A core principal of the management goals at Alladale is to ensure they have a foundation in excellent science. Where the necessary research has yet to be carried out, we will endeavour to produce it. For this purpose the Wildlife and Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) of Oxford University have been funded by Paul Lister's European Nature Trust (ENT) to design and conduct unique research at Alladale. A purpose built 500 acre trial enclosure has now been completed and will provide the research site for these experiments.

WildCRU was established by Professor David Macdonald with the main goal of bridging the gap between academic research and practical conservation problems. Following its establishment in 1986, it has become renowned worldwide. Their goals fall directly inline with Alladale’s which has resulted in this exciting collaboration.

The first project will consider the impacts and potential uses of wild pig populations in the Scottish Highland Environment. Scotland has undergone 5,000 years of deforestation that has seen a reduction of the Caledonian Pine Forest from its former extent of 1.6 million ha to just 16,000 ha today; this represemts a staggering 99% loss.  This drastic decline of such productive habitat on this scale has had disastrous impacts upon Scotland’s flora & fauna. Various schemes have been devised to help re-establish this native forest however, some of these methods have created new problems, that have in turn, prevented natural regeneration.  To begin to reverse this situation has called for highly intensive planting operations. 

It is proposed that wild pigs could provide a new ground preparation method for the regeneration of forests as well as providing considerable additional social, economic and environmental benefits. This research will be conducted over the next 3 years and this website will be kept thoroughly up to date as the research is implemented from early in 2007.