New digital tool set to transform international land management

A Scottish firm has designed an AI-powered software platform to enhance global land management practices. 

Aviemore-based company Rethink Carbon will launch its tool later this week. 

The software, named The Rethink Platform, can create capital reports, list funding opportunities, and bring probable scenarios including woodland creation to life in minutes, saving “weeks’ worth of work” said Jamie Buchanan-Jardine, director of Castlemilk and Corrie Estates.

Mark Caulfield, co-founder of Rethink Carbon, said: “Making the right decisions on how best to use their land is key to both the financial security of landowners as well as important in the battle against climate change. Our platform allows users to easily explore multiple scenarios to assess a wider range of future land use options than ever before, leading to new opportunities and improved outcomes.”

Funded by a £200,000 investment from the South of Scotland Enterprise, the platform has already analysed more than 80,000 hectares across the country.

It is hoped that the new tool will allow land managers to make informed decisions that are both environmentally and commercially sustainable - promoting biodiversity and maximising carbon capture and storage.

Rethink Carbon also plans to introduce the software in England and Wales later this year.  

A Rethink Carbon spokesperson told Holyrood: “The Rethink platform gives lots of information about the land, including pressures that exist on the land and surrounding areas, as well as the suitability of the land for different uses, the proximity of the land to communities, and the habitats present in the surrounding areas. Flood risk and ecosystem services are also shown in the platform, helping land managers navigate the tricky task of considering land decisions at the same time as the impact on the environment and local landscape. 

“The platform can show many public datasets including deer count data (where available) - using all these datasets land managers can make informed land use decisions helping with sustainable as well as profitability.”

The launch follows a recent report by policy institute Chatham House, showing that pressures around land use are emerging as “one of the defining environmental challenges of modern times”. 

Rethink Carbon was formed in 2022 in response to CivTech challenge - 'How can we use technology to help land managers make informed land-use decisions and increase carbon capture and storage'. 

CENSIS technology solutions also supported the launch of the platform.