Bamff Wildland Restoration
Fencing Comes Down to Open Up Wildland at Bamff
Reconnecting Habitats
Bamff Wildland is a pioneering farm-scale rewilding project in Perthshire, transforming former sheep pasture, woodland, and beaver wetlands into a thriving, dynamic ecosystem. With the help of Perth and Kinross Council's Nature Restoration Fund, they have successfully removed nearly 5 km of fencing, enabling wild animals and rewilding stock such as native cattle, Tamworth pigs, and Exmoor ponies to roam more freely and naturally across the land.
Free Movement, More Biodiversity
Fences may be useful for managing livestock, but they are often major barriers to wildlife. At Bamff, existing internal fences divided the land into 12 separate fields, limiting the natural movement of animals and even cutting through sensitive habitats like beaver wetlands. Thanks to the project, fencing was removed from Region 2 fields -allowing access between woodlands and pastures - and merged areas in Region 1, removing pinch points that created heavy ground damage and impeding regeneration.
See images below of before and after fencing was removed.
Boosting Wild Behaviours and Woodland Health
The fence removal has been a "game changer" for the sites rewilding stock, enabling them to exhibit more natural behaviours-disturbing ground, grazing dynamically, and creating varied habitats that support a wide range of species. It has also allowed beaver territories to expand more naturally and safely, improving wetland connectivity.
Newly opened ground from post removal was used to sow 1kg of native wildflower seeds (gifted by BugLife and Scotia Seeds), boosting insect populations and plant diversity.
One enclosed area created by strategic fencing now acts as a 'seed island'—a protected space where 100 native trees, including aspen, wild cherry, oak, hazel, blackthorn and hawthorn, have been planted. These species were chosen to improve woodland age structure, increase future seed sources, and protect young trees from beaver activity while they establish.
Part of a Bigger Picture
While this project focused on smaller-scale connectivity, Bamff Wildland continues to lead on landscape-scale change through the Braes of Alyth: Wild Cores and Corridors initiative. The site connects key areas including the Hill of Alyth community project and the Den of Alyth SSSI, contributing to wider regional restoration.
In Their Words
"We've already seen a significant difference in how our free-roaming herds move across the site. Beaver habitats have been released from restrictive fencing, and the new connections between woods and pastures will support long-term regeneration. We're incredibly grateful to PKC's Nature Restoration Fund for enabling this vital work."
Project made possible via PKC Nature Restoration Funding
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