Students gather in Carrbridge for land conference

More than 50 students from around the Highlands and Islands gathered in Carrbridge this week for a conference on integrated land use. Organised by the University of the Highlands and Islands, the event aimed to encourage students studying a variety of land-based subjects to develop an integrated approach to land management.

Students from courses including geography, forestry, environmental sciences and gamekeeping took part in field trips to Dalnahaitnach and Allt Lorgie and worked on team projects during the two-day event. They also heard presentations from organisations including Scottish Natural Heritage, the RSPB, SEPA and Scottish Water. The conference, which took place on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 March, was the university’s fifth annual integrated land use conference.

Dr Sue Engstrand, subject network leader for environment and rural resource management at the university, explains why she believes it is important for students from a range of land-related disciplines to meet: “We are aiming to encourage our students to think broadly about land use and land management, about the connections between land uses and about innovative solutions to getting multiple benefits from our land. Our idea is to encourage these students, who are studying at many different levels from vocational programmes right through to PhD, to develop skills and understanding to work together across discipline boundaries with external stakeholders to develop an holistic and integrated approach to land management.”

The integrated land use conference was supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, the RSPB, Forestry Commission Scotland, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Land and Estates and SEPA. You can find out more about the University of the Highlands and Islands’ land-based subjects at www.uhi.ac.uk