A £200,000 Lottery grant has been given to Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands for their work tackling biodiversity and climate change.
The new initiative seeking to deliver tangible, local responses to both crises.
It was launched last year and is already leading several projects, supporting trees and habitats and the Heritage Fund grant will support the work underway.
Work to date includes native tree planting schemes, community engagement, school and prison visits.
The award will allow the recruitment of two more members of staff, as well as the opportunity to provide advice and guidance on native tree planting, support intern opportunities, increase public engagement and develop innovative community/private sector partnerships.
Dumfries and Galloway Woodlands manager McNabb Laurie said: “This is going to turbo boost the work being done, we are so grateful to everyone at The National Lottery Heritage Fund for their vote of confidence.
“We are focussed on native trees, but this is so much more than even that. Dumfries and Galloway, often seen as a peripheral or distant place, is front and centre of this international green revolution. “Dumfries and Galloway’s land delivers benefits on the national stage, but the challenges are felt here. From spiking land price through to changing land use, we want to creatively and innovatively use topics such as native trees to deliver tangible projects that add value locally, driving a nature-led economy in the region.”
