The document presents a model for a 21st century sustainable Highland estate called Bunloit that aims to address climate, biodiversity, COVID-19, and depopulation crises through four Rs: restoration, regeneration, repeopling, and recovery. It discusses conducting stakeholder consultations, donating profits to the local community, setting goals to increase carbon sequestration, biodiversity, employment, and sustainable profitability by 2031. The model at Bunloit would restore crofts, build single eco-homes and small clusters of enterprises and homes, and establish a school for furniture building to attract new residents as part of repeopling the area.

1. One model for a 21st century bounce-back Highland
estate
Bounce-back from the climate crisis, the biodiversity crisis,
the covid-crisis, and the depopulation crisis
Jeremy Leggett
Rural Housing Scotland Summit 2021
26 February

2. Agenda
The model:
An aspiring exemplar:
• The four R’s
• Community and land reform
• Bunloit

3. The model: the 4
R’s
Restoration Regeneration
Repeopling
Recovery

4. The model: community and land reform
Bunloit: A full year of stakeholder consultations
March 2020 to March 2021. www.bunloitideas.com

5. Drumnadrochit viewed from Bunloit
We will be donating 10% of our annual net profits
to the local community, for use as it sees fit
Community and land reform

6. An aspiring exemplar: Bunloit
Mission: Four “measurable and meaningful”
goals by 2031
• Carbon sequestered
• Biodiversity increased
• Employment increased
• Sustainably profitable

7. 20 members, including:
Scottish Rewilding Alliance calls for Scotland to be the world’s first rewilding nation
17 Feb 2021:
Poll shows 76% of
Scots support
rewilding in Scotland

8. Bunloit oak woods from Loch Ness
For us, rewilding is a progressive approach to nature
conservation that revitalises forest, peatlands and pastures,
providing space for wildlife and flora to flourish and communities
to thrive. It creates a landscape that boosts biodiversity, carbon
sequestration, and job creation for guardians of the expanding
wildland, all at the same time.
Bunloit’s definition of rewilding

9. Restoration
The model in the case of Bunloit

10. The model in the case of Bunloit
Regeneration

11. Recovery
The model in the case of Bunloit

12. A Makar home of the kind we hope
to build a small number of on Bunloit
The model in the case of Bunloit
Repeopling

13. The Bunloit project has invested in Makar

14. Three options for eco-building:
1. Restore existing and ruined crofts
Repeopling

15. Three options for eco-building:
2. Single new buildings like this Makar home
Repeopling

16. Three options for eco-building:
3. A small group of new eco-enterprises and homes
Repeopling

17. Perfect for a small number of micro-enterprises
and a mix of homes …if the community wants
Repeopling

18. Repeopling
First candidate for an eco-enterprise:
a school for master furniture building

19. Easy to imagine, and would tick the boxes
of many Scottish government policies
Repeopling

20. Repeopling
Behind a deer fence, a new woodland is growing:
this is why we call our idea woodland ecobuilding

21. A starter-for-ten
for North Bunloit

22. Thank you for your
consideration
www.bunloitideas.com