Charity buys £17.5m estate with 'large private donation’

Scottish Wildlife Trust has bought a 7,618 hectare estate after it was handed a ‘large private donation’ from an unnamed, environmentally friendly donor.

It plans to restore wildlife and habitats onto the Inverbroom Estate, near Ullapool in Scotland, and to work with local people on projects such as woodland regeneration, peatland restoration and nature-friendly farming.

The charity explains that the site is “larger than the city of Dundee” and has been made possible “through a gift from a private donor, the largest in the Trust’s 60-year history”.

The site is predominantly made up of peatland, ancient semi-natural woodland, farmland and a number of lochs, including the 2.5 mile long Loch a’ Bhraoin.

“Securing the site will enable the charity to significantly enhance its efforts to protect and restore wildlife at scale across Scotland, with planned nature restoration work supporting the
Scottish Government’s ambitions to ‘protect 30% of our land and seas for nature by 2030’, in line with international targets,” it added.

Peatland restoration is among key projects to take place on the estate around this climate change commitment, as it makes up around 70% of the site.

The charity said: “Globally, healthy peatlands are one of the most effective ecosystems for carbon storage; their unique properties allow them to store vast quantities of carbon which prevents it from being released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

The charity’s chair Jo Pike said: “The site includes some of Scotland’s most iconic species and habitats, so we are delighted to have been able to secure it for the benefit of Scotland’s wildlife and people, especially as there was also interest from overseas buyers.

“It has all been made possible by the incredible generosity of a private donor who is passionate about the part that Inverbroom can play in restoring our precious ecosystems, while delivering benefits for local people.”

The charity has taken ownership of most of the estate from this week, with the remainder coming into the Trust’s ownership on 8 April.