More than £30m given to projects for nature restoration

More than £30 million has been invested through a project designed to restore nature, the Scottish Government has said.

The Nature Restoration Fund was announced during the Cop26 climate conference in Glasgow in 2021, and negotiated as part of the Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Greens.

It pledged £65 million over the course of this Parliament for projects aimed at protecting natural resources across the country.

Administered by environmental agency NatureScot, the fund has since paid out more than £30 million, the Scottish Government has said, with projects in all 32 council areas benefiting.

Biodiversity minister Lorna Slater said: “I’m proud that since establishing the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund at Cop26 in Glasgow, we’ve already invested £30 million in projects large and small to protect and enhance our rivers, land and seas.

“This is making an important contribution to the goals established in Scotland’s new biodiversity strategy to be nature positive and to reverse the declines in nature.

“Right now, we’re consulting on the first five-year delivery plan to implement our biodiversity strategy – along with proposals for new targets for nature restoration that could be put into law, in line with those for climate change.

“Biodiversity can help mitigate against flooding, improve access to greenspace in our urban areas: it is our best chance to adapt to climate change and ensure a legacy for future generations.”

NatureScot chairman Professor Colin Galbraith said: “The Nature Restoration Fund is vital in tackling the nature and climate crises, with significant work taking place across the country to help put nature back on the road to recovery.

“Flower meadows, hedgerows and wetlands are being restored, creating habitats for wildlife.

“Rivers are being returned to their natural courses to reduce flooding, whilst large areas of Scotland’s rainforest are being enhanced.

“We are incredibly proud to support the work that individuals, communities, and organisations are doing to help Scotland become a nature-rich, net-zero nation.”