Highlands Rewilding has taken a leap forward with its progressive model for community engagement, completing the sale, at cost, of 19 hectares of Tayvallich Estate to the local community body Tayvallich Initiative.
This development comes six months after Highlands Rewilding and Tayvallich Initiative developed and signed a first-of-a-kind land management Memorandum of Understanding and represents a unique approach to boosting community prosperity from natural capital.
Additionally, Highlands Rewilding has published a Community Engagement Roadmap and launched a Community Joint Venture project which aims to capitalise on environmental improvements from rewilding and the valuable ecosystem services they generate, continuing to develop community benefits from natural capital.
This Highlands Rewilding – Tayvallich Initiative model was recently highlighted by the Scottish Land Commission and used as a case study within their guidance on community benefits from Scotland’s changing land use.
Jeremy Leggett, founder and CEO of Highlands Rewilding, said: “We hope that land sale to communities will be a key part of our model. Where there is demand for community ownership of land we want to fulfil this part of our community prosperity aim, by empowering the community to own their own land.
“We see it as a win-win for both communities and private land owners working together to achieve joint aspirations for nature recovery and community prosperity.”
Highlands Rewilding acquired Tayvallich Estate on May 16, 2023. In June 2023, following a successful bid to the Scottish Land Fund, Tayvallich Initiative was awarded £565,608 to fund the purchase of two plots of land at Turbiskill from Highlands Rewilding.
The sale of Turbiskill Farmhouse and land on to the community at cost represents a positive model for both Scottish communities and landowners where aspirations align for enhancing community agency and prosperity alongside nature recovery, rewilding and re-population.
The current focuses of Tayvallich Initiative for the community-owned land are to progress applications for planning consent to build housing for affordable rent and create opportunities for properties with rural housing burdens; the land will also be sensitively managed and there are hopes for renewables options too. The sale will bring a second house into community ownership with long-term letting.
Tayvallich Initiative said: “Reversing depopulation and maintaining and developing employment in the area are key concerns, while also maintaining the area’s natural richness and responding and adapting to the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
“Our aspirations here align with Highlands Rewilding, and community ownership of Turbiskill, alongside the wider Tayvallich Estate management will help to enable these ambitions to be realised.”