NATURESCOT has awarded more than £1 million to projects that will help restore Scottish biodiversity as part of the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund (NFN).
The NRN supports projects to help tackle the nature-climate crises, with 12 projects to benefit from the grant programme this year.
The projects selected will help rare dragonflies or create hedgerows for sparrows in Glasgow.
NatureScot chair Professor Colin Galbraith said: “These exciting new nature restoration projects are not only working to help restore Scotland’s nature and increase our resilience to climate change, but also to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities by providing more opportunities to enjoy nature across Scotland.”
The British Dragonfly Society has received £225,238 to restore bogs for rare dragonflies in northern Scotland. They will aim to improve the habitats and survival of the rarest species of dragonflies.
RSPB Scotland has also been awarded a grant of £46,660 to improve the quality and connection between urban species-rich grasslands and hedgerows.
Improving the habitat for house sparrows will support a species that has experienced a 90% decline since the 1970s. It will also benefit pollinators like the common blue butterfly, which has seen a 38% decline since 1982.
Northbay Innovations received £63,061 to restore oyster beds in the Bay of Firth in Orkney and hopes it will help attract native oysters back to the bay. These oyster beds were a famous feature of the bay for centuries until they were fished out in the 20th century.
“The Scottish Government is fully committed to halting the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and making substantial progress to restore and regenerate it by 2045,” said Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan.
“The projects benefiting from our Nature Restoration Fund epitomise the type of work we need to see across the country to restore wildlife and habitats on both land and sea," Allan added.
“Everyone has a responsibility to protect and restore our precious natural environment for generations to come and I have no doubt that these exciting projects will encourage more people to join in the fight to address the biodiversity crisis.”
