Women's Upland Network Founder
Emily Taylor
Trustee, The Heather Trust
Background and Career to date
I grew up on a hill farm on the Isle of Coll and since then have never strayed too far from peatbogs. My years spent studying marine and terrestrial ecology, a masters in Carbon Management and a PhD in peatlands and carbon were interspersed with stints working as a countryside ranger and farm conservation advisor. I am now Director of the Crichton Carbon Centre having started as Land Management Project Developer, and manage a range of peatland restoration and training projects and programmes, environmental engagement and education, and support research and data gathering to help us, and the land owners and managers we work with, deliver meaningful environmental restoration.
Please describe why the uplands are important to you?
More and more I understand the fragility of our uplands and the pressures our upland environments and rural communities who live and work amongst them face. However, at the same time, my work allows me to see some of the great work that is going on to enhance and sustain these unique environments and the people working hard behind the scenes. I find this genuinely inspiring, and exciting, and I am very grateful for the all the amazing places I get to go to.
What inspired you to become a founder of the Women’s Upland Network (WUN)?
To be totally honest it was at a Heather Trust AGM where there were less than a handful of women in the room! This did not feel very representative of the many women I’ve met and been inspired by that live and work in the uplands. Often in “unseen” but many and varied roles, it struck me that lots of the jobs being done were quite different to the mainstream perception of who works in these environments. I felt building a network and community of women working in the uplands would not only provide more peer-to-peer support, particularly needed given the rural nature of many of these roles, but offer a chance to showcase the varied and exciting opportunities that exist in this sector.
What does the success of the WUN looks like for you?
More women at a Heather Trust AGM!
A more modern and engaging image of the uplands.
An established support network for making connections and friends to sharing knowledge and expertise.
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