Enhancing our Environment through Land Management Award

Scottish Land & Estates have selected Dougarie as a finalist in the Helping it Happen Awards 2023, sponsored by NatureScot.

We are delighted to have been recognised for our commitment to sustainable land management and conservation.

What are the Helping it Happen Awards and why have we been nominated? Read on to find out.

Helping it Happen Awards

Scottish Land & Estates Helping it Happen Awards recognise the role of estates, farms, rural businesses and individuals who are helping rural Scotland thrive. Dougarie Estate has been nominated for the Enhancing our Environment through Land Management Award category.

Scottish Land & Estates’ chief executive Sarah Jane Laing said: “We are delighted to receive a record-breaking number of nominations for this year’s awards. A number of categories have been hotly contested.”

Why was Dougarie Estate nominated for?

We recently embarked on an ambitious Green Network project to develop connectivity across the diverse habitats we manage. In partnership with the Nature Restoration Fund, we planted 9,000m of hedgerows in 2023 with the intention of increasing biodiversity across the estate’s lowland areas.

The longer-term aim is to further develop these corridors in 2024 with another 6,000m of hedgerow planting planned. Hedgerows provide a wide range of benefits including ecological, environmental and agricultural benefits as well as enhancing the natural beauty of the isle of Arran’s landscape.

Conservation at Dougarie

Our overarching aim is to restore connectivity through a mosaic of habitats. We are committed to more sustainable, low carbon, high conservation land management.

Find out more about conservation and natural capital at Dougarie Estate here.