Nature Restoration Fund worth £124,000 for Moray
Moray Council’s Economic and Infrastructure Services Committee approved plans for the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund to respond to the biodiversity crisis.
The £124,000 allocated to Moray from the fund for 2022/23 will be used to expand wildflower areas across Moray, progress improvements for nature at two sites and support the eradication of invasive non-native species in the area.
The same fund last year supported the development of wildflower sites and living lawns in Aberlour, Buckie, Craigellachie, Dyke, Elgin, Forres, Kingston and Rothes. This year’s grant will provide the opportunity for long term benefits to be achieved through the monitoring, planning and the purchase of maintenance equipment.
Plans to enhance biodiversity and community enjoyment at The Wards wildlife site and Millbuies woodland and loch will be taken forward. Priorities include improving the opportunities for native species to thrive and habitats to be resilient to the impacts of climate change.
The fund will also be used to expand ongoing work co-ordinated by the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative along the rivers Spey, Lossie and Findhorn river catchments to remove invasive non-native species such as Japanese knotweed.
Moray Council’s Climate Change Champion, Cllr Draeyk van der Hørn, said: “These projects will help to address the nature and climate crisis by creating safe places for nature to recover.
“There is strong evidence that community health and wellbeing are improved by spending time in nature and these enhancements will hopefully encourage people to continue appreciating the diverse natural places we have here in Moray.”