Eelco de Jong

Candidate Statement

I’m an avid outdoorsman and spend most weekends hill-walking, climbing, camping, stalking and bird-watching all over Scotland. I’ve spent many an amazing weekend on one of the John Muir Trust’s sites and am keen to give something back.

I’m a trained forester and planner and have a BSc in Forestry and Land Management and am an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. In my current role I’m a planner for Forestry and Land Scotland . In this job I create and implement land management plans in line with regulations and targets set out by the Scottish Government. As such, I have a thorough understanding of environmental impact assessments, felling regulations, water regulations, timber certification and other regulations applicable to land management. I’ve furthermore worked on carbon accreditation of woodland creation and peatland restoration on the National Forests and Land.

I deal with challenges such as climate change, peatland restoration and deer management daily and know how to ensure plans are approved, achievable and delivered. As part of this role I liaise with statutory bodies, neighbouring landowners and relevant charities. I’ve worked with statutory bodies on woodland creation targets, statutory plant health notices and guidance regarding water quality, catchments and water supplies.

I furthermore feel my silvicultural training and experience might provide a good asset for the John Muir Trust. I have thorough understanding of the natural processes taking place on the land and know how habitats will develop. As a forester my specialisation is knowing where and how to steer these natural processes to achieve desired outcomes.

I have experience in governance as a board member of The Highland Weigh. This is a social enterprise based in Nairn which aims to reduce waste by running a zero-waste store and café. I’ve been a board member since the social enterprise was founded in January 2022 and am helping out by focussing on the carbon emissions and environmental impact of the company.

I’m also a local Explorer Scout leader as I enjoy being in the outdoors with children and teaching them about nature and outdoor skills.

Having followed the Trust closely in recent years I’ve been amazed by the good work being done and I’d like to help out where I can. The organisation plays an important role for land management nationally. By demonstrating how land management can and should be done, educating the public and pushing for policy reform the John Muir Trust can have an impact far beyond the boundaries of its landholding. Clear on Deer and Carbon Emission Land Tax demonstrate exactly this and I’d love to contribute to such projects.

Eelco joins us as a co-opted Trustee for one year, as our ecology and natural heritage specialist.

Member since

2023