This guidance note describes reasonable measures that forest and woodland managers should follow to avoid or minimise the risk of committing offences against the wildcat, a European protected species.

It is an offence deliberately or recklessly to capture, injure or kill a wildcat; to disturb it while it is occupying its breeding sites/resting places; or to obstruct access to its breeding sites/resting places. It is an offence to damage or destroy breeding sites/resting places even accidentally.

Wildcats are widely but unevenly distributed throughout the north and central Scottish mainland, north of the Highland Boundary Fault (which runs from Arran to Stonehaven). Within this area, and particularly where there have been local records of the species, wildcat should be an operational consideration.