The American Revolution in the Environment, Scotland

Scotland, wealthy Americans are buying highland hunting estates to protect the environment. They are green layered. of 5,500 acres of property kiddrummyFor example, it was recently bought by some US real estate developers. Christopher and Camille Bentley thus became part of the so-called green layeredThe eco-sensitive billionaires who have been buying up vast Scottish lands have long been changing the way these areas are managed.

The American Revolution in the Environment, Scotland

“Kildrumy has always been run like a hunting lodge and exploited very intensively, Camille Bentley told Reuters. IBTotally they cost about $15. bought property in millions, There is an important manor house, built in 1901 to host popular hunting parties the moors have been burned To improve the breeding conditions of capercaillie, which is a hunting favorite of enthusiasts. To ensure that the predators are fun, natural predators, such as foxes, have been hunted or trapped and killed instead. Today, however, Bentley has banned any hunting on the property. Their goal is to turn it into an area where endangered species can be protected and respected. “Across the street is Glenkindy, a hunting lodge. However, its owners have managed their land very differently over the years than Kildrumy, while respecting the environment. We are looking to replicate that model here as well, where the moors have been burned and left unattended for a very long time,” said Christopher Bentley.

Rich Americans in Defense of the Scottish Highlands

Not far away is a former hunting lodge called Banloit, which was recently purchased by another Green Laird, Jeremy Leggett. Leggett is a longtime climate activist who has made millions from solar power, “Early in my career they told me that I was a rootless dreamer and that solar power would never produce energy, today I wonder why not try to replicate the success I’ve had in that area with a more useful system. do. environment. my The goal is to remove carbon from the atmosphereLeggett said. Entrepreneur hopes active research at Banloit will accelerate real Revolution in Land Management in Scotland and help avoid climate and biodiversity collapse. He’ll start by measuring the amount of carbon stored on the Banloit estate: “I think in a hundred years, if we do it right, much of the country will look like these little areas that we’re protecting today. , with ancient oak forests of hundreds of years.”

Controversy over the arrival of Green Lairds

growing number of Green Laird This has revived the debate about who owns Scottish land and how it is used. According to activists, less than 500 people own more than half of Scotland’s private land and many of them are foreigners., Some owners are deeply skeptical of these novelties. Among them is 74-year-old Jamie Williamson: “People who are moving in this direction come from an urban context or a foreign country and have recently arrived here,” explained the man who runs Elvi and Dalradi, a traditional sports organization. Williamson said he is also struggling to maintain his grouse shooting income due to deer raids on his property, which is surrounded by major reconstruction projects. He says re-planting native woodlands in Scotland won’t stop climate change As long as the country imports cheap timber from abroad. “If we really brought back and produced our steel and iron and brought back our polluting industries, but managed them more efficiently, we would be doing a lot more to global warming than the goal of restoring peatlands. The trees here grow very slowly.” The Bentleys are well aware that Scots can be very wary of Americans with big plans and deep pockets. “There are certainly a large number of people who have this mentality but We are here because we love this place and we just want to be a part of its rebirthFor the good of all,” concluded Camille Bentley.