£3 million boost for landscape scheme

Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership (LP) have been awarded £2,915,700 including £185,500 development funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) — as one of three Scottish landscape projects set to share an investment of almost £7.5 million.
Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland head Lucy Casot said: “Our species and habitats are under constant threat yet they make a massive contribution to our economy.
“The enormous pressures upon them mean that we have to approach landscape restoration and conservation on a bigger scale than ever before.
“For the last 11 years our Landscape Partnership programme has been doing just that, and more.
“What communities have often already started on a small scale, HLF is delighted to take forward, bringing real cohesion to the natural and built heritage of a region.”
Galloway Glens LP covers the catchment area of the rivers Dee and Ken covering an area of 590km2.
The area is the first UK Dark Sky Park, Scotland’s first Biosphere, has Scotland’s only bat reserve and contains seven priority habitats which are home to a host of wildlife.
However changing land and water management has resulted in a dramatic decline or loss of many species – including water vole, willow tit, night jar, black grouse, Artic char, Atlantic salmon and European eel.
The Landscape Partnership is to work with communities in conserving and restoring the landscape.
Practical works will allow fish to negotiate the power station, peatland will be restored and forestry restructured.
There will be training for 16 to 24-year-olds in heritage and business skills while local businesses will be trained in promoting nature-based tourism.