Ecologist: The Scottish Highlands were once the site of extensive forests, but these forests have mostly disappeared and been replaced by peat bogs  The common view is that the Highlands' deforestation was caused by human activity, especially agriculture  However, <b> agriculture began in the Highlands less than 2, 000 years ago </b>  Peat bogs, which consist of compressed decayed vegetable matter, build up by only about one foot per 1, 000 years and, <b> throughout the Highlands, remains of trees in peat bogs are almost all at depths great than four feet </b>
Since climate changes that occurred between 7, 000 and 4, 000 years ago favored the development of peat bogs rather than the survival of forests, the deforestation was more likely the result of natural processes than of human activity
The first is a position that the ecologist rejects; the second provides evidence in support of that rejection.