Scots open £1.8m pot for nature restoration
One of the first projects will restore peatland in the Cairngorms National Park © Adobe Stock Farmers in Scotland can apply for grants of up to £240,000 for projects designed to improve the natural environment.
Projects that will be covered include woodland creation, marine enhancement, and peatland restoration.
A total funding pot of £1.8m is being made available by the Scottish government through its Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland programme, in partnership with NatureScot and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
See also: Scottish government publishes peatland restoration advice
The fund will open for expressions of interest on 28 February and the application process will close in mid-June, with successful applicants due to be notified in August.
A series of workshops and seminars are being run in Scotland during the next two months by the parties involved to provide more support and information to applicants.
Scottish minister for environment and land reform, Mairi McAllan, said the programme will enable swifter, easier and scaled-up development of nature-based investable projects across the country.
Ms McAllan said: “It has the potential to grow natural capital markets that reach across rural, urban, terrestrial and marine settings, and to support a wide variety of natural assets and ecosystem services.”