Creating a safe haven for salmon, birds and water voles in North of Scotland

Mink-free zone will allow wildlife to flourish

February 2011: A wildlife conservation initiative aiming to protect nationally significant and economically important populations of salmon, water voles, and ground-nesting birds such as greenshank and lapwing is set to begin in April.

The project will create a safe haven for the wildlife in north Scotland, free of American mink. It will build on previous initiatives and is set to appoint four regionally-based community officers covering the Highlands, rural Aberdeenshire, rural Tayside, and Moray and the Cairngorms.

More than £920,000 has been raised by funders including Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust to get the project off the ground.

Mink damage the environment... and the economy
Chris Horrill, Project Development Manager for Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS), said: ‘There are sound conservation and socio-economic aims behind our initiative. This work must be carried out if we are to protect Scotland's native wildlife and the communities and economies which rely on a thriving natural environment.

‘Invasive non-native species, such as the American mink, damage our environment and the economy. In north Scotland, an area that relies heavily on sustainable angling and shooting industries as well as wildlife tourism, we can't afford to take the risk of losing parts of our biodiversity.'

Rob Raynor, SNH's species adviser and member of the project said: ‘This exciting project is the first stage of a strategic approach to managing the spread of mink in mainland Scotland and SNH is happy to be providing substantial financial support.

We hope to expand the mink-free zone in the future
‘By building on previous successes in the Cairngorms and north east Scotland, the project will establish a strategic monitoring and control zone across the north, extending from the mid-Tay to the South Esk, around the east coast to the River Nairn, and across from Dornoch and Cromarty on the east to Ullapool on the west. 

‘As we gradually establish areas free from mink, we hope to eventually expand the zone southwards in future.

‘The strategy relies on the involvement of volunteers and the local rivers and fisheries trusts, with their network of ghillies, water bailiffs and gamekeepers, who we believe are central to making this initiative a success.'

Paul Gallagher, Habitats and Species Officer for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, added: ‘This project will monitor the movements of the mink population using mink rafts to identify their footprints and hopes to maintain mink-free zones by strategically undertaking the minimum amount of control necessary and prevent further spread of American mink across the Highlands.

This is about the economy as well as ecology
‘Establishing an alert system, made up of local land owners and volunteers, to ensure we can respond to animal movements in our target areas is essential to our success. Animal welfare considerations will be paramount to our operations. 

‘The American mink is a non-native predator which, through its hunting of water voles, salmon, and bird eggs and chicks, contributes to the loss of Scotland's biodiversity. The decline or loss of these species could also impact negatively on local economies which depend on angling, shooting, or wildlife tourism.

‘This initiative is as much about economic concerns as it is about ecological responsibility. We are working to protect people's livelihoods as well as our native wildlife.'