This site shows the wealth of flora and fauna present on, or near, the land owned and leased by Royal Dornoch Golf Club. The club has a strong commitment to maintain the sustainability and biodiversity of its land.
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The club began planned action to protect its environmental assets in 2018. These efforts were recognised with the award of GEO certification. Scott Aitchison, deputy course manager, has worked with his team to promote the environmental stewardship, climate action and community value of the Royal Dornoch estate that are the key elements of this award.
On a visit to Dornoch in 2022, German-based journalist Petra Himmel, founder of Golf Sustainable said: “At Royal Dornoch Golf Club, they’ve managed to create a hotspot on the international golf scene in a pretty lonely place in the world that feeds the whole village, adds value for kids, and is environmentally friendly to boot,”
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Recognising its stewardship of its natural assets, the R&A selected Royal Dornoch as one of the 27 golf courses in the UK to become part of its "Golf Course Biodiversity Project". Established in 2022, its initial aim is to assess and quantify the biodiversity value of golf courses over a five-year period. ​​
A summary report for this project found that a total of 174 species were identified as present, or likely to be present, at Royal Dornoch. Of these, 23 are protected or notable. These include redshank, curlew, hooded crow, linnet, skylark and juniper. It also noted that Royal Dornoch is less than 150m from the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Area (SPA), which supports internationally important assemblages of birds including osprey, common tern and bar-tailed godwit
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The Biodiversity Project lasts for five years. The summary report urged the club to record the presence and outcomes of the species present on, or near, its estate. Royal Dornoch has therefore started to record the flowers, grasses, insects, birds and mammals either present or that can been viewed on its land.
The panels below show the first outcomes from this exercise and are mainly drawn from images shot since May 2024. Where possible and not disclosive, the location (which hole, which course) where the image was taken is recorded alongside.
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Royal Dornoch's biodiversity is enjoyed by many non-golfing visitors to its estate. The John O'Groats way runs through the Championship Course. Golfers, walkers, runners and cyclists can follow their own pursuits along this route. This is all part of the general association between biodiversity, outdoor living and well-being that is part of the Royal Dornoch experience. One of the panels shows non-golfers enjoying themselves on Royal Dornoch land.
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The panels also show species recorded along the Moray Firth SAC which borders Royal Dornoch (most notably within a few yards of the 9th, 10th and 11th holes on the Struie Course). The club does not control access to the SAC, but always acts to ensure that its own activities do not prejudice the SAC's biodiversity.
