Nature projects to receive £7.8m of Holyrood funding

Work includes expanding woodlands, creating wetlands and restoring rivers, as well as helping to protect native species, such as the red squirrel, and controlling invasive non-native plants, such as rhododendron, to benefit Scotland’s rainforest.

A total £1.4m will go the River Esk, creating and regenerating 170 hectares of native woodland, 30 hectares of wetland, re-meandering 250m of the March burn to reconnect it to its floodplain and restoring habitats in the River South Esk.

A further £1m has been earmarked for the Scottish Wildlife Trust's Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project.

Red squirrels are native to the UK but their population has been decimated since the introduction of grey squirrels from North America in the Victorian era.

The greys both compete with their red counterparts for food and carry squirrelpox, a disease to which they are immune but which is fatal to the native population.

Moss covered trees and fallen branches at Barnluasgan, Argyll (Image: Lorne Gill/NatureScot)

It's thought there are only around 140,000 left in Britain and most of these are in Scotland, largely in the Highlands, Dumfries & Galloway and the Isle of Arran where the water creates a natural barrier to the invasive species.

Saving Argyll’s Rainforest receives £935,438 to undertake clearance of rhododendron in the Tayvallich area of Knapdale, Argyll and Bute, at a landscape scale. This will benefit native woodland in this rainforest zone while safeguarding a large area of defendable, high-quality native woodland.

Other projects which have been funded include 'Informed Deer Management' in Coigach and Assynt, Galloway river restoration, and the final phase of the Peffery Catchment Restoration Project.

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Biodiversity Minister, Lorna Slater said: “Since we launched the Nature Restoration Fund in 2021, we have invested nearly £40 million in protecting and enhancing our rivers, land and seas.

“These latest awards will see vital habitats like Atlantic rainforest and rivers restored and treasured species protected, including native red squirrels.

“Investing in restoration projects such as these is essential if we are to stop the declines in nature and secure a future for Scotland’s incredible wildlife and landscapes.”

NatureScot Chair, Colin Galbraith said: “Scotland is facing an unprecedented nature-climate crisis. Tackling this crisis is the key focus of our work with the Scottish Government, to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and reverse it with large-scale restoration by 2045. Importantly, this is not just about meeting targets for the sake of it: achieving these changes will benefit us all and help nature recover.

“Projects like these are helping us to bring about the nature transformation we desperately need to see, but there is much more to be done. The only way we can restore nature and reach net zero is by working together. People who live and work on the land and sea are vital in realising this vision and are a key part of a new “Partnership for Nature” that we are seeing develop across the country.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to work closely with local communities, land managers and partners across Scotland to ensure that they can steer and help achieve this positive and sustained change to benefit people and nature.”