Why Not Scotland? – The London Premiere

On 20th June, 2024, The European Nature Trust will be hosting the charitable London premiere of Why Not Scotland? – a narrative and personal documentary posing the pressing question: If nature is recovering across Europe, can Scotland undergo a similar revival?

TENT invites you to the Marylebone Theatre for an inspiring, charitable cinematic event that will raise awareness, inspiration and engagement with Scottish nature. In many parts of Europe, ‘wild rivers’ still exist, forest cover has grown by 5% since 2000, and traditional practices of coexisting with species like beavers, bears and wolves are being unearthed. While social and political challenges abound, keystone species are making a significant comeback. The EU has recently adopted its ‘Nature Restoration Law’, and collectively, all UN countries must protect 30% of all land and seas by 2030 to meet the “30x30” target. It begs the question, if Europe is making progress, can Scotland meet the challenge posed by the climate and biodiversity crises?

During the evening, the Why Not Scotland? film will address this challenging question through personal narrative storytelling, auguring hope, inspiration, and practical solutions for nature recovery. A panel discussion will review the state of the rewilding debate in Scotland, and assess the obstacles that Scotland’s communities, climate and biodiversity must overcome.

Produced by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, shot across multiple locations in Europe, this feature-length documentary accompanies Flo, a young Scot, who is concerned by the state of nature and fearful about an uncertain future. During her travels Flo discovers places where nature is making a spectacular comeback, breathing life back into the landscape and revitalising communities. Encouraged by these stories of hope, she is prompted to wonder: Why Not Scotland?

Proceeds from the screening will be allocated by TENT to SCOTLAND: The Big Picture (SBP) to drive support for the regeneration of Scotland’s land and seas, and to enable more areas to support nature recovery.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture works to drive the recovery of nature across Scotland through rewilding, in response to the growing climate and biodiversity crises. Their vision is of a vast network of rewilded land and water across Scotland, where wildlife flourishes and people thrive. They aim to achieve this by four means: by driving public and political support for rewilding; influencing more land to be committed to rewilding; working to return missing species; and developing an economy based on rewilding through local business development.

Major Projects:

The Painting Scotland Yellow project seeks to arrest and reverse the decline of aspen woodland in Scotland, by encouraging more land managers to retain and expand existing aspen stands. SBP are increasing aspen production and planting, using a ‘stepping-stone’ approach to create climate-resilient, interconnected habitats.

Northwoods is a Scotland-wide chain of landholdings committed to nature recovery. Its partners share a vision for an ecologically-restored landscape, where habitats are better connected and species can recover. Northwoods seeks to demonstrate how rewilding can be applied across different scales and settings, and the range of benefits it can drive.

Across mainland Europe, the Eurasian lynx is staging a comeback. Scotland is part of a shrinking group of countries that no longer benefit from their native large carnivores. The Lynx to Scotland partnership – constituted by SBP, The Lifescape Project and Trees for Life – has been working towards a trial reintroduction of lynx.

Ben Goldsmith

British philanthropist and environmentalist who has been at the forefront of campaigns for more rewilding in Britain and Europe. He founded and chairs the Conservation Collective, a network of locally-focused environmental foundations.

Peter Cairns

Executive Director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, a charity working to drive the recovery of nature across Scotland through rewilding, in response to the growing climate and biodiversity crises. He was a co-founder of major conservation media initiatives such as Tooth & Claw, Wild Wonders of Europe and 2020VISION. A long time advocate for rewilding, Peter has spent almost three decades as a photographer, videographer, nature tourism operator and environmental communicator.

Morag Watson

Co-founder and director of Realise Earth, an organisation improving leadership for sustainability. Morag has been a climate change, sustainability and leadership policy expert for nearly twenty years, and a former UNESCO expert adviser. As Director of Policy for the trade body Scottish Renewables, Morag advises the Scottish and UK governments on transitioning to net zero.

Flo Blackbourn

BSc Hons Zoology graduate currently studying for a MScR in Evolutionary Analysis, star and narrator of the film, Flo describes herself as a trainee bird ringer, wildlife survey volunteer, and someone who still takes in the odd wildlife casualty to rehabilitate and release. Her influence stretches to creating non-lethal protocols for pest controllers & wildlife rehabilitators which underpinned a new law brought in by NatureScot in 2022.

As an organisation, we fund and support conservation projects, working with a network of impactful NGOs. We love making what we like to call, 'Noise for Nature'.

TENT funds and co-produces cinematic, educational documentary films. Premieres serve as an inspiring platform, helping people to connect with nature, to each other, and to leave inspired.

Our sold-out events in the past have raised critical funds for our NGO partners, enabling our guests to contribute to conservation. We bring people together with nature's heroes, always with purpose.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Marylebone Theatre, 35 Park Road, London, United Kingdom