An expert has called for greater protection for an under appreciated Scottish geographical feature.
Peter Wright has called for a watershed line to be designated as a Unesco biosphere as it runs through half of the wild land in mainland Scotland.
The watershed is a meandering line running north to south through Scotland which determines whether rainfall will run west towards the Atlantic or east towards the North Sea.
The line runs through the western Highlands, passing close to Fort William, Mallaig and Ullapool before turning north east to Duncansby Head on the Caithness coastline.
There is only one settlement – Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire – built directly on the watershed.
Mr Wright, who has written a trilogy of books on the subject, has said that the wildness of the watershed should be formally protected and recognised.
He said: “I would like to see the wildness of the watershed in Scotland formally recognised in some way.
“As a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, it would be protected from development.
“Such recognition would mean my research has borne fruit and that links to wildness are formally appreciated.
“If we have a shared feeling that wild land is important, let’s do all we can do keep it that way. This geographical feature with one settlement and 20 houses is important. Emptiness is a supreme quality.”
In his book Ribbon of Wildness, Mr Wright became the first author to offer a definitive description of Scotland’s watershed as a geographic feature.