Wellerman (Sea Shanty) singer calls on Scottish government to commit to rewilding
Monday 16 December, 2024Scottish sea shanty singer Nathan Evans has today backed a campaign calling on the Scottish government to declare Scotland the world’s first rewilding nation and commit to rewilding 30% of the country’s land and seas.
In a message to his combined 2.2m followers on Instagram and TikTok, the 28-year-old singer from Airdrie, Lanarkshire, said of Scotland: “I love this place with all my heart and it will forever be home, and it influences so much of what I do.”
The singer is urging his social media followers to sign the Scottish Rewilding Alliance’s Rewilding Nation Charter. “That way you can tell the folks in the Scottish government to listen up, get behind restoring our amazing country and commit to rewilding 30% of our land and sea,” he said.
Today’s public backing comes two weeks after the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of more than 20 organisations, presented its “vision of hope” to Scotland’s climate action minister Alasdair Allan at a reception in Edinburgh.
Steve Micklewright, co-convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and chief executive of Trees for Life, said: “We are extremely grateful to Nathan for adding his name to the Scottish Rewilding Nation Charter. We hope this inspires thousands more people to add their name calling on the Scottish government to commit to restoring nature across 30% of our land and seas.
“Rewilding can make an immediate and lasting impact on the nature and climate emergencies, and it can bring a wealth of benefits for people – including jobs, improved health, and clean air and water. We have a golden opportunity for Scotland to become the first country in the world to be declared a rewilding nation. Please sign the Scottish Rewilding Nation Charter today.”
Rewilding 30% of Scotland can be achieved by restoring habitats including peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers and seas, while maintaining and benefitting productive farmland.
Declaring Scotland a Rewilding Nation would lead to meaningful action with ministers committing to restoring the natural environment through legislation and funding to enable rewilding and empower local communities, the Scottish Rewilding Alliance says.
The Alliance’s Rewilding Nation pathway, presented to the government on 3 December, includes proposals to make nature recovery the primary purpose of protected landscapes and seascapes, establishing wild zones around rivers and coastlines, doubling native woodland cover, restoring peatlands, and restricting dredging and bottom trawling across Marine Protected Areas.
The proposals champion the crucial role of people and communities, and include action for coexisting with wildlife, support for land managers and farmers, and investment in nature-based economies, jobs and skills. Recovery targets would ensure habitat restoration, and increases in species abundance and diversity.
The Rewilding Nation campaign has drawn widespread support from people and organisations across Scotland. It also received public backing from Scottish actor Brian Cox last month, and from Leonardo DiCaprio in April this year.
The Scottish Rewilding Alliance is calling on people from all walks of life to sign the Rewilding Nation Charter at rewild.scot/charter.
ENDS
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