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One of my yearly highlights are the SRUC visits. As an Alumni I am passionate about the student journey and my role provides me with a fantastic opportunity to help new students on their learning journey, whilst showcasing the work Buccleuch undertakes to manage its land sustainably.
At the 2002 United Nations World Summit in Johannesburg a plan was adopted for sustainable development, with the “Three Pillars of Sustainability” being widely adopted thereafter. The Three Pillars are Economic, Social and Environment, all of which should be balanced and this provided the focus for the Rural Land Use visit to Bowhill. Year one students came from Wildlife and Conservation, Environmental Management and Rural Business Management courses from both the Oatridge and Edinburgh campuses.
SRUC's Visit to Bowhill
Starting in the theatre for presentations on Farming, Woodlands and Visitor Services, students learned about how different functions within Buccleuch support one another to deliver a sustainable business model. From livestock breeds and management, to cutting edge technology and energy production, our Farms team show that there is constant evolution of best practice for sustainable management, whilst the Woodlands team rely on a variety of management practices to maintain our FSC certification standards and ensure our woodlands retain their amenity value for visitors.
Even the Visitor Services Team operate sustainably to engage and educate the public with Bowhill’s natural and cultural heritage, provide recreational opportunities and be economically viable through activities, workshops and events.
Following the presentations we took a walk around the estate, where students could see first hand how estate functions operate alongside each other and gave students an extended opportunity to ask questions related to their assessments.
This walk was similar to the visit from the Ecological Principles and Applications year three students, which took place in October. Whilst the visit by first year students provided and overview of estate management, the year three students took a deep dive into factors affecting land use and how threats and opportunities are mitigated or exploited. This included how a mosaic of land use compartments (heterogeneity) can benefit biodiversity and the wider environment, acting as habitats, corridors or stepping stones for wildlife, whilst also acting as buffer zones to provide resilience against extreme climatic events (stochasticity) by regulating the movement of water, sediment and nutrients, an essential component of maintaining healthy waterways.
For both student groups, and as something I learned for myself, sustainable land use across a range functions is unbelievably complex, necessitating a long term vision, versatility and above all, good communication.