The partnership between the University of Edinburgh and Kinloch Woodlands is thought to be the first of its kind in Scotland where an educational institute is delivering natural capital benefits – the social and economic benefits that come from nature – to a community landowner.
Kinloch Woodlands is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), run by a board of trustees comprising of locals and land management experts. The charity conserves land at Kinloch estate, known for some of Scotland’s most iconic vistas, including views over Loch Torridon and towards the islands of Rona and Skye.
Kinloch Woodlands is a partner in the Northwoods Rewilding Network operated by the rewilding charity, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. The network brings together over 80 landholdings across Scotland, all committed to the expansion and enrichment of natural habitats.
Brokered by SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, the partnership aims to extend native woodlands planted in the 1990s through both natural regeneration and some limited new tree planting.
Nature recovery
With only 2.5% of the UK now covered in ancient woodland, rewilding using native flora will help transform the land into the precious ecosystem it once was.
Importantly, it is hoped that rebuilding these natural habitats will increase native wildlife populations, including red squirrels which were reintroduced to the area in 2016.
A part of the University’s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2040, the rewilding effort will also help combat climate change through carbon sequestration and storage.
Working with a range of partners and landowners, the University will capture and store carbon from the atmosphere by planting more than two million trees, restoring peatland and regenerating approximately 5,600 hectares of land – of which 4,800 hectares is owned by partners across Scotland.
Community support
A key part of the agreement, Kinloch Woodland will receive financing over the course of the project to help with costs associated with the running of Kinloch estate and to reinvest into the Shieldaig community.
The agreement also ensures that a proportional financial benefit goes to SCOTLAND: The Big Picture’s Rewilding Fund to support nature recovery efforts at Northwoods partner sites.
There will be educational opportunities throughout the project, with plans to involve Shieldaig Primary School in various projects.Rewilding efforts and habitat management will also create a living laboratory for long-term environmental monitoring, academic research and hands-on learning, organisers say.