en.Wedoany.com Reported - An investment company named NatureProsperity was founded on World Environment Day, aiming to combine large-scale nature restoration with affordable rural housing.
NatureProsperity plans to channel long-term capital into nature restoration, with initial investments in four enterprises: Highlands Rewilding (a Scottish nature restoration company) and MAKAR (an affordable timber home builder), in which NatureProsperity will hold significant stakes; in addition, it includes two new companies it is establishing, focusing on forestry and community building respectively.
The model is called the "Nature Prosperity Pump," and its basic principle is: carbon is absorbed into growing woodlands, and then part of the growth is converted into timber through sustainable forestry. The timber is further manufactured into affordable timber homes, which are built in rural economies to house the workforce needed to reverse biodiversity loss. As investment flows in, nature restoration, housing, and community benefits flow out.
NatureProsperity is the third venture of its founder, Jeremy Leggett. The earth scientist previously founded the solar company Solarcentury (sold to Norway's Statkraft in 2020) and established the solar lighting charity SolarAid. He now hopes to replicate these successes in the nature sector.
According to Jeremy Leggett, NatureProsperity addresses a need particularly acute in the Scottish Highlands: population decline and a workforce unable to find housing where jobs are located. NatureProsperity aims to keep land in a natural state while keeping people on the land.
"The timber we grow in biodiversity forests is used to make houses, affordable homes built from wood," said Leggett.
"Those homes are deployed at scale in rural economies, and they house the workforce that is essential if we are to meet national targets for reversing biodiversity collapse. That's the pump, the Nature Prosperity Pump."
Neil Edgar, CEO of MAKAR, said: "We are proud to be part of this. Our timber-framed affordable homes have been developed and refined over more than two decades, and with the investment brought by NatureProsperity, we can deliver them at scale in thriving rural landscapes, making a real contribution to solving the rural housing crisis and building local communities."
MAKAR builds homes using locally sourced Scottish timber, which is milled and precision-manufactured, locking in approximately one tonne of carbon dioxide per cubic meter. The company's precision off-site manufacturing system currently produces up to 30 homes per year, aiming to scale in line with growing demand for Scottish timber homes.
MAKAR's work has gained recognition beyond the housing sector. On April 10, 2026, First Minister John Swinney visited MAKAR to see the prototype Paradigm home from its Optima Homes range: a precision-manufactured, timber-rich affordable home built using Scottish materials and assembled on site within a week.
Swinney said: "I learned two important things today at MAKAR. First, we can improve home design and do so affordably, which benefits residents personally in the long term. Second, we can use innovation and creativity to ensure we meet housing targets faster than is often thought possible. I believe MAKAR is making a huge contribution to innovation in the Scottish housing market."
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