Dame Lisbet Rausing, heiress to the Swedish Tetra Pak fortune and co-founder of the philanthropic foundations Arcadia and the Lund Trust, has actively advanced environmental conservation efforts in Scotland through her extensive landownership and philanthropy. As owner of the 57,000-acre Corrour Estate in the Scottish Highlands, she has spearheaded initiatives focused on habitat restoration and biodiversity since 2015.
Her stewardship of the estate has seen targeted projects such as managing deer populations, planting native woodlands, restoring degraded peat bogs, and working to reintroduce red squirrels, a species native to the region. These efforts align with broader ecological goals to increase habitat diversity and resilience amid climate change pressures.
The Arcadia Fund, which Rausing co-founded, has contributed over $919 million (£683 million) to various environmental causes globally, reflecting the scale of her philanthropic commitment to conservation. In recognition of her work, she has been honoured with a damehood.
In 2024, the Corrour Estate became part of Loch Abar Mòr, a collaborative nature preservation partnership focused on restoration projects within Scotland’s Lochaber area of the Highlands. The initiative includes several key organisations, such as the National Trust for Scotland, Glenaladale Estate, The Woodland Trust, Glen Nevis Estate, and the Nevis Landscape Partnership. Together, the group aims to enhance the ecological diversity of the region and bolster its resilience to the ongoing climate crisis over the next five decades.
Early signs of progress have emerged this year, with practical outcomes such as the restoration of bog pools designed to mitigate dry conditions. These efforts have already benefited local wildlife, evidenced by an increase in Azure Hawker dragonfly larvae—an indicator of improved wetland health. The initiative exemplifies the intersection of private land stewardship and collaboration between public and non-profit actors to address environmental challenges in Scotland’s Highlands.