Crown Estate Scotland chose Cumulus Consultants for their innovative approaches to natural capital. We started working with Crown Estate Scotland in 2017-2019, when we undertook the first ever trial of the Natural Capital Protocol with land-based businesses, working with three different types of farm and an upland estate owned by Crown Estate Scotland. These natural capital assessments improved understanding of natural capital and ecosystem services and identified business dependencies and impacts, enterprise inter-dependencies, risks and opportunities. They included actions for consideration and ways to integrate natural capital with existing business planning tools and schemes.
“The trial has been really useful in helping to increase my awareness of how our business may impact the natural environment. It’ll help us to make more informed decisions about how to improve our farming operations going forward, both in economic and environmental terms.”
During 2022-2024, Cumulus led ‘Glenlivet Estate 2050’, a high-profile community-focussed project to explore how Glenlivet Estate might evolve over the next 30 years. Glenlivet Estate is a large diversified estate located largely in the Cairngorms National Park. The aims were to develop a Land Use strategy and Action Plan based on extensive stakeholder engagement.
The Challenge
The challenge was to develop a plan for the estate that could also support local priorities, including:
- Securing local jobs and attracting investment
- Attracting the next generation of residents
- Improving the environment
- Meeting the challenges of the climate emergency and the nature crisis
This involved aligning the needs and wishes of the community with the goals of the estate, in a way that satisfies all the overarching objectives.
Insight and Outcomes
Stakeholder engagement covered a range of themes, including sustainable farming, forestry and woodland, sporting and moorland management, water resources, tourism, diversification, housing and buildings, and infrastructure.
Cumulus led three Working Groups to focus the engagement and inform the Vision and Objectives for the Action Plan. These Working Groups were: ‘Sustainable Farming’, ‘Forestry and Moorland’, ‘Wider Economy and Community’. The latter focused on housing needs, tourism, diversification, and infrastructure (including infrastructure).
The Outputs were a shared Vision, a set of Strategic Proposals that informed the Strategy, and an Action Plan for delivery. The outcome is an Action Plan which is fully ‘owned’ by named individuals who are responsible for delivery. This Action Plan can be adapted as the implementation progresses.
“A very good piece of work, vision raises the bar, thank you to everyone involved, and Cumulus for lending us support….Tremendous. Very ambitious strategy/plan.”
If you are interested in better understanding your natural capital assets and planning a more sustainable future, visit our dedicated Natural Capital webpage and/or contact one of our team of specialist consultants for a discussion.