There are few places where wildlife feels so immediate, so audible, and so intricately woven into daily life as it does in Orkney. This remote archipelago off Scotland’s northern coast isn’t just scenic, it’s ecologically vital. And on my recent ambassadorial visit with the RSPB, I witnessed first-hand how seriously the people of Orkney honour that responsibility.

I was invited to learn more about the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, a pioneering initiative, the first of its kind in the Northern Hemisphere and the largest eradication project ever undertaken on inhabited islands. It even deploys Europe’s first Stoat detection dogs. This ambitious collaboration between the RSPB, NatureScot and Orkney Islands Council is already delivering tangible results.