Croft & Common Grazing Wildlife Walk – Isle of Harris

Join us for a guided wildlife and croft-management walk through the unique crofting landscapes of Northton Common Grazings in South Harris.

We will explore the rich habitats of the machair, saltmarsh, grassland and moorland, discovering the nationally important wildlife they support, including the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Corncrake, Lapwing and Skylark. We will discuss what nature-friendly crofting looks like in practice and identify actions that crofters, shareholders and grazings committees can take to protect and enhance important habitats and species while continuing to manage productive crofting businesses.

What you will learn

• How grazing management influences wildlife, habitats and croft productivity.
• The importance of timing agricultural activities to protect breeding birds and other sensitive species.
• Practical ways to maintain healthy machair, grassland, moorland and flowering habitats.
• Simple actions that can enhance biodiversity while supporting thriving crofts and commons.
• How to recognise changes in habitat condition and respond effectively.
• What it means to manage land within a designated nature site, including when advice, consent or an agreed variation may be required before changing management.
• Where to seek guidance if existing management agreements or prescriptions are no longer achieving the desired outcomes.

Why come along?

• Learn from experienced advisers while seeing management in practice.
• Gain practical ideas that you can apply to your own croft or common grazings.
• Understand how productive crofting and nature conservation can work together.
• Build confidence in managing designated sites and navigating regulatory requirements.
• Meet and network with fellow crofters, shareholders, grazings committees and land managers.
• Share your own experiences, ask questions and discuss local challenges and solutions.
• Celebrate the important role that crofting communities play in protecting Harris’s internationally important landscapes and wildlife.

This event is an opportunity to highlight the important contribution that local farmers, crofters, common-grazing shareholders and communities make to nature conservation. Protecting Scotland’s wildlife and habitats depends on practical action at a local level, led by the people who know and manage these landscapes. By sharing knowledge, discussing challenges and identifying achievable management actions, grassroots events such as this can help ensure that farming and crofting remains both productive and central to the conservation of Harris’s distinctive landscape.

A representative from RSPB Scotland will be joining the walk to talk about the bird species found in the area, their ecology, and any conservation work being undertaken to support them.

Please wear suitable outdoor and waterproof clothing and sturdy footwear, as the walk will cover uneven ground.

A light lunch and refreshments will be provided after the walk.

Booking is essential. Parking in Northton is limited, so please park considerately, avoid causing obstructions and car-share wherever possible.

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