New short film celebrates spectacular scenery and wildlife of North East Scotland

"The idea behind the video was to show what an incredible, beautiful natural environment residents and visitors can enjoy in North East Scotland and that everyone can, and should, do something to help safeguard it for the future"

A new short film produced by the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership and acclaimed wildlife photographer Pete Cairns offers a glimpse of the incredible biodiversity that the North East of Scotland has to offer, from dolphins and humpback whales to eagles, otters, mountain hares and capercaillies.

The film, titled “The Wild North East – Scotland’s Natural Gem” and launched today (Friday 13^th 2018) at our Aberdeen site, celebrates the rich scenery and wildlife of North East Scotland and highlights the many ways in which it benefits us, from providing clean air and water to helping drive the economy - not forgetting the sheer joy that experiencing the natural environment first-hand brings.

Rose Toney, North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership coordinator, said: “One of the greatest challenges we face in Conservation is the ability to make people care... care enough to bring about change, care enough to take action and care enough to protect and enhance what we have.

“The idea behind the video was to show what an incredible, beautiful natural environment residents and visitors can enjoy in North East Scotland and that everyone can, and should, do something to help safeguard it for the future.

“Pete Cairns and his team at Scotland: The Big Picture have done an amazing job highlighting the beauty of the North East and I have to admit, when I first saw the video, it took my breath away - we are so privileged to have such amazing biodiversity on our doorstep.”

Douglas Gooday, a ranger with the Aberdeenshire Council Ranger Service who had the initial idea for the Partnership to produce the video, commented: “As a Council Ranger I’m very privileged to spend a lot of time in the many wild places we have in Aberdeenshire, from the Cairngorms to the coast.

“I hope this short film inspires others to enjoy these wild places as well, to understand about the services nature provides and the importance of caring for the natural environment for the benefit of ourselves and future generations.”

“The Wild North East – Scotland’s Natural Gem” is available to watch on the James Hutton Institute’s YouTube channel. You can use #TheWildNorthEast and #ScotlandsNaturalGem on Twitter to share your thoughts about the short film.

Notes to editors:

The North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Partnership was set up in 1997 and brings together the local authority areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City as well as a range of conservation, research, farming, forestry and land organisations, including the James Hutton Institute. Its role is to provide the framework for local action on national and local biodiversity priorities. Visit their website to learn more.