NRN PARTNER: Isle of Taransay

ISLE OF TARANSAY

Location:
Harris, Outer Hebrides, Highland

Taransay is a stunning, unoccupied island with abundant bird and marine life, lying off the coast of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. The dominant features are sandy beaches, gneiss rock, wet and dry heath, and an area of machair grassland. Unoccupied buildings, lazy beds, a viking water mill and the remains of an ancient fort are testimony to several millennia of human occupation. Human activity and intense grazing have removed all but a handful of trees from the island. Plans now exist to manage the machair sustainably, reduce herbivore grazing elsewhere on the island, and return some of the long-lost native woodlands.

Key rewilding commitments:

  • MORE NATIVE WOODLAND: Mitigate browsing pressure on new saplings by controlling red deer. Introduce native tree seed source in appropriate areas; provide protection through seed islands and larger exclosures.
  • MORE SPACE FOR WATER: Explore installing grips to ensure peat remains wet to sequester carbon effectively.
  • REINSTATE NATURAL GRAZING: Undertake introduction of wild native grazers (native cattle and possibly ponies).
  • CONNECT WITH COMMUNITIES: Engage with local educational institutions and youth groups. Seek opportunities to create local employment related to rewilding actions and restoration of island properties.
  • CREATE REWILDING BUSINESS: Explore sustainable tourism opportunities linked to nature recovery.