Rewilding Scotland: Native Forest Restoration, Shifting Baselines & countering Misinformation

Native forest restoration is transforming landscapes across Scotland and beyond — but not without controversy. In this video, I explore the extraordinary benefits of rewilding for ecosystems and human wellbeing, and why so many people instinctively resist the change. I look at shifting baseline syndrome — the psychological reason we accept degraded landscapes as normal — and how online misinformation and social media trolls are actively working to derail vital conservation efforts. If you care about Scotland's wild future, this is a conversation worth having. Subscribe for more honest explorations of wild places and the forces that shape them. Become a patron:   / middleofnowhere233   ... or make a one-off donation: https://buymeacoffee.com/middleofnowhere Music tracks featured in this video are: ‘Delirius’ by Dye O: https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/t... ‘Blending Spaces’ by Helmut Schenker: https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/t... ‘The things that keep us here’ by Scott Buckley:   / the-things-that-keep-us-here   OTHER PLACES TO SEE MY ADVENTURES/PHOTOGRAPHY: Website: https://www.middleofnowherephotos.com Instagram:   / fearguscooney   Facebook:   / feargusc   Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fearguscoone... About Me: Hi and thanks for checking out my videos! I’m Feargus Cooney, a photographer and amateur explorer who has been disappearing into the wilderness for most of my life. It’s my passion and my salvation from the stresses of everyday life. The main aim of my excursions/expeditions is to explore the relatively (and occasionally completely) unknown if I can - to get off the beaten path in some way and bring back photography of nature and wilderness. I’ve been filming my adventures since 1999, though am only a recent addition to using YouTube as a way of getting the experiences out there. During the COVID-19 pandemic my wife and I made the decision it was time to escape the stress of living far from any real wilderness and moved to northern Scotland, and that’s where most of these videos take place. It’s not as pure and unspoilt as some wilderness areas around the world but it can certainly be remote and wild. I also head off into more ‘pure’ wilderness around the world once or twice a year, and will occasionally add videos from my archive of trips I did in the past where the quality is high enough. Scotland has made a world of difference to my mental health. The space - and right - to roam here, along with a healthier attitude to freedom of access to nature than I’ve come across in most places I’ve lived has made entering this phase of my life a truly transformative one, raising me out of persistent cycles of depression and stress that have plagued most of my adult life. I’m passionate about nature and the wilderness and always have been, and I hope to share some of that passion with you. BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS! A WORD OF CAUTION: My videos cover experiences I have had and are not to be taken as guides or recommendations without proper training and experience. I’ve been spending time in the wilderness camping wild and doing the various activities I show for many years, and have made plenty of mistakes while refining my experience and know-how, some of which could have been very serious (!). Please seek appropriate training or go with someone more experienced than you before trying risky activities. #RewildingScotland #NativeForestRestoration #ShiftingBaselineSyndrome 00:00 Introduction 00:55 Caledonian forest diversity 06:24 Into the backcountry 07:37 Ecological Desert 12:32 Shifting baselines 15:22 New life in my childhood playground 22:17 Facing major challenges 26:22 Environmental trolling & misinformation 29:11 The good news 30:48 I love wildness, and I want that to spread!