Funding and projects

A description of this image can be found below.

Scottish Government Nature Restoration Fund

We are currently accepting applications to NRF for development projects and for one year delivery projects from April 2025.

Monitoring Equipment Fund

The Community Marine Monitoring Equipment Fund is a dedicated fund aimed specifically at supporting community and local groups with the purchase of marine survey equipment to participate in community-led marine biodiversity surveys and monitoring.

Area of blanket bog with mountains in the background

Peatland ACTION Fund

Helping to restore damaged peatlands in support of Scotland’s Climate Change Plan outcomes with funding provided by the Scottish Government. Funding has been expanded to include peatland restoration projects over multiple years.

A kelp forest in shallow water in Loch Laxford

Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF)

Supporting marine environmental enhancement in Scotland. Voluntary donations from marine users and individuals will provide grants to enhance the natural capital.

FIRNS - The Facility for Investment ready Nature in Scotland

A programme of support to help scale up private investment in Scotland’s natural capital while generating a wide range of benefits that are shared in line with just transition principles.

View over Scots pines and Loch Maree from the mountain trail, Beinn Eighe NNR, West Highland Area. ©Lorne Gill/SNH. For information on reproduction rights contact the Scottish Natural Heritage Image Library on Tel. 01738 444177 or www.nature.scot

Other Sources of Funding

Information and resources on other sources of funding, including public and private sector funding streams, and trust and foundation grant programmes.

Rural Funding and Support

Scotland's Natural Capital Programme - stock farm

Farming with nature

The purpose of these pilots is to inform what future rural support outside of the Common Agricultural Policy might look like.

Rural support could be developed to contribute to transformative land use change in Scotland, by restoring nature and reducing our country’s contribution to climate change.

Mixed woodland and forestry near Pitlochry, Perthshire

SRDP and AECS

Within Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) promotes land management that protects and enhances Scotland's natural heritage, improves water quality, manages flood risk, and helps mitigate and adapt to climate change; public access projects have also been funded. SRDP also includes the Forestry Grant Scheme.

Orchids growing at Weem meadow SSSI near Aberfeldy.

Management Agreements

A management agreement involves NatureScot making payments to a land manager in return for an agreed programme of work. We typically offer management agreements for Natura sites and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Wildlife Management

Adult White tailed eagle flying over farms

Sea Eagle Management Scheme

The Sea Eagle Management Scheme extends support for livestock farmers and crofters who suffer impacts across the sea eagle breeding range.

Goose Management Schemes

NatureScot provides funding and administrative support to the schemes and pilots. Each initiative has been developed by a local goose management group, which is chaired by the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate.

Projects

A close up of machair, or fertile low-lying grassy plain

Species on the Edge (SotE)

Species on the Edge is a partnership of NatureScot and seven nature conservation charities. We are working in partnership to deliver a new programme of work to benefit around 37 of our most vulnerable species.

We work with communities, local initiatives and land managers to tackle species recovery work.

Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

(SISI) is an exciting 4-year partnership project tackling invasive non-native species alongside rivers and water courses in northern Scotland. We are funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, NatureScot and through in-kind support from project partners and volunteers - the total project value is some £3.24M.