Cash will bring together several organisations to work on improving habitats
A new nature restoration initiative in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park has won funding of £1.1 million.
Wild Strathfillan was granted the cash from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Countryside Trust is working with over 30 land managers, local communities, NGOs, and statutory as part of the Wild Strathfillan initiative.
Collectively they are helping to transform an area of 50,000 hectares in the north of the National Park through habitat creation and restoration.
Long-term, the work of Wild Strathfillan will help to increase resilience to climate change across the landscape and its communities.
Strathfillan is a particularly important place for nature restoration because of its unique and diverse range of habitats, which include Atlantic rainforest, montane scrub, and the most southerly remaining Caledonian pinewoods.
Its geographic location also means this landscape is a vital strategic piece in a much wider network of nature restoration initiatives across the central Scotland landscape.
Ellie Mayhew of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Countryside Trust, said: “This funding will help kickstart nature across the landscape of the Wild Strathfillan area, with activities spanning a huge range of habitats, which gave rise to the project’s name: ‘From Lochside to Mountain-top'.
“We are delighted to have in place a dedicated team to drive this project along with our delivery partners to deliver a suite of practical conservation projects ranging from wetland and montane habitat restoration to trialling ‘conservation grazing’ using GPS cattle collars with local land managers”.
NatureScot head of biodiversity Katherine Leys added: “It’s fantastic to see this ambitious nature recovery project getting underway with support from the Nature Restoration Fund.
"This is one of many NRF-funded projects that are putting Scotland’s precious habitats and species back on the road to recovery, while tackling the nature and climate emergencies.”
