Nature Restoration Fund: interim evaluation

Annex 1: Full case studies

Brief comment and explanation of terms

For each Competitive Fund strand case study, the following details are listed at the top:

NRF funds received

Total NRF funding received by this project, sometimes spanning more than one year. The value received can sometimes be greater than the initial value awarded where additional funds have been required. This includes only part delivery for projects which continue beyond March 2024 (labelled “Ongoing” under Timeframe).

Other project support

Any match funding secured by the project lead or organisations delivering the project. These are labelled either “cash” for financial contributions or “in-kind,” which can include the contribution of different types of resources such as staff time, materials, equipment, etc. from the lead organisation, the landowner, or other partners. The source of the other project support is listed, where this data is available.

Timeframe

Financial years during which the project was active and received funding.

Delivery partners

Any group, organisation or stakeholder working in partnership with the lead organisation to deliver the project. This includes formal and informal partnerships and involvement of contractors.

Anonymity

Participants were given options as to their preferred level of anonymity on information and consent forms which were supplied in advance of each interview. All participants have been anonymised, only indicating which project they were associated with and their organisation, in some cases.

Competitive Fund strand case studies

Balgavies Loch Sediment Treatment Pond, Angus

NRF funds received: £56,229 to Scottish Wildlife Trust

Other project support: £1,300 cash + £5,000 in-kind support

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery Partners: Lockett Agri-Environmental

Key activities & outputs

This project planned and created an 850,000-litre sediment treatment pond to benefit the Rescobie and Balgavies Loch Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The new pond slows water flow draining from arable fields during heavy rainfall events, allowing fine sediment to settle out rather than being carried into the waters of the SSSI, which affects water quality and damages habitats. The pond is part of a series of measures designed to address sediment pollution, including a pre-existing swale and sediment trap funded by the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme. These upstream interventions are good at capturing coarse sediment (which settles out quickly), while the pond addresses the finer sediment by slowing the water for enough time for it to collect on the bottom. This chain of measures has been effective in reducing the amount of field run-off entering Balgavies Loch, including phosphates and sediment.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project engaged with local farmers to find a creative solution to monitoring and safeguarding the outcomes of the pond into the future:

“NatureScot were very keen to know, if this massive pond silt trap that we built filled up with sediment, who was going to empty it? A local farmer said, “Well, I’ll do that, if I can take the stuff that goes in it [silt / sediment, useful as topsoil].” But we know that is not going to happen because it is massive, and there’s a system in place to stop it happening, but they [NatureScot] quite rightly wanted to know what was going to be the backstop.” – Project lead

NRF projects must outline plans for how their interventions and outcomes will be sustained over the NRF maintenance compliance period of ten years. Therefore, if the pond were to fill up with sediment, with no capacity to continue to function as a silt trap, a plan needed to be in place to empty it and maintain its functionality. In this case, a local farmer came forward and offered to dredge the pond and use the sediment as topsoil. This win-win solution to maintaining the pond was possible because local farmers were engaged and at the table. Quality engagement with people local to the landscape can uncover common-sense solutions which offer win-wins for minimising costs and delivering additional public goods.

This project is a good example of the measures required to address persistent sediment pollutions issues in agricultural landscapes:

“It [the treatment pond] built on work that was done previously to deal with this pollution issue, so added together quite nicely. The fact that it's this "treatment train" of different systems that help to remove pollutants from the water […] It's a really good demonstration of how to make those systems work.” – Project lead

The swale, sediment trap and treatment pond form a successive series of interventions designed to capture coarse, medium and fine sediment. This type of layered protection is an innovative approach and contributes to building the nature restoration knowledge base. The project worked with Stirling University to capture lessons from the implementation and could be useful as a case study to replicate in other farmed landscapes.

