Organization makes historic announcement after receiving largest donation of its kind on record: 'Incredible generosity'
The SWT used the donation money to purchase Inverbroom Estate, a nearly 19,000-acre stretch of gorgeous woodland, peatland, lochs, and more. This amounts to the organization's largest land acquisition ever.
A recent announcement declared the SWT's intent to "restore wildlife habitats on [Inverbroom] to help tackle the nature and climate crises." It plans to do this by working with the community to "transform the landscape through woodland regeneration, peatland restoration and nature-friendly farming."
The record £17.5 million (around $22.7 million) donation came in timely fashion, as the Inverbroom site was being eyed by foreign buyers. Now, it remains in the hands of a group that is heavily invested in maintaining Scotland's natural beauty and protecting its ecosystems.
"The site includes some of Scotland's most iconic species and habitats, so we are delighted to have been able to secure it for the benefit of Scotland's wildlife and people, especially as there was also interest from overseas buyers," Jo Pike, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said.
The SWT also intends to protect Inverbroom by removing invasive species that are disrupting the area's ecosystem. British isle Guernsey recently had success with similar efforts from conservationists.
In a world where the gap, both cultural and financial, between the haves and have-nots seems to be ever-growing, this story is heartening. While the ultra-wealthy continue to pollute at far higher rates than the rest of us, there's at least one well-to-do environmentalist out there. That anonymous donor is responsible for the largest-ever land acquisition by Scotland's biggest conservation charity.
Thanks to them and the SWT, Scotland's citizens — plants, animals, and humans — can enjoy a healthier, greener, better-protected environment.
"[The restoration project] has all been made possible by the incredible generosity of a private donor who is passionate about the part that Inverbroom can play in restoring our precious ecosystems, while delivering benefits for local people," Pike said.
Which of these environmental causes would you be most interested in supporting with a financial donation?
Promoting clean energy
Protecting clean air
Advancing forest conservation
Fighting climate change
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
12 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Premier League chief calls for patience as Man City legal case drags on
LONDON (AP) — The Premier League's top official called for patience Wednesday while the seismic legal case involving Manchester City drags on into another season. City was charged by the league in February 2023 with more than 100 financial breaches, including providing misleading information about its sources of income. The case was heard by an independent commission between September and December last year but no verdict has been reached. Punishment could be as extreme as expulsion from the top flight. City has always denied the charges. The issue hangs over the start of another Premier League campaign, with the 2025-26 season starting Friday. But Richard Masters, the competition's chief executive, reiterated the league has no control or say over the timings. Asked in an interview with British broadcaster Sky Sports News why the league could not hurry the process along, Masters said: 'I can't answer that specific question. All I can tell you about is the system and how it works. 'I mean, it's an independent judiciary, essentially. So once the allegations, the charge, has been put forward, they go before an independent panel, which is independently selected, and they are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome, and we have no influence over that, over it or its timing. That's right from an independence point of view." 'I just have to wait,' he said, "and legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated, but we have to be patient.' Taking the Premier League abroad The Spanish league has recently approved a request for a match, between Villarreal and Barcelona, to be played in the United States in December and Masters was asked whether the Premier League had any similar desire to take a game abroad. Masters said the need has lessened. 'We did look at the '39th game' way back when, with lots of controversy. I recall that very clearly," Masters said of a controversial proposal made back in 2008 of having an extra round of matches played overseas. 'Our objective at the time, when thinking about it, was to help grow the Premier League around the world. 'And we've been able to do that through different means, through brilliant broadcast partnerships, through digital technology, investing in other areas, like the Summer Series tournament we've just had in the U.S., and now the Premier League is a genuinely global league. There are billions of people who will be tuning in over the course of the next next nine months to watch Premier League action. So we've achieved that objective by different means, that necessity has dissipated.'
