Sylvan Conservancy
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Est. 1988 · Ancient Forest & Wetland Preservation

Preserving
Nature's Inheritance

Sylvan Conservancy guards ancient forest, wetland, and meadow ecosystems — restoring what has been lost and protecting what remains for every generation to come.

Our Programmes Support Us
Ancient · Restored · Enduring
0 Thousand Hectares
0 Reforestation Projects
0 Species Protected
0 Years of Conservation
Our Conviction

Inherited Land is
Borrowed from the Future

Sylvan Conservancy holds a simple but profound conviction: we do not own the land we steward. We hold it in trust — for the species that depend on it, and for the human generations who will inherit it. This shapes everything we do.

01
Ancient Ecosystem Priority
Old-growth forest, ancient fen, and primary wetland take absolute conservation priority. These irreplaceable habitats harbour species found nowhere else and cannot be recreated once lost.
02
Native Species Restoration
We restore using only native provenance seed, local-origin planting stock, and natural regeneration where possible. No alien species, no introduced genetics — only what belongs.
03
Intergenerational Stewardship
Sylvan's land management plans are written across 50-year horizons. We plan for the forest, not the funding cycle — and build the community knowledge that will sustain it beyond our lifetimes.
Conservation Programmes

Habitats We Protect

Ancient Forest
Old-Growth Reserve Network
120,000 hectares of ancient woodland under permanent legal protection across seven reserves.
Reforestation
Native Woodland Expansion
14 active reforestation projects planting 2.4 million native trees across degraded land.
Wetlands
Fen & Bog Restoration
Rewetting 80,000 hectares of drained peatland to restore carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
Meadows
Wildflower & Grassland Programme
Restoration of species-rich meadows and grassland corridors connecting fragmented habitats.
Ancient woodland
Field Stewardship

Tending What
Cannot be Replaced

"Ancient woodland is not simply old trees. It is centuries of ecological history — a living archive of biodiversity that modern replanting can never fully recreate."

Sylvan's field teams work year-round across all managed habitats, combining ecological monitoring, invasive species management, hydrological restoration, and community engagement into integrated annual management cycles.

Our 140 trained habitat stewards are supported by ecologists, hydrologists, and traditional woodland crafts practitioners — ensuring that ancient land management knowledge is preserved alongside the ecosystems it sustains.

Our Methodology
How We Work

From Assessment
to Thriving Habitat

01
Habitat Condition Assessment
Comprehensive ecological survey combining Phase 1 and Phase 2 habitat surveys, vegetation mapping, species inventory, and hydrology assessment. Establishes baseline condition and primary conservation objectives.
02
Threat Identification & Removal
Systematic removal of invasive species, management of deer browsing pressure, restoration of natural water flows, and, where necessary, legal protection designation to exclude incompatible land uses.
03
Passive & Active Restoration
Where possible, we allow natural regeneration guided by condition management. Where regeneration is insufficient, we supplement with native-origin, locally-sourced planting or seeding — never using non-native material.
04
Connectivity & Landscape Scale
Individual reserves are integrated into landscape-scale habitat networks through corridor planting, hedgerow restoration, and partnership agreements with neighbouring landowners. Ecology does not respect fences.
05
Long-Term Monitoring & 50-Year Planning
Annual ecological monitoring feeds into 50-year management plans that ensure conservation decisions reflect ecological cycles, not administrative ones. Results are published and shared with conservation partners globally.
Our History

Thirty-Eight Years
of Ancient Land Care

1988
Founded
Sylvan Conservancy established to protect three ancient woodland sites facing imminent development pressure.
2000
100,000 Hectares
Cumulative land under conservation management reached 100,000 hectares across 12 designated nature reserves.
2012
Wetland Rewetting
Launch of our landmark peatland rewetting programme, restoring 40,000 hectares of drained fen and bog.
2024
290,000 Hectares
290,000 hectares under management, 14 active reforestation projects, and 6,200 species supported across Sylvan-managed land.
Recognition

Trusted by
Conservationists Worldwide

"Sylvan Conservancy sets the gold standard for ancient habitat management. Their 50-year planning horizon is a model that every conservation organisation should adopt."
— British Ecological Society, Annual Review 2025
"The landscape-scale approach championed by Sylvan is demonstrably more effective than single-reserve management. Their results speak for themselves."
— Nature Conservation Journal, Peer Review
"In thirty-eight years of operation, Sylvan has proved that ancient ecosystems can be restored, expanded, and made resilient — with sufficient commitment and science."
— The Woodland Trust Partnership Citation
Preserve the Future
Support Sylvan
Conservancy
Headquarters
Sylvan House, Greenfield Road
Inverness, IV1 1RF, Scotland
General Enquiries
info@sylvanconservancy.org
Donations & Partnerships
+44 1463 722 800
Volunteering
Open spring and autumn seasons
Get in Touch