UIST RANGER REPORT - PUBLISHED

We are pleased to be able to publish and share the results of the Uist ranger project from the 2021 visitor season.

The increasing tourism in Uist each year and local community concerns about visitor management and conservation of the natural environment, inspired the formation of a partnership between community organisations on Uist seeking to find solutions to these concerns - landowner Stòras Uibhist and the development company North Uist Development Company (NUDC), the local council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CnES) and RSPB Scotland.  The combined effort resulted in a successful NatureScot funding bid (NatureScot Better Places 2) that provided the opportunity for two Seasonal Rangers to work on the islands and actively improve infrastructure and visitor management with the help of all project partners and local communities.

The Rangers were focused on applying a friendly information and educational approach with awareness raising, creating materials to inform visitors about the environment, responsible access to the islands and why it is important to work together to protect the environment.  The Rangers also managed a variety of local events including beach cleans and citizen science events as a way to engage both local communities and visitors to the islands, encouraging ecotourism.  An estimated 25x 1-tonne bulk bags full of litter was collected over the summer, with 122 joining the events - both locals and visitors.

Ameena Camps, North Uist Development Company said "We were so fortunate in being able to recruit two passionate, skilled and dedicated rangers who quickly adapted to island life and became part of the local community thanks to wide support across Uist.  As a result, a lot was achieved in the short period of time they were here.  The project highlighted the importance of Uist-wide collaboration and the need for a year round ranger service to continue their great work."  

The Rangers report provides various recommendations, including:

• Establishment of a local Countryside Trust of some form which would employ a dedicated Ranger Service and other associated staff, both for environmental management and visitor management.  
• Provision of additional campsites and designated areas for motorhomes including facilities such as waste disposal, water and electrics; while maintaining the feeling of staying in the great outdoors.  This could be something for townships and common grazing committees to consider.
• Provision of designated parking areas at beaches and attractions, to help concentrate parking in one place.  Donations could be acquired to help support longer term maintenance. 
• Continue to enhance information provision for visitors and the local community.  This should also include awareness raising of the local and global benefits of working together to protect the natural environment.  
• Improve access.  Consideration of access for all to the outdoors, including provision of accessible ramps to beaches and longer term maintenance of such.  Additionally, improving paths to the hills and other less accessible areas would re-direct some visitors attracted to the more accessible machair areas.  
• Increasing the walking route of the Hebridean Way.  There are large sections that are on the main road and improving walking areas helps keeps visitors on public paths rather than roaming freely across protected sites, potentially disturbing wildlife and impacting habitats.  Also increasing path infrastructure generally to improve access and encourage people to use paths.
• Provision of dedicated environmental and visitor management funding programmes by funders with multiple years of funding are required to protect the islands’ fragile natural environment for the wildlife and communities who depend on it.  
  
  

NUDC aim to share the results of the report widely, including with funders and policy makers.  You can read the report here and download the ranger leaflet here.