Wolves should be reintroduced to Scotland ‘to help hit net zero'
Reintroducing the species could help curb the population of red deer, which limit the spread of native woodland by eating tree saplings, according to a study published on Monday in the Ecological Solutions and Evidence journal.
A million tonnes of carbon could be removed from the atmosphere if the woodland around the Cairngorms, south-west, north-west and central Highlands was allowed to naturally regenerate, the study found.
This would contribute around five per cent of the UK's carbon removal target to help offset emissions from elsewhere in the economy.
Wolves were eradicated from Scotland around 250 years ago, leaving the red deer population with no natural predators.
Red deer numbers have since shot up to around 400,000 in Scotland, despite efforts to keep the population under control by human intervention.
The deer eat tree saplings, limiting the spread of woodland, which has been identified as vital in helping the UK meet its target to be net zero, meaning carbon neutral, by 2050.
The research, led by scientists at the University of Leeds, is the first to calculate the impact reintroducing wolves would have on woodland expansion and carbon storage in the UK.
'There is an increasing acknowledgement that the climate and biodiversity crises cannot be managed in isolation,' said lead author Professor Dominick Spracklen, from the university's School of Earth and Environment.
'We need to look at the potential role of natural processes such as the reintroduction of species to recover our degraded ecosystems and these in turn can deliver co-benefits for climate and nature recovery.'
The researchers said only four per cent of Scotland is covered by woodland today, making it one of the least forested places in Europe.
Farming and rural groups have rejected any proposals to reintroduce wolves or other large predators, arguing they would kill livestock and pose a threat to people in the countryside.
The return of wolves in parts of Europe has proved controversial, particularly after a wolf killed a horse belonging to Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
Wolves kill between 30,000 and 40,000 livestock animals in Europe every year, the majority of which are sheep.
Lee Schofield, a co-author of the study, said: 'Our aim is to provide new information to inform ongoing and future discussions about the possibility of wolf reintroductions both in the UK and elsewhere.
'We recognise that substantial and wide-ranging stakeholder and public engagement would clearly be essential before any wolf reintroduction could be considered.
'Human-wildlife conflicts involving carnivores are common and must be addressed through public policies that account for people's attitudes for a reintroduction to be successful.'
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