The rise of Green Lairds: Scotland's new Era of land ownership

By The Washington Post | Published Feb 22, 2025

Unlike the barons of yore, modern buyers are drawn not by the allure of game or whisky, but by the promise of carbon credits and the lucrative potential of “natural capital. ” With governments actively promoting investments in forestation and peatland restoration, energy companies, private equity funds, and various industries are now sinking their money into these once exclusive domains, deeply entrenched in the history of Scottish land ownership.