A major conservation charity has completed the £17.5m purchase of an estate bigger than the city of Dundee funded by its largest donation, the charity has announced.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust secured the purchase of Inverbroom Estate, a 7,618 hectare property near Ullapool in the Scottish Highlands, after a donation of £18.5m from a donor whose identity has not been revealed.

The charity said it planned to restore wildlife and habitats on the site to help tackle the nature and climate crises. 

The Scottish Wildlife Trust takes ownership of the majority of the estate today, with the remainder due to come into the charity’s ownership on 8 April. 

The charity said it planned to regenerate river woodland and temperate rainforest habitat, restore peatlands and remove invasive species.

Jo Pike, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said the purchase was made possible by a private donor who was passionate about the part that Inverbroom can play in restoring precious ecosystems.

“Not only is the purchase of Inverbroom an important milestone for the trust, but also for Scotland’s efforts to tackle the nature and climate crises,” Pike said.

“The site includes some of Scotland’s most iconic species and habitats, so we are delighted to have been able to secure it for the benefit of Scotland’s wildlife and people, especially as there was also interest from overseas buyers. 

“We are extremely grateful to the donor for helping us secure this important site, and to our former chief executive and current Scottish Wildlife Trust ambassador, Jonny Hughes, who facilitated the donation.”

Inverbroom Estate was placed on the market in August through Landfor Chartered Land & Forestry Agency.