Sponsor Guest Blog: The importance of succession in helping to preserve our natural assets

Making sure our land and countryside is in safe hands for many generations to come is of critical importance, especially for those who own natural assets. We recently undertook in-depth research to understand the issue of succession and how the passing of land and estates is being managed.

We spoke to people who currently own (or are going to inherit) estates with a combined total of almost 250,000 acres of land across the UK. These estates not only have a major contribution to our economy, but also have significant natural importance.  

Having a clear and constructive succession plan is always something we advise our clients to take seriously, not only for their own interests, but for the wider community and country as a whole. One interesting finding that our research uncovered is that diversification is a primary consideration for estates. The environmental strategies below were highlighted as core future areas of development, something which is very positive reading given the UK’s net zero emissions target, as well as the growing concern for both climate change and nature preservation:

• Renewable energy (82% of respondents).

• Biodiversity Net Gain (53% of respondents).

• Forestry (53% of respondents).

• Carbon sequestration (50% of respondents).

• Rewilding (26% of respondents).

With over $100 trillion set to be globally passed to the next generation in the so-called great wealth transfer over the next couple of decades, the importance of succession is quite stark in order to preserve some of the nation’s most important historic, cultural and natural assets.

We’re delighted to be sponsoring Future Countryside this year and I look forward to meeting peers within the industry who are making a real impact in helping to preserve the future of our land and countryside.

Further insights into the findings of our research can be found here.

David Chismon, Partner and Head of the Land and Rural Group at Saffery, sponsor of Future Countryside 2024.