November 2024
“The grass grows, the trees quietly turn green, and the flowers warmly bloom. It seems that the land is telling people: look, I have become better because of you.”
That was the generous response from a wonderful Chinese student the Dùn Coillich team were delighted to host earlier this year, and who this week celebrates her graduation from the University of Edinburgh!
Jingnan Li, 24, was studying for an MSc in Sociology and Global Change, and looking for research opportunities to support her dissertation.
Entitled ‘Rethinking Conservation and Development: An Actor-Network Analysis of a Community-Based Land Conservation Project in the Scottish Highlands’, Jingnan was eager to find out more about what the project means to people – and particularly what drives the volunteers to give their heart and soul to a place which can often spend its time raining on them!
Originally from Hangzhou in China – and a self-confessed city girl at heart – Jingnan’s experiences on the hill over a six week period not only informed her insightful dissertation, it also resulted in a beautiful reflection on her time at Dùn Coillich, when she mucked in with volunteers, spent time with our welcoming Project Officers Heather and Fred and, as she herself says, gained her own “subtle connection with the land and this community.”
We would like to sincerely thank Jingnan for her enthusiasm, interest and commitment to getting under the skin of what makes Dùn Coillich special, and most of all wish her huge congratulations on her graduation.
She tells us she is looking forward seeing trees all over the hillside – well we hope she will come back and visit us so she can walk among them with us!
In the meantime we’re delighted to share her reflections on her time at Dùn Coillich, in a warm piece of writing that shines a light on the positive benefits that getting closer to nature – and each other – can bring.
“Live with nature
When I first saw the advertisement for Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust in my school’s handbook, I was deeply attracted by its description: a community-based land acquisition, a conservation project to restore native woodland, a piece of land that creates well-being for wildlife and people.
What happened on this land? With strong sense of curiosity, I conducted a six-week placement-based research project at Dùn Coillich from May to June 2024, where I could explore this lovely place as a participant, researcher and observer.
Getting to know the land
Unlike many of the locals here, I was born and raised in the city, and rarely had the opportunity to come into contact with nature in my past life. Nature is relatively unfamiliar to me. I still remember that on the way to Dùn Coillich for the first time, the project officer Heather drove me past a dense pine forest. She explained that it takes about twenty years for such a tree to grow, which is actually very fast. But I was secretly shocked – twenty years, that’s almost the entire length of my life! But in nature, twenty years is insignificant – and I was intrigued to discover more about this land that has now been protected for more than twenty years.
My first day in Dùn Coillich was a rainy day. The air was cold and humid, and the mist hung all around, exactly in line with my imagination of the Scottish Highlands. Heather-moorland is the main vegetation here. Standing in the parking lot and looking around, the surface of another hill not far away was only mottled low bushes – but on the hillside of Dùn Coillich, there were many trees magically dotted around. Occasionally, birds would circle overhead (forgive me for not being able to identify their names). The volunteers proudly told me that this was the result of their years of work.
Getting close to people
The changes in the land are closely related to the participation of people. Volunteers are the new blood here, and they are responsible for most of the work of restoring this land. One of my favorite things during my time at Dùn Coillich was to participate in the weekly volunteer day and listen to the volunteers tell their stories about their connection with this land. Most of them come from nearby villages and towns. Some are experts in natural history, some are enthusiasts. Some have become volunteers only recently, whilst some have been participating in volunteer activities regularly since the establishment of the project.
Our conversations often began with “Why do you come here?” – and the answers I heard were always full of love. In people’s descriptions, I heard about a healing and relaxing environment, about meeting people with common interests, and about the many opportunities to get close to nature…
People have a deep connection with nature through Dùn Coillich and it seemed that all good things happen here. I guess this is why they are happy to gather here and do similar things day after day!
My conversations also gave me a new understanding of the word “community” in Highland Perthshire Communities Land Trust, the charity which owns the land. I began to realize that this is a community that comes together because of mental resonance, not just geographical proximity.
Whisper from the land
I followed the volunteers on walks around Dùn Coillich many times. Sometimes we posted notices, sometimes we cleared bracken, sometimes we walked around to see what had changed during previous weeks. Every walk and every route brought me new experiences and insights. People patiently and enthusiastically introduced to me the trees they planted, taught me to identify different plants, and shared their knowledge of natural history with me. Walking through the scratchy heather, I felt closer to nature than ever before!
I was lucky to be there at the turn of spring and summer, when Dùn Coillich was full of vigorous vitality. I could see changes every week that I visited. Sunny days and rainy days are also completely different. The grass grew, the trees quietly turned green, and the flowers warmly bloomed. It seemed that the land was telling people: look, I have become better because of you. The significance of protecting the land became concrete and obvious to me.
Rethinking the relationship between humanity and nature
I saw the ideal state of coexistence between man and nature at Dùn Coillich. During my conversations, interviewees described the land as an open and welcoming place. I like this expression. This applies to nature as a whole. Nature always accepts everyone with tolerance and is happy to return people’s kindness. When we realize that everything else is as important as humans in nature, we embrace nature.
During my short time on the land, I gradually pieced together the history of Dùn Coillich and HPCLT (maybe it’s still incomplete). I feel that a part of my life now has a subtle connection with the land and this community, and I seem to understand why people here have such a deep affection for the land they live on. I am a beginner in understanding what nature can mean. I am still learning how to get along with it, how to respect and understand the rules of nature – but now I am also looking forward to adding my own strength to protecting nature.
Thanks to all the people, plants and animals I met at Dùn Coillich. This will be a memorable time in my life. I hope it gets better and better, and I look forward to seeing the trees all over the hillside!”
Jingnan Li
