Highland estate as big as Glasgow to be revitalised in partnership between community, conservation charity and Aviva - Woodland Trust
Assynt Foundation, Woodland Trust Scotland and Aviva, the UK’s leading diversified insurer, have struck a 30-year deal to revitalise a vast area in the northwest Highlands of Scotland.
With funding from Aviva, Woodland Trust Scotland will deliver ecological regeneration across Assynt Foundation’s Glencanisp and Drumrunie estates. This project will protect, restore and expand a range of habitats, particularly woodland, including the most northerly rainforest in Scotland.
The Trust will register carbon from woodland creation and share the income with the Foundation. The Foundation is expected to receive £2–£2.5 million subject to tree growth.
The South Assynt Collaboration Project aims to create 2,000–2,500 acres of new native woodland in the first five to ten years, amongst a wider mosaic of trees, open moorland and mountains. Open ground habitat, peatlands and riparian areas will be improved through a 30-year rolling work programme. In addition, 500–1,000 acres of existing ancient woodlands, including remnants of Scotland’s rainforest, will be restored and expanded.
The result will be a resilient upland landscape that helps reconnect people to the land and increases biodiversity.
Containing iconic mountains Suilven, Canisp, Cul Mor and Cul Beag, set amongst a vast patchwork of rivers and lochans, Assynt Foundation’s estates cover 44,000 acres (almost 70 square miles) and are around the size of the City of Glasgow.
Aviva’s chief sustainability officer, Claudine Blamey, said: “Aviva and the Woodland Trust are working together to mitigate climate change and protect and restore nature. The state of our climate and of nature are crucial to the long-term sustainability of our economies and societies. We are delighted to be able to support the South Assynt Collaboration Project to restore the landscape in the northwest Highlands of Scotland, thereby helping the UK become more climate-ready.”
Woodland Trust is currently recruiting for an Estate Ranger - South Assynt Collaboration. View the vacancy here