Few of us probably think about how much we rely on the natural world for many aspects of our lifestyles. For rural communities in the past, however, the links were much more immediate: the way they used natural resources had a direct bearing on their well-being and survival from year to year. So how successful were they and how is that reflected in the present landscape?

This three-year research project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, aims to examine how farming communities in upland Scotland managed their natural resources during the last 800 years. We are investigating which environmental, social and economic factors drove changes in upland farming systems, and what implications this has had for current landscape diversity and management, particularly for establishing conservation priorities.

These aims cross the boundaries between history, economics and ecology, so the only way to answer these questions is by combining specialist techniques from these diverse subject areas. As a result, the research team consists of historians, a palaeoecologist, ecologists and economists. These disciplines produce such different types of data that we are also using statistics to look at patterning to understand what caused changes in farming methods and communities, and how these are linked to changes in plant diversity from c.1200 to the present day.

The research sites are located in Sutherland, the Central Highlands (Loch Tay and Glen Orchy) and in the Southern Uplands, allowing us to include a diverse range of environmental and socio-economic conditions (and some scenic areas for fieldwork).

Impossible? Interested? Then please look at the project page on the AHRB Research Centre for Environmental History website for more information or contact Althea Davies