Description:
The Coigach - Assynt Living Landscape (CALL) is a partnership of local stakeholder interest groups, and community, private and membership organisation landowners, with the aim of coordinated management of the landscape to increase wildlife variety and secure benefit for the local community.
Location:
Located in the north-west of Scotland, the CALL area covers Assynt in Sutherland, and Coigach in Wester Ross.
Partners, organisations and stakeholders involved:
Partners:
- Assynt Foundation
- Culag Community Woodland Trust
- Eisg
- Brachaidh Estate
- Historic Assynt
- John Muir Trust
- Kylesku Estate
- Tanera Mor
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
Stakeholders:
- Assynt Field Club
- Coigath Salmon Fisheries Ltd.
- Coigach Community Development Company
- Isle Martin Trust
- North West Highland GeoPark
- Scottish Natural Heritage
- West Sutherland Fisheries Trust
- Woodland Trust
Aims of the project/initiative:
It is 2050; the communities of Coigach and Assynt are working together to achieve a truly Living Landscape through improved understanding of their environment and the impacts of climate change; shared active management providing a diverse range of connected and resilient habitats; creation of local employment and training opportunities, and; building on the communities‘ strong cultural heritage linked to the land.
Challenges and lessons learned:
Community projects (consultation, looking, applying, and securing funding) take a lot of time to organise prior to implementation, and this requirements should neither be over looked or underestimated.