FOUR projects in Scotland have been awarded up to £15,000 in funding from Rewilding Britain in a bid to highlight the importance of community-based rewilding projects.
The new fund awards financial backing to locally-led land and marine rewilding projects countrywide.
Following a pilot launch earlier this year, over half of the seven recipients are based in Scotland.
The four successful schemes based in Scotland are:
- The Community of Arran Seabed Trust (Coast) which has helped the recovery of marine habitats around Arran and the Clyde and the funding will be used to help further develop community engagement with decisions about the seas around their island home.
- The Southern Uplands Partnership based in Galashiels will use funding to work with partners to engage communities and landowners about the future of the Tall-Hartfell Wind Land Area project, a rewilding scheme covering almost 50,000 hectares.
- Knoydart Climate Action Group will use its funding to map and assess the potential for restoring the Inverie seagrass meadow and exploring work with local community groups.
- Mull and Iona Community Trust, which works to combat issues of geographical isolation for the communities on the Scottish west coast islands, will use the funding to develop a collective vision for rewilding Adura Community Forest, to restore native woodlands.
Áine Purcell-Milton, executive director at Coast, said: “The actions to achieve rewilding the ocean need to be fully supported and driven by the local community.
"This dedicated funding allows us to involve Arran residents in discussions and decisions about the seas that surround their island home, deciding on what's important now and what to prioritise for the future.”
Other schemes across the UK to receive funding were located in Yorkshire, West Dorset and Essex.
Sara King, Rewilding Britain’s rewilding manager, said: “We’re delighted to be able to use this round of funding to highlight the importance of rewilding projects that have a strong base and support in the local community and also recognise the tangible benefits rewilding can have on people’s health and wellbeing.
“There is a wealth of research that illustrates how strengthening connections with nature and spending time in wild places can dramatically improve our mental and physical health, and also the wellbeing of our communities, and these projects are helping to do just that.”
