At the beginning of March, we announced our purchase of the 7,618-hectare Inverbroom Estate in Wester Ross. 

Our staff are now busy planning how we can maximise the potential of this incredible landscape, which sits within Scotland’s temperate rainforest zone, hosts large areas of peatland and offers significant opportunities for the regeneration of river woodland. Managed effectively for both wildlife and people, Inverbroom can help in Scotland’s fight against the interlinked nature and climate crises.

Image © LANDFOR

As we said when we announced the purchase, working with local people will be key to shaping and delivering our plans at Inverbroom. Through public meetings held at Braemore Village Hall and Coigach Community Hall last month (building on our involvement over more than a decade in the Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape), we spoke with around 100 people, giving us an early insight into local priorities and interests.  

One of the key messages that came out was the importance of considering local livelihoods and access, whether that’s businesses such as farming, recreation such as hillwalking, or simply communicating clearly with the people who live within or near Inverbroom. We were pleased to have an opportunity to begin this conversation, which will evolve as we get to know the site. 

During the meetings, a great deal of support was expressed for our conservation goals and we received some excellent questions on a number of topics.  

Firstly, species reintroductions. We can’t yet say in detail what our future management plan will look like as we need to gain a better understanding of the species and habitats currently present before we can create this. However, if the habitats present provide opportunities to translocate missing species – for example insects, lichens or bryophytes – from other parts of Scotland in order to increase their native range and/or the biodiversity of the habitat, we may consider this. 

With regards to habitat management, effectively managing grazing (including, but not limited to deer) will support peatland restoration and native woodland regeneration. Deer control was mentioned several times at the meetings and, in line with our existing deer policy, we will look to actively control their numbers on the site. We must stress that the details of our Deer Management Plan are yet to be determined, but we very much hope that it will bring both economic and ecological benefits to the surrounding community. For more information on the Trust’s policy on wild deer, click here.

Image © Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

Moving onto recreation and access, it was fantastic to hear at the community events how much people enjoy exploring Inverbroom’s landscape. We are aware how popular the site is for walking and other outdoor activities, and encourage people to enjoy it responsibly, in line with the access guidelines set out in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. 

A final point that was raised by multiple people at the events was regarding the future of the farming operation and housing tenants. As referenced in our initial announcement, we look forward to working with the existing contract farmers to ensure a sustainable, productive and nature friendly farming operation on site. Also, as a responsible landlord, we will continue to provide housing to residential tenants on site and we have engaged Savills in Inverness to facilitate this.

Image © LANDFOR

The long-term nature of our vision for Inverbroom means that we will not be moving forward on every area at once, indeed some aspects will take many years to come to fruition. We will continue to engage with the communities as our work develops, whether that’s by building on local wildlife knowledge or maintaining clear communication on our plans as they progress. For now though, we’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to talk to us so far.

Header image © LANDFOR