Welcome to The Geographical Podcast, brought to you by Geographical Magazine, the official publication of the Royal Geographical Society.

Geographical helps a global readership to navigate an ever-changing and complex world. Featuring the most talented and perceptive writers, we deliver rigorous and entertaining journalism that helps you to keep a global perspective.

In The Geographical Podcast, you can listen to excerpts from Geographical’s monthly print magazine. Each month, we’ll be sharing a feature-length story, covering the issues that shape our ever-changing world. Interviews with contributors will give you an audible glimpse of what’s inside the pages of our distinguished magazine.

Building wilderness: The plot to restore the ecosystem of the Scottish Highlands

Although beautiful, the rolling hills and snaking glens of the Scottish Highlands are, in fact, landscapes that have been damaged by human beings. Much of the Scottish Highlands was once coated in a rich blanket of trees that formed the ‘Great Forest of Caledonia’. Over the centuries most of this forest was lost to agricultural incursions. Vast tracts of old-growth forest were removed; species like wolves, lynx, boar and even bear were hunted out; and the ecosystem services of diverse forests and peatlands were altered.

At one former deer-hunting estate north of Inverness, a process of restoration is taking place. Workers at Alladale Wilderness Reserve have planted more than two million trees; red squirrel, golden and white-tailed eagle numbers have soared; wolves could one day join their ranks. For this small team of young rangers and conservationists, the vision of a restored wilderness stretches far into the future.

Land management approaches are a theme of this month’s magazine. Chile is full of stunning landscapes, but its people can’t always gain access to them. Now, a bold campaign to create a breathtaking national park on the outskirts of Santiago could become the biggest conservation story in Chilean history. We speak with contributor Matt Maynard about the ‘Queremos Parque’ movement.

These stories feature in the February edition of Geographical Magazine. Subscribe to the print magazine today for the full experience. Plus, to stay connected with our world, you can subscribe to Geographical’s weekly newsletter.

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Subscribe: http://geographical.co.uk/magazine/subscribe

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Alladale Wilderness Reserve: https://alladale.com/

The European Nature Trust: https://theeuropeannaturetrust.com/

Queremos Parque: https://queremosparque.cl/

Socials:
@MattNMaynard
@jacob_dykes_