Nestled within the Cairngorms National Park and spanning 15,000 acres of moorland, forest, and mountainous terrain, Dorback is the third land purchase by Oxygen Conservation in Scotland, following deals to buy the 12,000 acre Invergeldie estate in Perthshire and more than 500 acres in an area known as ‘Dog bank’ on the Firth of Tay.
Overall, Oxygen Conservation oversees a portfolio of more than 43,000 acres across the UK.
Their business model revolves around tree planting, conservation and peat bog restoration to create carbon credits which can be traded to other companies which cause pollution, offsetting any greenhouse gases their activities emit.
Dorbeck estate encompasses the fringes of the more Abernethy Caledonian Forest and the ‘Braes of Abernethy’, and was formerly part of the holdings of Clan Grant in Scotland.
The company said that as the ‘new custodians’ of Dorback, they will spend the next year to 18 months gathering data before planning their next steps.
In a statement, the company said: “We are deeply committed to the long-term conservation and regeneration of this unique landscape.
“However, we recognise the importance of understanding the land and its ecosystems fully before embarking on any major projects.
“Over the next 12 to 18 months, we will be focused on learning about the estate in depth. This period will involve conducting detailed surveys, gathering ecological data, and engaging closely with the estate team and local community, whose knowledge of the land is invaluable.”
It added: “We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and are committed to making informed, thoughtful decisions that will enhance the natural beauty and biodiversity of Dorback Estate for generations to come.”
Its website sates: “Each of our sites is beautifully unique, and for each site we agree a set of environmental and social targets that are bespoke to that landscape.
“We work to deliver these targets, restoring natural processes, protecting biodiversity, and creating new homes and jobs.
“This creates a range of natural capital products, such as carbon credits, that we sell to a small number of carefully selected partners so that we can deliver environmental and social impact at an even greater scale.”
The sale of carbon credits is one way of reaching Net Zero emissions, whereby the release of carbon into the atmosphere is offset by the creation of zones such as forests and bogs which can absorb and hold a similar amount of carbon.
The company says: “We cannot offset our way out of the climate crisis. But offsetting can be a critical part of a wider Net Zero strategy that focuses on avoiding and reducing emissions.
“First, we need to focus on lowering our carbon footprint. Then we can use carbon credits to offset any emissions that cannot be tackled through other means.
“This puts a price on the carbon we produce and creates a financial incentive to reduce it.”
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The sale was conducted by law firm Burges Salmon, which has advised Oxygen Conservation since it was founded in 2021 and has acted on all of its twelve land acquisitions.
The team advising on the Dorback Estate deal was led by partner Ross Simpson and included senior associates Sarah Stewart and Eilidh Wood, associate and chartered tax adviser Claire Withers and associate Darren Thomson.
George Pawley, Oxygen Conservation’s General Counsel, comments: ”We are incredibly excited that the spectacular Dorback Estate is now part of the Oxygen Conservation portfolio.
“Deals like this are demanding, complex and time consuming, and Burges Salmon’s talented and dedicated team have provided excellent advice and support throughout the lengthy acquisition process.”
Ross Simpson of Burges Salmon adds: “We’re extremely proud to be working with Oxygen Conservation as it transforms and enriches sites across the UK for the good of our planet and our communities and to be part of their vision to redefine what it means to do conservation by highlighting the huge opportunities rural land present.
“It’s a really exciting time to be part of the emerging natural markets and to see land as an opportunity to provide a lot of the solutions to the biggest problems that we face around nature, biodiversity crisis and climate change.”
