Highlands Rewilding is a pioneering, for-profit venture focused on nature recovery, carbon sequestration, and community prosperity across three Scottish estates:
Bunloit (Loch Ness), Beldorney (Aberdeenshire), and Tayvallich (mid-Argyll). Managed by Dr. Jeremy Leggett, they use a "mass ownership" model with over 800 investors, aiming to restore biodiversity and create green jobs while developing a "Nature and Community In Perpetuity" (NCIP) model.
Key aspects of these Highlands rewilding efforts include:
Estate Focus:
Bunloit Estate (Inverness-shire): 513 hectares (originally 1,200 acres) of woodland, pasture, and peatland on the west shore of Loch Ness.
Beldorney Estate (Aberdeenshire): Focuses on restoring grassland, with a mix of habitats.
Tayvallich Estate (Mid-Argyll): A 1,370-hectare site featuring marine, wetland, and native woodland habitats.
Key Goals: The projects aim to fight climate change and biodiversity collapse by establishing "open-air laboratories" for monitoring, which inform the creation of data-driven natural capital credits.
Community Engagement: Initiatives include creating local "green" jobs, offering community investment opportunities, and forming partnerships with local communities in land management.
Other Projects: In 2023, the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust took on the lease for the 18,500-acre Dalnacardoch Estate to focus on restoration.
The company has secured significant funding, including a £7.5 million fundraise and a £12 million loan from the UK Infrastructure Bank for land acquisition.