Scotland – Europe’s No.1 Wildlife Watching Destination: An Opportunity for the Clyde?

Caroline Warburton, Manager of Wild Scotland spoke about the work of Wild Scotland and the opportunities for making sustainable economic use of the Firth of Clyde through wildlife watching and tourism.

Please click here for the full presentation or read on for a summary of the talk.

Scotland is a great place to enjoy nature and wildlife, where-ever and whenever you are in Scotland and whatever the weather. Many businesses have known this for years and years, however it is really only in the last few years that people involved in the nature tourism have started pulling together to promote Scotland as nature tourism destination.

The coast provides a fantastic recreational resource for the Clyde region and the whole of Scotland. Recreational and leisure activities are growing in popularity both on the coast and at sea. Most of these activities are almost entirely dependent on Scotland’s natural assets therefore it’s important that as these activities grow, they are developed sustainably.

• Population is getting older
• People are increasing cash rich but time poor
• More people are living alone
• Increasingly urban population
• Greater opportunities to travel (both locally and internationally)
• Better educated with a growing interest in environment

Dolphin breaching © Wild Scotland

More opportunities to travel and a greater interest in environment leads to more discerning travellers who look to destinations which offer quality, good value for money and increasingly assurance that the local community and natural environment are respected.

Nature-based holidays and activities are seen as an area of market growth and this trend has not gone un-noticed in Scotland. The number of businesses and jobs involved nature-based tourism in Scotland increased significantly between 1997 and 2001 and this trend is likely to have continued since 2001.

In 2002, two meetings were held for nature tourism businesses - seventy businesses attended. A question was posed to them: what is the way ahead for wildlife tourism in Scotland? Interestingly both meetings came up with the same responses:

• We need to get wildlife tourism noticed – better marketing
• We’ve got to work together – together we’re stronger
• To succeed we’ve got to genuinely care – authenticity in the product
• We can’t afford to be complacent – changing expectations from the visitors, changing environment and changing competition (overseas and locally)

As a result of these workshops, a working group of businesses was formed to consider these statements, the result of which was the formation of Wild Scotland. Wild Scotland is Scotland’s wildlife and nature tourism operators association (www.wild-scotland.co.uk). It was developed by the industry and is led by the industry. This is the first time that nature tourism businesses from across Scotland have joined together to actively promote the opportunities to experience Scotland’s flora and fauna and wild places, whilst at the same time promoting a responsible approach to wildlife-watching.

Wild Scotland recognises that wildlife-watching is not just for the specialist, the majority of visitors touring Scotland include some element of wildlife and nature as part of their holiday. For many, seeing wildlife in its natural environment is a holiday highlight. Wild Scotland believes that Scotland can become ‘Europe’s No.1 Wildlife Watching Destination’. Many countries can offer fantastic wildlife, landscapes and wildlife watching experiences, however where Scotland believes that it is special is the unique combination of key factors.

• Fabulous Scenery
• Engaging Wildlife
• Professional guides with a passion for nature
• Easy Access – Scotland is small and very varied so visitors can easily see a broad range of habitats, flora and fauna within a relatively small area.

However Wild Scotland does not work in isolation, there are many other organisations and initiatives working to improve the nature-based tourism product in Scotland. This work involves speaking to a range of audiences, not just visitors.

Visitors

Wildlife watching has now been recognised by VisitScotland and is being promoted as a key niche, alongside golf, walking, cycling, whisky etc. VisitScotland are now on the third edition of their ‘Wildlife Scotland’ brochure, as well as having developed a Wildlife Scotland website (www.visitscotland.com/wildlife). Wild Scotland work with VisitScotland to promote wildlife watching via brochures, press activities and promotions. In Spring 2005, VisitScotland supported Wild Scotland in the production of a Wild Scotland Passport, of which 25,000 have already been requested.

General Public

Mainstream TV, radio and print media are recognising the interest from the British public in nature and there have been a number of TV series and documentaries on Scottish wildlife which have fuelled interest, for example Wild Scotland (BBC Scotland) and Springwatch (BBC).

Land managers

Considerable work has been done to improve footpaths and access to the countryside in recent years, as well as interpreting popular walks and viewpoints. Local landowners and reserve managers are now being encouraged to manage their land, not only for traditional country sports and conservation but also for people and a multi-organisation project led by SNH – Management for People – has provided a manual on how land managers might marry the management aims of a site for people, conservation and/or country sports. The Management for People Handbook is available from SNH (www.snh.org.uk).

The Tourism Industry

The wider tourism industry has an important role to play in encouraging visitors to enjoy the natural environment and needs to be aware of the opportunities for wildlife-watching. A two-day training course – Wildlife Tourism Training - for tourism staff has been very successful in inspiring staff to speak confidently to visitors about wildlife in their area and recommend good places and times to see them (for more information see www.scotexchange.net or contact Tourist Board Training).

Wild Scotland wants Scotland to become synonymous with well-managed, responsible and most of all enjoyable wildlife watching - a destination which provides a fabulous experience and ensure that our wild assets are sustained for everyone to enjoy. With its proximity to Glasgow and some of the most well-known and beautiful areas of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde area is well placed to be involved. Wildlife tourism does not have to be big and wild, it can be small and intimate – it is how it’s delivered that’s important.

Useful Links

Wild Scotland: www.wild-scotland.co.uk, telephone 01463 723013

Scottish Natural Heritage: www.snh.org.uk

Scotexchange.net: www.scotexchange.net

VisitScotland Wildlife: www.visitscotland.com/wildlife

Tourism and Environment Forum: www.greentourism.org.uk

Email: caroline@wild-scotland.co.uk

Web: www.wild-scotland.co.uk