908 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/33/752/NG48_Kenmure_Castle_Loch_Ken_1907_New_Galloway.jpg 0684c0c2a96ca6333f325079a7235f6f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Galloway Images Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kenmure Castle and Loch Ken Description An account of the resource Postcard of Kenmure Castle and Loch Ken, New Galloway Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I_48 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cultural Glenkens Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Lottery Heritage Fund Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Avril Bridgeman Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1907 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/33/751/NG47_Kenmure_Castle_1930_New_Galloway.jpg de52923aa6581ab1512e45cd271192f5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Galloway Images Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Kenmure Castle Description An account of the resource Postcard of Kenmure Castle, New Galloway Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_I_NG47 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cultural Glenkens Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Lottery Heritage Fund Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Avril Bridgeman Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1930 https://glenkensarchive.scot/glenkens_archive/files/original/34/750/NG62a_J_J_Wood_New_Galloway.jpg ce0b37bf18e0a87317fedcfea6fac0b2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource New Galloway Documents Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_D Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Invoice for R & J Wood Description An account of the resource Blank invoice for R & J Wood, Family Grocers, High Street, New Galloway Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CG_NG_D_62a Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cultural Glenkens Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource National Lottery Heritage Fund Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Avril Bridgeman