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Financial impact from severe OT events could top $300B
This story was originally published on Cybersecurity Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Cybersecurity Dive newsletter. The global financial impact from catastrophic cyber events that disrupt operational technology could near $330 billion on an annual basis, according to a report that industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos and professional-services firm Marsh McLennan released on Tuesday. The cost of business interruptions in such a scenario would exceed $172 billion, according to the report. Those estimated losses are based on a so-called 1-in-250-year tail event and factor in global supply-chain impacts and other related events. Dragos researchers say the indirect losses, including the impact from disrupting normal operations, are the concerns that many companies fail to account for. 'We see OT companies investing the majority of their cybersecurity budget on IT networks,' said Mark Stacey, VP, risk and resilience solutions at Dragos, adding that companies often assume OT functioning as normal when production is ongoing. 'The potential impact of business interruption (whether direct through adversary action or indirect to an abundance of caution) is often underestimated,' he says. In comparison, the average annual global risk, including business interruption claims, is $12.7 billion, the average global aggregated risk over the next 12 months is $31 billion. The financial analysis is based on 10 years of breach and insurance-claims data from Marsh McLennan's Cyber Risk Intelligence Center. The report provides insights into the risks facing operational technology, which has experienced an increase in attacks in recent years. Manufacturing and other critical infrastructure sectors are increasingly dependent on connected technologies, including the need for remote-access tools that are often connected to the internet. The report highlights how specific defense strategies can reduce overall risk. The three OT security controls most associated with risk reduction were maintaining a comprehensive incident-response plan, using defensible architecture and performing continuous monitoring to preserve visibility into a network In recent months, companies have reported significant financial losses from cyberattacks that affected their supply chains or their ability to conduct online transactions. British department store chain Marks & Spencer took a $400 million hit after a social-engineering attack linked to the Scattered Spider cybercrime group. The company on Monday confirmed that it had restored its online ordering service, months after the April cyberattack. United Natural Foods, the distributor for retailers including Amazon's Whole Foods chain, said last month that a cyberattack also linked to Scattered Spider would cost the company at least $350 million in sales. Recommended Reading 6 security experts on what cyberthreats they expect in 2023
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Reverse non-dom crackdown to get Britain building, Reeves urged
Rachel Reeves has been urged to scrap her controversial non-dom tax crackdown to lure foreign billionaires back to invest in Britain's much-needed building projects. Leo Quinn, the chief executive of construction giant Balfour Beatty, said the Chancellor's abolition of the non-dom regime had driven away crucial investment from the nation's infrastructure. Mr Quinn said: 'London's the best city on the planet and what we should be doing is attracting all these billionaires and wealthy families here ... because what they bring with them and the investments they make is phenomenal. 'I'm hoping that one [minister] will see the light and say, 'Maybe we've gone a little bit too far in what we've done around non-doms ... and we'll look to mitigate some of those rules.'' The Chancellor scrapped the non-dom status in April, a move widely blamed for chasing some of Britain's wealthiest people out of the country. High-profile exits that followed the tax changes include Richard Gnodde, a Goldman Sachs banker, Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris and John Fredriksen, a Norwegian shipping magnate. Mr Quinn, 68, said Britain was missing out on opportunities to attract wealthy businesspeople to invest in projects where they could 'take a long view' of the possible profits. 'The Government could do more to increase investment here, and there's huge opportunities to bring investment into the infrastructure market,' said Mr Quinn, who is stepping down after a decade at the company. His comments come as figures show foreign investment into Britain plummeted to a record low last year, despite ministers' efforts to drum up cash from overseas. The number of inbound foreign direct investment projects dropped by 12pc to 1,375, its lowest point since records began in 2008, according to data from the Department for Business and Trade. In a trading update, Balfour Beatty said the Government's efforts to speed up infrastructure developments had buoyed half-year profits, which rose 18pc to £132m. The company's projects include the £833m Net Zero Teesside carbon capture project and the Sizewell C nuclear plant, for which Balfour Beatty will deliver a third of the main civil engineering works. A Treasury spokesman said it was attracting 'record investment to our shores' and providing investors with 'direction and clarity on our priorities for major projects'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
