We are a team of incredibly passionate environmentalists on a mission to Scale Conservation, delivering positive environmental and social impact first, and financial return as result not the purpose of what we do. Working with Low Carbon, we have identified an opportunity for generating wind energy at Invergeldie, and plan to explore this further over the coming months and years.
Why Wind?
Climate change is the most significant threat to biodiversity worldwide. If we cannot find a way to end our reliance on fossil fuels, we will no longer have a future on this planet. Wind farms produce clean and renewable energy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. Revenue generated from wind farms allows reinvestment in conservation, and funds can be used to support habitat restoration, species protection (and reintroduction), and a transition to regenerative land management. Wind farms also create jobs, as well as opportunities to collaborate with local communities to create benefit sharing agreements that deliver financial benefits as well as better infrastructure and access to the natural environment.
We recognise that the development of wind energy can cause disruption and damage. We are committed to taking every step to make sure that the potential negative impacts of any wind development on one of our estates are avoided or minimised where possible. We also make sure that any such developments are integrated into a wider masterplan for the site which delivers environmental restoration at scale, creating significantly more positive impacts than negative ones. While we recognise that this is not a perfect solution, we don’t believe we have the luxury of finding perfect solutions, and we believe that we owe it to the next generation to do what we can to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
Why Now?
Our masterplan for Invergeldie will involve exploring the potential for wind, alongside large scale woodland creation and peatland restoration. It is still in the process of being mapped out, and is likely to change (and change again) in the coming 12 months as we learn more about the site through surveys, data collection, and the feedback you provide through the consultation process.
We are starting these conversations now as a first step to exploring whether wind is possible at our Invergeldie Estate. We want to take an integrated approach to managing the Estate which delivers lasting environmental, social, and economic benefits. This means exploring opportunities for renewables, regenerative agriculture, habitat restoration, species protection and reintroduction, ecotourism, and sustainable development of new homes and buildings.
It is important to have these discussions early to explore how these aims can be integrated together, and to discuss the potential benefits and address the potential negative impacts of wind at Invergeldie. Our aim at the end of this process is to deliver a vision for the site which helps to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as creating clean energy and jobs for the future.
