Landscape change in the Scottish highlands: a review

This article challenges the proposition put forward by James Fenton in his book Landscape Change in the Scottish Highlands that the landscape is natural. The scientific basis is lacking from his arguments. He relies on his own observations and those of travellers and others without any scientific material being presented to back up his argument. This review quotes from the scientific evidence by internationally respected palaeo-ecologists that demonstrate that there is factual evidence of tree and woodland removal by humans on many occasions over the millennia since human settlement. The book and this review should hopefully stimulate further scientific analysis and result in a more objective debate on whether the landscape of the highlands is natural or most likely the result of human activity or a combination of both.