Youth entrepreneurship in community forestry associations

Project: Youth Entrepreneurship in Community Forestry Associations Helping to meet Sustainable Development Goals: Sharing Learning from a Case Study with Abriachan Forest Trust

Youth Entrepreneurship in Community Forestry Associations Helping to meet Sustainable Development Goals: Sharing Learning from a Case Study with Abriachan Forest Trust 

Introduction – Abriachan is a scattered rural community of about 130 people set high above the shores of Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland.  There are still some active crofts, but the majority of inhabitants are employed in Inverness and beyond.  The local school closed in 1958 so Abriachan’s children now attend Dochgarroch Primary, Charleston Academy and Glen Urquhart High School.  In 1998, the community purchased 540 hectares of forest and open hill ground from Forest Enterprise.  Since then, as a social enterprise, the Abriachan Forest Trust has managed this land to create local employment, improve the environment and encourage its enjoyment by the public through a network of spectacular paths, family suited mountain bike trails, innovative outdoor learning as well as health and well-being opportunities. 

Funding – Research project under the standard innovation voucher scheme - £4,500