Commenting on the Interim Evaluation Report of the Scottish
Government's Nature Restoration Fund (NRF), Climate Action
Cabinet Secretary said:
“This report solidifies what we already knew, that the Scottish
Government's unprecedented commitment to invest £65 million in
nature recovery has been instrumental in accelerating nature
restoration and supporting vulnerable species and habitats.
“During the evaluation period, the NRF supported more than 800
projects and as a direct result we've already seen many successes
including the Highland Amphibians Reptile Project (HARP) which
has boosted the survival rate of the Highland Great Crested Newt
from 2% to 13%.
“I'm also impressed by work being carried out by Scottish
Entanglement Alliance (SEA), to reduce the entanglement of whales
and basking sharks in fishing equipment, preventing their death
or unnecessary suffering. Solutions currently being trialled
could reduce the risk of entanglement while preserving low impact
creel fishing which supports coastal communities and livelihoods.
“The unique level of flexibility allowed by the NRF enables
individuals, charities, organisations and public bodies to
propose diverse and innovative solutions tailored to suit the
specific local conservation needs, which means we're now seeing
success from projects that would not have been possible through
other funding sources, filling a critical gap in Scotland's
nature conservation funding landscape.”
Background
Interim Evaluation of the Nature
Restoration Fund - gov.scot
Milestone reached - £65 million
invested in nature projects - gov.scot
Scottish Government Nature
Restoration Fund (NRF) | NatureScot
Building the best future for
Scotland - gov.scot
