More than £6 million of additional funding is being invested in nature enhancing projects through the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF).

Established in 2021, the £65 million NRF has funded nearly 800 projects helping Scotland’s species, woodlands, rivers and seas back on the road to recovery, including planting over 300,000 trees and restoring over 1,800 hectares of urban greenspace in towns and cities.

Evaluation of the NRF shows the scheme unlocked at least £7.1 million in match funding and in-kind contributions for organisations, and described the initiative as ‘instrumental’ in accelerating nature restoration and supporting vulnerable species and habitats.

Recipients include the Cairngorms National Park, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, NatureScot and the Green Action Trust.

The Cairngorms National Park will share £1.2 million between five projects aimed at safeguarding some of the most precious species and habitats there including;

• recovering freshwater pearl mussel populations in the rivers Spey, Dee and South Esk
• identifying changes to make the River Dee more resilient to flooding
• helping boost the capercaillie population, which is on the verge of extinction in Scotland

READ MORE: GOV.SCOT