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Ourea Events & JAHAMA Highland Estates

Ourea Events & JAHAMA Highland Estates

2nd Sep 2021

Ourea Events & JAHAMA Highland Estates – Sustainability Cooperation

Ourea Events and JAHAMA Highland Estates are delighted to announce a new agreement focusing on long-term sustainability and cooperation between the estate and the mountain running event, Skyline Scotland®. This announcement comes shortly before the 2021 edition of the event which will take place later this month in Kinlochleven.

Skyline Scotland® 2019 ©No Limits Photography

The landholding now known as JAHAMA Highland Estates incorporates most of the Skyline Scotland® race routes. It was originally brought together to secure the water catchment areas for a ground-breaking aluminium production system powered by hydro generation, which continues to this day, with hydroelectric energy powering the Lochaber aluminium smelter in Fort William.

Skyline Scotland® has built a global reputation as the UK’s premier mountain running weekend. Beyond these headlines, Ourea Events, which is the organisation behind the event, has a growing reputation for its sector leading sustainability practices.

Race Director Shane Ohly said, “Because we love the amazing landscape of the Scottish Highlands, we recognise that we have a responsibility to reduce our impact on this environment to the minimum. We operate as a carbon neutral busines and publish an annual sustainably report, whilst also supporting the work of grass route environmental protection and regeneration through our 1% for the Planet commitment. We recognise that JAHAMA Highland Estates shares many of our sustainability principles in the operation of their estate and there is a natural fit between our organisations as we map out a long-term plan for cooperation focused on responsible and sustainable access to the estate.”

Skyline Scotland® 2019 ©No Limits Photography

JAHAMA Highland Estates is part of the GFG Alliance and is recognised as a leader for landscape-based asset management. Managed on the principles of sustainable development for the benefit of local communities, the environment, and the economy, the estate extends across 114,000 acres of the Lochaber and Badenoch regions. Included within this area are iconic Scottish landscapes such as the North Face of Ben Nevis, Aonach Mòr, Glen Nevis, long sections of the West Highland Way and the East Highland Way, the Grey Corries, the Mamores, parts of the Monadhliath range and the Corrieyairack Pass.

Close cooperation between Skyline Scotland and the estate has been crucial for ensuring that the event runs sustainably and with minimal environmental impact. Part of the good practice developed by Ourea Events and JAHAMA Highland Estates has been pre and post event ecological monitoring of the race routes. This has been undertaken since 2018 with an independent ecologist monitoring the impact of the races and advising on route choice to mitigate trampling of vegetation.

Skyline Scotland® 2019 ©No Limits Photography

Part of this ongoing cooperation is a commitment from Ourea Events to support the new JAHAMA Highland Estates Environmental Programme (JHEEP). JHEEP is a simple scheme, which promotes ten inspirational conservation options to be funded, supported or delivered from the smallest classroom to the highest mountain. The programme is open to anybody with an interest in active, no-nonsense conservation work. By breaking major conservation issues down into a series of practical on-the-ground tasks such as putting up bird and bat boxes, bracken-bashing and creating natural regeneration areas, JHEEP will show how the cumulative impact of many small contributions can make a major difference for nature. The ten JHEEP options are designed to be easily counted, quantified, and evaluated, meaning that all participants will link their work to a bigger network of collaborative action at a landscape scale.

The current JHEEP program is being entirely funded by JAHAMA Highland Estates, although the new agreement that Skyline Scotland® will make an ongoing contribution to this conservation work is seen as the future model for responsible access for commercial event organisers wishing to access the estate.

Julia Stoddart, Chief Operating Officer of JAHAMA Highland Estates, said, “We understand the positive impact of mountain running on the wellbeing of participants, with immersion in these iconic landscapes lifting people’s spirits and improving their health. Being committed to facilitating and encouraging sustainable access to the Estate, we are delighted to be working with Ourea Events, who share our commitment to sustainable usage of the natural environment. By supporting JHEEP, Ourea and their customers are contributing to a sustainable model of estate management that meets the needs of the present while ensuring a resilient future. We believe that this type of innovative partnership working sets the direction of travel for our respective sectors, working together for the benefit of the environment, the economy and our communities.”