Nature fund announced - £1.8m given to biodiversity projects

14 projects across Scotland have been confirmed as the first recipients of NatureScot’s Biodiversity Challenge Fund, sharing a total of £1.8 million over a two-year period.  

The projects will take practical steps to improve natural habitats, safeguard plant and animal species and improve biodiversity.

Biodiversity is all the different types of animals, plants and other organisms in our natural world. People know that climate change is a big issue but not as many know that nature – and biodiversity loss – is also a global and generational threat to human well-being. However, enhancing our nature is also recognised as being part of the solution to the climate emergency.

The funding will support large-scale projects that aim to deliver rapid change on the ground to help our most at-risk habitats and species, including mammals and birds, connect existing nature reserves and tackle non-native invasive species.

Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon visited a newly funded project - The Wild Line – in Edinburgh. The Wild Line is a strip of wilderness that edges the land and the sea which has become increasingly narrow due to urban development. To boost nature and resilience to climate change, a network of species rich wildflower meadows to provide habitats for pollinators will be created. On shore retrofitting artificial habitats will enhance sea defences and protect people and nature against sea level rises providing homes for intertidal species, and invasive species, which outcompete native ones, will be removed.

Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment Mairi Gougeon said: “I am delighted that, through the Biodiversity Challenge Fund, the Scottish Government and NatureScot can support these fantastic projects across the country to safeguard some of our most vulnerable species and habitats, and protect them from invasive species. Their success will play a crucial role in our efforts to improve nature and help Scotland meet its international biodiversity commitments.”

NatureScot Chief Executive Francesca  Osowska said: “Nature loss is one of the key drivers of climate change – but it’s not too late to act. In fact, improving nature is also one of the solutions to the climate emergency.

“There are five areas we need to focus on to improve biodiversity – restoring our habitats, changing our use of the land and sea, reducing pollution and climate change and tackling invasive non-native species. These projects will improve nature across Scotland for all our benefit.

“We know we have a big task before us but we have been working for years with our partners to meet international nature targets. We are ready to deliver the transformational change needed to bring a nature rich future for Scotland.”  

BACKGROUND:

The aim of the Biodiversity Challenge Fund is to enable targeted action for priority habitats and species, accelerating efforts that will help Scotland meet its international biodiversity commitments.

Fulfilling a commitment in the Programme for Government, NatureScot will administer investments of around £1.8 million over the next 2 years on creating and improving habitats for key species and encouraging increased access to nature.

The fund is supporting projects that are:

• Ideally large in scale and will make a demonstrable impact
• Seek to address the drivers of biodiversity change and action preferable focused on causes rather than symptoms
• Make connections on the ground and link actions and/ or projects, increasing resilience in those habitats most at risk.

LIST OF PROJECTS: