KTP between UHI and National Trust for Scotland

Case Study

National Trust for Scotland + University of Highlands and Islands

Beyond Barriers: Innovating Deer Deterrence for Wild Woodlands

Learn how Mar Lodge united ecology and engineering to pioneer low-impact solutions to deer damage.

James MacDonald testing the developed device

Awards and Achievements

Making an Environmental Difference (finalist)

The partnership was a finalist at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2025
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Innovative deer deterrent developed by UHI Inverness knowledge partnership

A researcher from the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI Inverness is working with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) to develop an innovative electronic system to deter deer from damaging young woodland in remote areas.
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National Trust for Scotland

Since 1931, the National Trust for Scotland has pioneered public access to and shared ownership of some of the most magnificent buildings, collections and habitats in Scotland. The independent charity cares for ancient houses, battlefields, castles, mills, gardens, coastlines, islands, mountain ranges and all the communities, plants and animals which depend upon them.

National Trust for Scotland logo

University of Highlands and Islands

UHI is an integrated university encompassing both further and higher education.

UHI is more than a college and more than a university. It's part of a new breed of tertiary institutions, the only one in Scotland and one of only a few in Europe.

UHI offers flexible and supported learning from access level to PhD, which suits more people at more levels for more reasons.

What was the need?

The Challenge

NTS partnered with UHI to develop an innovative method for protecting young trees from herbivore browsing. Traditional approaches, such as culling or physical barriers, are costly, high maintenance, and have negative environmental impacts. This project aimed to create a low-impact, cost-effective deterrent that works year round and requires minimal maintenance.

What did we do?

The Solution

The partnership researched and developed a novel prototype device to detect and deter herbivores and successfully conducted testing on the Mar Lodge Estate. The prototype was refined to incorporate several deterrent stimuli and herbivore response and habituation were studied. The solution has the potential for a wide application across NTS properties and other landholdings aiming to regenerate woordland through natural processes.

The People

Meet the Team

Dr Euan Bowditch

Researcher – Forestry and social-ecology

Dr Euan Bowditch came from a forestry background (BSc Hons Forest and Woodland Management) and practiced in a range of countries and environments to expand his skills and understanding of forest environment including time in Finland, USA, Portugal, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Spain.

An LLM in Environmental Law and a PhD in Sustainability (focussed on woodland expansion) undercut his interdisciplinary approach to research and undertaking diverse research projects which has included social science and creative practice, applied product development of tree health treatments, business and marketing opportunity mapping, socio-economic baseline assessments, woodland ecology and stakeholder engagement

Dr James MacDonald

KTP Associate

Following a PhD in Engineering at University of Cambridge, Dr James MacDonald worked as a Research Fellow in Manufacturing Processes before taking up the position of Product Development Engineer (KTP Associate). He enjoyed the opportunity to apply his knowledge to develop a prototype intended for deployment in challenging environments, gaining additional knowledge and skills in project management, sustainable energy solutions and ecology. James has continued to progress his career in research and now works at the Nuclear Futures Institute, University of Bangor.