£1.3m cash boost for nature projects

In the latest round of awards, NatureScot has granted more than £1.3 million to nature restoration projects across the country to help enhance biodiversity and tackle the impacts of climate change.

Since its launch in 2021, the Scottish Government’s £65 million Nature Restoration Fund has supported more than 240 projects through the competitive scheme run by NatureScot.

As part of The Leven Programme, Green Action Trust has been granted £420,000 to create a network of nature-rich sites for wildlife to live and thrive. This will restore and expand biodiversity around the River Leven, improve natural drainage to reduce flooding and give local people access to nature on their doorstep.

RSPB Scotland is also among the latest successful awardees. The charity will use a £158,000 grant to develop a project to help stop and reverse the population decline of Slavonian grebes in Scotland. Working closely with landowners and loch users, they will identify conservation measures to improve the rare waterbird’s breeding success in Scottish lochs through a future delivery project.

In addition, Aberdeen Nectar Networks will receive £56,000 to create, restore and connect habitats for pollinating insects across Aberdeen. Buglife Scotland will lead the project to create a series of nectar-rich ‘stepping-stones’ to allow bees, hoverflies and other wildlife to move across the city and into the wider landscape.

A grant has also been awarded to the Loch Lomond Rainforest project which aims to re-establish a resilient and well-connected temperate rainforest habitat within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Led by the National Park’s Future Nature Partnership, the £93,600 award will be used to carry out surveys to confirm the extent of rhododendron encroachment and grazing pressures and to devise a plan to tackle these major threats to the rainforest habitat.

Pauline Silverman, Director of Strategy, Green Action Trust said:

“The grant provided by NatureScot is key to driving forward the River Park programme, which will deliver much-needed transformational change with the environment, heritage and people at its heart. The River Park will encourage better access to the river and between communities, as well as boosting biodiversity and growing diverse habitats that will flourish for years to come.”

Acting Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan said:

“The Nature Restoration Fund is a delivery mechanism to support projects across Scotland on land and at sea – that address the twin crises and restore our natural environment and supports a whole-of society approach to achieving these goals.

“These latest projects show that there is no single solution to restoring biodiversity, from working to enhance the habitat for pollinating insects like bees to transforming sections of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, re-establishing a rainforest environment – there really is no one size fits all approach.

“I am proud of the work being done across our country to sustain the ecosystems that provide us with food, fuel, health, wealth, and I look forward to seeing these latest projects in action.”

NatureScot Chair, Colin Galbraith said:

“Projects like these bring us closer to achieving our ambition to restore Scotland’s nature by 2045. This is vital work that is taking place across the country to put our land, rivers, and seas back on the road to recovery, and to restore our native wildlife to a healthy and thriving state.

“There is still much to be done, and we are incredibly grateful to the many local communities, land managers and partners who are working together to achieve a positive and sustained change for people and nature. The projects show once again that you can make a difference, and that nature can recover given a chance.”