Developers of an online platform designed to revolutionise the way land managers make decisions for nature, the climate and their communities have received £400,000 to help bring it market.
The platform – from Scottish SME Rethink Carbon – allows land managers to analyse multiple scenarios to calculate the advantages of different land management decisions, including being able to visualise alternative futures associated with the land and carbon impact. This approach allows for the implementation of solutions that are maximised for carbon sequestration, biodiversity preservation, and sustainability.
The funding – provided by South of Scotland Enterprise, with further support from CENSIS Technology Solutions (CTS) – will allow Rethink Carbon to further refine and enhance its product to ensure it meets the specific needs of land managers, regardless of the scale of their operations. Rethink Carbon will work with the Langholm Initiative Community Development Trust as a pilot site to test their new platform ahead of a full launch later in 2023.
Rethink Carbon’s new platform emerged following a CivTech Challenge in 2021 which aimed to find an innovative technological solution to tackling climate change through land use. The challenge was co-sponsored by John Muir Trust, the Langholm Initiative community development trust, rural development charity Southern Uplands Partnership and SOSE.
Mark Caulfield, CEO at Rethink Carbon said: “Securing this substantial funding marks a game-changing moment for us and for future-looking land managers. Our cutting-edge platform stands ready to revolutionise land management decisions, championing sustainability and informed choices. Harnessing the potential of nature-based solutions against climate change is not a dream—it’s an actionable goal, and with the right tools, it’s within our grasp. The future is sustainable, and with Rethink Carbon, it’s closer than ever.”
Dr Martin Valenti, Director of Net Zero at South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “As the global nature and climate crisis deepens, it is becoming increasingly critical that we make best use of our natural resources such as our land. Land managers and owners face difficult choices especially which is why South of Scotland Enterprise has decided to support Rethink Carbon who are developing smart technology system that can help identify sustainable options.”
Paul Winstanley, Director of CTS, added: “How we use our land is going to be a key part of Scotland, and the UK’s, journey towards net zero. Rethink Carbon has developed a novel way of empowering land managers with the information they need to look at how the decisions they make today affect the future, doing as much as possible to capture and store carbon. We look forward to seeing how the company uses this funding to further develop its offering, particularly for land managers and owners in the south of Scotland. It is a great example of how technology can be used for highly positive environmental and social purposes, with widespread commercial potential.”