A PROJECT to restore upland habitats for black grouse and other iconic species has been awarded £33,000 and will start later this year.
The ‘Undoing the Silence of the Uplands’ scheme will use the money from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund to develop ways of improving habitats for black grouse with landowners in core areas -including the Moffat/Tweedsmuir Hills, Galloway Forest Park and Langholm Moor.
Darren Flint, Southern Uplands Partnership project officer, said: “After a few years of partnership working with landowners and stakeholders across southern Scotland seeking to improve the outlook for the increasingly scarce black grouse, it is wonderful to receive this support from NatureScot.
“We look forward to the day when the distinctive call and wildlife spectacle of lekking males will once again be a frequent sight across our uplands.”
The project is one of 31 that NatureScot has approved to receive funding as part of a national drive to transform nature in Scotland.
Mike Cantlay, NatureScot chairman, said: “Large-scale nature restoration projects are vital to help us tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. If we are to have any chance of saving nature, then we must do everything we can to halt its decline now.
“It is projects like this one that will make a real and positive difference and we’re excited to see how it progresses.”
The development phase will complete in May with a significant funding bid for a multi-year delivery project being submitted and hopefully work will begin this autumn.
For more information on the project, visit www.sup.org.uk/projects/black-grouse-recovery-project.
- Photo by M. Stott
