Achi news desk-
The 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, for the benefit of Scotland’s rainforest.
A total of £1.4m will go into the River Esk, creating and regenerating 170 hectares of native woodland, 30 hectares of wetland, re-winding 250m of the March burn to reconnect it to its floodplain and restore habitats in the South Esk River.
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 declined since the introduction of gray squirrels from North America in the Victorian era.
The grays both compete with their red counterparts for food and carry squirrel distemper, a disease to which they are immune but which is fatal to the native population.
There are thought to be only around 140,000 left in Britain and most of these are in Scotland, mainly in the Highlands, Dumfries & Galloway and the Isle of Arran where the water creates a natural barrier for the species invasive.
Save Argyll Rainforest receives £935,438 to undertake rhododendron clearance work in the Tayvallich area of Knapdale, Argyll and Bute, on a landscape scale. This will benefit native woodland in this rainforest zone whilst protecting a large area of high quality native woodland that can be protected.
Other projects that have been funded include ‘Informed Deer Management’ in Coigach and Assynt, restoration of the river Galloway, and the final stage 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 almost £40 million to protect and improve our rivers, land and seas.
“These latest awards will see vital habitats such as the Atlantic rainforest and rivers restored and treasured species protected, including native red squirrels.
“Investing in restoration projects like these is essential if we are to halt the decline in nature and secure a future for Scotland’s incredible wildlife and landscapes.”
NatureScot Chairman Colin Galbraith said: “Scotland is facing an unprecedented nature-climate crisis. Tackling this crisis is a key focus of our work with the Scottish Government, to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and reverse it with large-scale recovery by 2045. Importantly, this is not about meeting targets though just for the sake of it: making these changes will benefit us all and help the natural world to improve.
“Projects like these are helping us to bring about the transformation of the natural world that 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 land and sea are essential to realizing this vision and are a key part of a new “Partnership for Nature” that we see developing throughout the country.
“Looking forward, we will continue to work closely with local communities, land managers and partners across Scotland to ensure they can steer and help deliver this positive and lasting change for the benefit of people and nature.”
