This month, we introduce a guest columnist who has spent many years as a journalist before retiring to Eskdale four years ago. Robin Farquharson has been speaking and listening to the people who know these landscapes best, in this piece he brings an unvarnished view of how land use is changing across the Border valleys—and what that means for the communities that rely on it. Their reporting takes them from hill farms facing shifting economic pressures to valleys where habitat restoration is beginning to take hold.
In a couple of articles, Robin will examine the tensions and opportunities shaping the rural economy: how livestock producers are adapting to new environmental expectations, where conservation projects are succeeding or faltering, and why local voices are crucial in decisions about the future of the uplands. The column will offer clear-eyed analysis and on-the-ground insight into a region where tradition, resilience, and ecological change meet.
…read much more in this week’s E&L available at your Newsagent or available online by subscription. Click HERE
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