Located on a 100-acre site near Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands, AECOM and the Lifescape Project have established a Natural Capital Laboratory. Working with the landowners, their local advisors and a team of researchers from the University of Cumbria, the site’s natural environment will be restored, bringing back native forest and bog, engaging local communities and reintroducing locally extinct species. With the aim of identifying and demonstrating the environmental, economic and social benefits of rewilding, the project will design and test experimental new techniques to quantify, measure and communicate environmental and social change. Cutting-edge technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality and remote sensing will also be used to capture and share the learning.
With the idea of ‘Capitals Accounting’ becoming increasingly important in UK policy making, there is a growing demand for public and private sector organisations to take more responsibility for their environmental and social impacts. However, there are often significant challenges in identifying and utilising the necessary tools, techniques and support needed for organisations looking to measure, manage and value their natural assets. The Natural Capital Laboratory will be a real-world, practical demonstration of how to apply a natural capital approach, and a live test bed to develop the tools needed to do so.
With a lifelong interest in forests, Roger and Emilia Leese (who own the NCL site) had been looking for a suitable forest project. After five years of searching, in 2017, they purchased a remote Loch Ness property with good access to roads. Located within what was once the ancient Caledonian Pine forest, the property still contained several native species, and the cottage on site would prove to be the ideal headquarters for scientists, experts and conservationists arriving to contribute to the NCL’s research.