Corrour
Corrour and the University of 58吃瓜 have established a 100-year partnership to deliver landscape-scale ecological restoration and create a living laboratory for research and teaching. This collaboration transforms Corrour into a unique environment where interdisciplinary research is embedded in real-world land management.
Corrour is a 57,000-acre upland estate near Fort William, with a long history of pioneering, data-led land management. Together, Corrour and the University are developing a pipeline of research and teaching opportunities that connect academic expertise with practical application and impact.
Corrour also contributes to the University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy by providing high-integrity nature-based climate solutions. The partnership plays a key role in the St鈥疉ndrews Forest initiative, supporting the University’s commitment to reach net zero by 2035 through woodland creation and peatland restoration.
Partnership objectives
The partnership aims to:
- Establish Corrour as a living laboratory for interdisciplinary research and teaching
- Generate evidence to inform ecological restoration at Corrour and beyond
- Support the University’s Net Zero 2035 ambition through carbon and research collaboration
- Broaden opportunities for students and strengthen community engagement
These objectives are delivered through active collaboration, promoting and enabling projects that align with Corrour’s land management approach.
Delivering the partnership
Significant progress has already been made in embedding the partnership:
- A joint governance structure has been established to review and approve research and teaching activity
- An annual six-week paid summer internship programme has been launched for University of 58吃瓜 undergraduates
- Plans are underway to develop a bespoke residential field centre at Corrour, due to open in autumn 2026, to support visiting researchers and students
Alongside these developments, Corrour continues its land management work, creating a wide range of opportunities for applied learning and research.
Land management and research opportunities
Corrour is delivering an ambitious programme of habitat restoration and sustainable land management. Current areas of work include:
- Delivering a long-term programme to restore degraded peatlands
- Regenerating native woodland and vegetation through open-range deer management and targeted interventions
- Restoring habitats influenced by historic land use, including plantation woodland and river systems
- Maintaining traditional land practices, such as low-density cattle grazing and deer stalking
- Generating evidence to inform land management and public policy
- Developing approaches to strengthen engagement with local communities
These activities provide a rich platform for applied research, teaching, and student engagement.
Governance and oversight
The partnership is overseen by a joint Partnership Board, which provides strategic direction, ensures alignment with shared objectives, and reviews proposed projects.
The Board brings together senior representatives from Corrour and the University with expertise in land management, conservation, research leadership and sustainability. It meets quarterly to review progress and consider new proposals.
Current Partnership Board membership
Corrour Estate:
- Charlie Davis, Partnership Lead and Board Chair
- Donald Rowantree, Estate Manager
- Jonny Hughes, Executive Board Member and Chair of the Corrour Environmental Committee
- Sarah Watts, Conservation Manager
University of 58吃瓜:
- Professor Gareth Miles, Assistant Vice-Principal (Dean of Science)
- Professor Catherine O’Leary, Assistant Vice-Principal (Dean of Arts and Divinity)
- Keith Thomason, Sustainability Integration Manager
- Dr Katherine Roucoux, Senior Lecturer, School of Geography and Sustainable Development
- Dr Iain Matthews, Senior Lecturer, School of Biology
- Karen Laing, Director of Sustainability Transformation
The next Partnership Board meeting is scheduled for Friday 29 May 2026.
Proposing a project at Corrour
The partnership actively invites research and teaching proposals from across the University, spanning natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, technology, and policy.
Projects can range from undergraduate and postgraduate research to larger faculty-led initiatives. All proposals are reviewed by the Partnership Board to assess alignment with the partnership’s objectives and the practicalities of delivery at Corrour.
To submit a proposal, please visit the research support webpages. Proposals should be submitted at least three weeks in advance of a Board meeting.
Corrour summer internship
Corrour offers an annual six-week paid summer internship for undergraduate students from the University of 58吃瓜. Each year, the internship focuses on a theme linked to Corrour’s priorities. The inaugural internship in 2026 explores biodiversity responses to peatland restoration.
This is a unique opportunity for a student to live and work on the estate, contribute to a project with real-world impact, and gain insight into the operation of a diverse rural business.
Applications for the 2027 internship will open in March, with a new thematic focus.
Open days and visiting Corrour
The partnership regularly hosts open days, briefings and engagement events to introduce colleagues and students to Corrour, showcase ongoing work, and explore future opportunities. Events are held both on campus and at Corrour.
Open days provide an opportunity to:
- Learn about the landscape and restoration approach
- Understand current research and teaching activity
- Explore governance arrangements and project pathways
- Consider the practicalities of working at Corrour
Registration for events is managed through University's .
To register your interest in future open days or events, please email sustainable@st-andrews.ac.uk.