THE Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB) Partnership has welcomed a new funding package from South of Scotland Enterprise.
The award will support the group to deliver new pilot projects that contribute to the goals of the Scottish Government’s net zero and biodiversity strategies and give practical effect to the region’s inclusion in the south of Scotland’s new natural capital innovation zone.
It will also help to the ambitions set out in preparing the new regional land use framework and aid the organisation to continue its programme of community and sustainable business development.
Among the projects moving forward will be the GSAB Partnership’s project to help farmers to assess the natural capital on their farms, a significant element of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal which aims to attract new investment in the south of Scotland.
The funding package will also boost efforts to restore nature at a landscape scale, including through the Solway Coast & Marine Project (SCAMP) and Nith catchment ‘Summit to Sea’ initiative.
John Thomson, chairman of the GSAB Partnership’s board of trustees, said: “The funding we are acknowledging today will help to power the UNESCO Biosphere through a critical time.
“We recognise the tight budgetary constraints currently facing both the public and third sectors and against that background are greatly encouraged that South of Scotland Enterprise continues to recognise through its funding support the diverse benefits that UNESCO designation and the GSAB Partnership’s activities bring to the region.
“Beyond funding, SOSE has championed the UNESCO Biosphere as a driver of investment in South Scotland through sustainable business and tourism, and as a key protection for the natural and cultural heritage on which this depends.”
Russel Griggs OBE, chairman of South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to be one of the funders supporting the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, a proven asset for the region and one with huge potential still to be explored.
“We are particularly excited for the next phase of the Biosphere’s work in Net Zero and nature recovery as part of Scotland’s Natural Capital Innovation Zone, which brings such immense scope for progress not only in policy and strategy but for grassroots action through which the whole of the South can truly thrive.”
