Funding boost to kickstart Wild Strathfillan’s vital nature recovery

Wild Strathfillan, a new ambitious nature restoration initiative in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, has become one of seven delivery projects in Scotland to receive a generous and substantial funding boost to the value of £1.1 million thanks to the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Countryside Trust is working with over 30 land managers, local communities, NGOs, and statutory bodies including the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, as part of the Wild Strathfillan initiative.  Collectively we are helping to transform an area of 50,000 hectares in the north of the National Park through habitat creation and restoration, helping to build a nature recovery network which will benefit the area’s iconic Scottish wildlife and the habitats they call home.

Long-term, the work of Wild Strathfillan will help to increase resilience to climate change across the landscape and its communities.  Strathfillan is a particularly important place for nature restoration because of its unique and diverse range of habitats, which include Atlantic rainforest, montane scrub, and the most southerly remaining Caledonian pinewoods. Its geographic location also means this landscape is a vital strategic piece in a much wider network of nature restoration initiatives across the Central Scotland landscape.

Wild Strathfillan aims to deliver successful nature restoration work alongside traditional rural industries that underpin the local economy and employ local people – for example, farming, forestry, and deer stalking. Despite being representative of much of Scotland, there is limited evidence for nature restoration at this scale in this type of landscape.

Thanks to the funding, the delivery team have appointed new staff and are supporting additional capacity in partner organisations.

The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Countryside Trust’s Project Development Manager for Nature Restoration, Ellie Mayhew said:

“This funding will help kickstart nature across the landscape of the Wild Strathfillan area, with activities spanning a huge range of habitats, which gave rise to the project’s name: ‘From Lochside to Mountain-top'.  We are delighted to have in place a dedicated team to drive this project along with our delivery partners to deliver a suite of practical conservation projects ranging from wetland and montane habitat restoration to trialling ‘conservation grazing’ using GPS cattle collars with local land managers”. 

She added:

“This is just the beginning of our restoration plans for Wild Strathfillan, and thanks to the enthusiasm of local land managers and groups we have a long list of projects which we would like to take forward”.

NatureScot Head of Biodiversity Katherine Leys said:

“It’s fantastic to see this ambitious nature recovery project getting underway with support from the Nature Restoration Fund. This is one of many NRF-funded projects that are putting Scotland’s precious habitats and species back on the road to recovery, while tackling the nature and climate emergencies.”

A spokesperson for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority said:

Simon Jones, Director of Environment and Visitor Services at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority, said: “Nature underpins just about every aspect of human life through the benefits and services it provides, including our food, water, health and economic wealth. So halting the ongoing decline and then reversing the loss of nature is not just beneficial for wildlife, it is in all of our interest.

“Wild Strathfillan is an excellent example of the landscape-scale nature restoration projects we need to see supported to secure a healthy, sustainable National Park for future generations. I am hugely encouraged to see this funding commitment confirmed and excited to see what it will allow the Countryside Trust, the founding partners including the National Park Authority, alongside local land managers and communities, to deliver.

“I would also like to thank National Park staff and volunteers, who have given more than 480 hours of their time to support a specialist plant nursery as part of this project. They have already collected and planted 35,000 native tree seeds which will eventually be planted out across the Strathfillan landscape, expanding native woodlands and creating wildlife corridors.”

Volunteers have already given 480 hours of their time to the project, collecting, processing and planting native tree seeds from local woodlands, like here at Glenfalloch Pinewoods SSSI.

Dawn Skelton, a spokesperson for Strathfillan Community Development Trust said:

“With thanks to the funding and support of the partnership network and our own community volunteers, work can now begin to implement our plans to improve the native tree diversity at our Tyndrum Shelterbelt and Community Woodland. This has long been on the Trust’s agenda, so it will be great to see some progress being made towards further restoring our native woodlands. With our new Woodland Officer in place, we are pleased to be back on the ground maintaining the paths and features of our Woodlands. Our partnership with the Wild Strathfillan team will also allow us to put in place systems to monitor and remove non-native invasive species not just here but also along rivers and tributaries, helping the natural species of the Strathfillan area thrive.”

Wild Strathfillan has also been awarded funding of £250,000 by the National Heritage Lottery Fund (NHLF) for a community-focused and skills development project, celebrating the heritage of this fantastic area. By working with local groups and across all generations, the initiative aims to enable local communities to develop and share their skills and stories, connecting people with each other and to their cultural and natural heritage.

To find out more about Wild Strathfillan visit, www.trustinthepark.org/wildstrathfillan or contact info@trustinthepark.org.