Landscapes evolve over time and are a vital part of a nation’s culture and identity and the changing perceptions of the Scottish Highlands have played an important role in the shaping the nation’s psyche. A growing population, new patterns of work and leisure, changing farming practices, climate change and the demand for cleaner sources of sustainable energy are placing the Highlands under an increasing pressure that many fear will damage a landscape that is loved and valued. Proponents of change, however, argue that by denying progress conservationists deny both the history of the landscape and the nature of change itself.
The Inverness and Black Isle U3A Study Day aims to explore the way in which our perception of the Highland Landscape and its management has developed over time and then investigate the tensions that exist between those that advocate change to ‘progress the New Scotland’ and those that want to preserve an unspoilt, natural wilderness. In the process of this investigation your assumptions about what we value in the landscape should have been challenged and at the end of the day it is hoped that we can reach a consensus, through discussion, about those features of the landscape that we value and wish to conserve.
