£17.5m donation could end deer stalking on Highland estate

A mystery benefactor has gifted the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) £17.5m, allowing them to buy the Inverbroom sporting estate near Ullapool.

SWT, which has historically specialised in running small reserves, plans to convert the 18,824 acre estate into a rewilding showcase by creating Atlantic rainforest, restoring peatland and carrying out nature friendly farming. The trust will also rent out the 11 bedroom Inverbroom Lodge as a holiday let for extra revenue, but plan to end commercial deer stalking and grouse shooting on the estate.

Jo Pike, the charity’s chief executive said: “We see so many possibilities for nature restoration, which bring together benefits for nature with benefits for people,” she continued: “It fits perfectly with our priorities.”

A spokesperson for The Scottish Gamekeepers Association told ST: “Whatever happens here it would be reassuring for the public to know that, at some point, the owners might be able to sustain the estate through a business model which doesn’t rely so heavily on public grants and hand-outs. There now seems to be a bit of a cut-and-paste model which is encouraging large scale land purchases on the promise of deep subsidy pots.”