Riemore Estate | Scottish Land & Estates

Nominee Summary

The estate, a 2,300-hectare upland holding in Highland Perthshire, is planning one of the region’s most ambitious whole-estate nature and climate programmes. Within a sensitive landscape of SAC, SPA and SSSI designations, it combines large-scale native woodland creation, natural regeneration, catchment-scale peatland and wetland restoration, a transition to regenerative farming, and an established run-of-river hydro scheme now being upgraded — all under Wildlife Estates Scotland accreditation. Deliberately designed as a proof-point for the surrounding landowner cluster, the estate shows how renewable energy, carbon sequestration, habitat recovery and viable land management can be integrated into one replicable, financially durable model.

What was the motivation behind the work which was undertaken?

The estate sits within a sensitive upland landscape — the River Tay SAC catchment, the Forest of Clunie SPA, SSSI ground and part of the River Tay National Scenic Area. Rather than treating these designations as constraints to work around, the estate chose to build its entire land-management vision around them, recognising that genuinely valuable nature recovery had to start from the conditions and species the land already supported. The motivation was threefold. First, to reverse historic degradation: decades of drainage had dried out peatland and lowered water tables, native woodland cover was sparse, and in-bye ground had been intensively grazed. The estate wanted to restore the underlying ecological function — wetter peat, connected native woodland, healthier soils — rather than make cosmetic improvements. Second, to combine that recovery with a working rural enterprise. The aim throughout has been restoration that improves habitat condition and stores carbon while keeping the land economically viable, sustaining traditional skills and rural employment rather than displacing them. Third, and distinctively, to act as a proof-point for others. The estate forms part of a wider cluster of neighbouring landowners and a shared deer-management group, and deliberately set out to pilot integrated restoration — woodland creation, peatland recovery, regenerative farming and renewable energy — so that a replicable, financially durable model could catalyse landscape-scale change well beyond its own boundary. Restoration was structured in phases so early success could build confidence and unlock reinvestment across the wider landscape.

Overcoming Challenges

The estate’s central challenge is delivering large-scale change within a landscape layered with statutory designations — the Forest of Clunie SPA, River Tay SAC, SSSI ground and a National Scenic Area — where woodland creation, peatland works and the hydro upgrade each carry real risk of conflict with protected habitats and species. The estate has met this with evidence rather than assertion. Extensive baseline survey work has been commissioned and completed: archaeology, a 50-point peat depth survey (recording depths from 8 to 387 cm), UKHab habitat mapping, and breeding-bird and protected-species surveys. These findings have directly shaped the woodland design, which will exclude deep peat and blanket bog and apply 15–20 metre buffers around sensitive features. Species-specific disturbance buffers will be observed for black grouse leks, golden eagle, merlin, hen harrier and breeding waders. The hydro upgrade required Habitats Regulations Appraisal, which concluded no adverse effect on SPA integrity, and will be delivered under a Construction Environmental Management Plan with an Ecological Clerk of Works. Community relations, initially strained during early hydro development, have been rebuilt through repeated public consultation. Making restoration financially viable demands a phased approach, with woodland creation structured as a first phase to build confidence and unlock reinvestment. Coordinating deer management across estate boundaries adds further complexity, addressed through the local deer-management group.

The Environmental, Social & Economic Benefits

Environmental: The programme delivers measurable gains across habitats and carbon. Approximately 762.9 hectares of native woodland (650.9 hectares net) expand habitat and connectivity and extend the Den of Riechip SSSI. Peatland restoration across drained ground reduces peat oxidation and rebuilds carbon storage, while re-wetting and wetland creation improve water retention, flood attenuation and drought buffering across the catchment. The woodland scheme is forecast to generate over 130,000 carbon units across 100 years under the Woodland Carbon Code. Targeted measures support black grouse, golden eagle, short-eared owl, hen harrier and breeding waders, monitored through bird surveys and bioacoustics. Social: A community woodland adjacent to the neighbouring village has been progressed and the land transferred to a village trust for community-led recreation and long-term local ownership. The estate hosts a specialist residential school for neurodivergent young people on its grounds, and facilitates access for local schools, Duke of Edinburgh groups and walkers and cyclists via the Core Paths network. Public consultations have built local understanding of and support for the restoration work. Traditional rural skills — forester, keeper, shepherd, ecologist — are sustained. Economic: The hydro scheme exports renewable electricity directly to the grid, equivalent to 400–500 households today and around 750 after the upgrade, forming a long-term income stream. Carbon and biodiversity markets, alongside grant funding, are structured to make restoration self-sustaining and to reinvest in regenerative farming. The estate also supports local businesses, including Dunkeld-based cycling operators using estate access.

Including the community

The estate’s community engagement has deepened markedly in recent years. Relations were initially strained during early development of the hydro scheme, but through a sustained programme of public consultation — including a series of village meetings and presentations — relationships were rebuilt and are now broadly supportive. The same consultative approach was applied to the woodland creation proposal, which secured a breadth of local and stakeholder support and is recognised locally as an asset to both environment and community. The most significant community initiative is a woodland created adjacent to the neighbouring village for local leisure and recreation. Developed through direct discussion with residents, this evolved into a community woodland project, with the land made over to a village trust to enable community-led development and long-term local ownership — a meaningful step in building trust and shared stewardship. A specialist residential school for neurodivergent children and young people operates on the estate’s grounds, with the estate as landlord, reflecting a long-standing commitment to supporting vulnerable young people. The estate also facilitates access for local schools and outdoor-education groups. Through the Lunan Wildlife Cluster and sustained engagement with Scottish Forestry, NatureScot, and SEPA, Riemore has helped to demonstrate what is achievable through constructive regulatory collaboration at landscape scale in the central Scottish Highlands a legacy of approach as much as of outcomes.