Baron’s Haugh Wetland Project, North Lanarkshire

NRF funds received: £243,154 to RSPB Scotland

Other project support: £25,000 cash + £13,720 in kind support

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: AECOM (design), Artscape (delivery)

Key activities & outputs

This project reconnects 200 meters of floodplain backwater to the river. The project was delivered in two distinct phases: (1) designing the bund breach and wetland pools, and (2) creating the wetland pools and associated habitats. As a result, 27 ponds and scrapes, as well as 3 hectares of habitat were created. The adjacent farm businesses’ operations have been integrated with the wetland, seeing the adoption of no-fence collars to allow cattle to graze the site without compromising habitat integrity. As a popular destination for recreation and wellbeing, the site’s aesthetic appeal has been enhanced, with diverse habitats now supporting a greater variety of bird species. By breaching the existing 75-meter bund that historically separated the River Clyde from its floodplain, the area benefits from natural flood protection and reduced risk of future erosion.

Impacts & lessons learned

The RSPB learned that even positive changes to improve a wildlife reserve’s functionality and resilience can be met with scepticism from visitors. Initially hesitant to alter a beloved site, they found that frequent and transparent community engagement was key to overcoming concerns. This approach not only reassured greenspace users but also highlighted the benefits of natural flood management and environmental adaptation in action. Reflecting on this shift in perspective, the RSPB site warden emphasised the importance of taking a long-term, holistic approach:

“Baron’s Haugh is a fairly unique site full of complex challenges […] This project took a step back – we took a holistic and long-term view of what was happening to the site. In the past, we would have focused on short term fixes, on how the site could be kept the same because it was performing fine as it was. In this project, we accepted changes that would come to us in the long term.” – Project lead

Now, the site serves as an advocacy platform, attracting visits from SEPA, NatureScot, and MSPs. Engagement for this project began long before the NRF application, with the RSPB developing and sharing the idea with community members and various organisations. Consulting with multiple stakeholders helped generate interest and support, while the site’s natural accessibility further encouraged public engagement. Visitors can walk right up to the breach and wetland, fostering curiosity and a deeper connection to the project. This project aligned well to NRF biodiversity priorities and benefitted greatly from the fund’s flexibility and long-term perspective.

Black Hills Regeneration Project, Knoydart, Highland

NRF funds received: £246,638 to Knoydart Foundation

Other project support: In-kind contributions from Knoydart Forest Trust

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Knoydart Forest Trust

Key activities & outputs

The project facilitated the regeneration of habitats and species across the Knoydart Peninsula by linking up and repairing existing deer fences, enabling deer in the Black Hills to be managed separately from the wider peninsula. As a result of this strategic fencing project, subsequent culls have been able to reduce deer density within the 3000-hectare project area to a very low level (to 0.1 deer/100ha within project area), allowing woodland establishment and regeneration without the need for individual fences. Deer outside the project area are still being managed responsibly, guided by habitat impact assessment. There is a plan in place for phased tree planting within the area over the next five years (160 ha planned currently), accompanied by ongoing work to keep deer numbers at a very low level, allowing a range of upland habitats to flourish.

Impacts & lessons learned

A key reason for the success of this project was the effective partnership working between Knoydart Foundation (grant recipient), Knoydart Forest Trust, local farms and common grazings, and several individual landowners in the project area:

“If we can demonstrate that [nature restoration] working in this project area, it will give the community and neighbouring landowners confidence that it could be possible on a wider scale […] Just giving them a better awareness of what might be possible, rather than just seeing the land management as just ‘that’s the way it is and there’s no power to change it.” – Project lead

A key lesson was that galvanising community support before the project timeline starts was helpful in making everything run smoothly and ensuring the project delivered optimal outcomes.

Focussing on the potential benefits that the project will have, tailored specifically for certain groups, can be helpful in starting conversations and overcoming resistance. For example, local landowners are now able to manage their land without the significant cost of deer fencing, which opens up new options for livestock systems, crop types, small-scale woodland, and orchard planting.

Dalrymple Wetland Reserve, East Ayrshire

NRF funds received: £21,583 to Green Action Trust

Other project support: £16,414 cash contribution from Green Action Trust, secured for the project from East Ayrshire Council

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Dalrymple, Skeldon & Holybush Growing Together Project (DSHP), Scottish Wildlife Trust, local primary school

Key activities & outputs

The project succeeded in creating a new nature reserve of nearly one hectare in size on a former field of improved grassland in Dalrymple. The reserve is composed of 3 new ponds / wetlands, 690 new native broadleaf trees, 856 new hedgerow shrubs, 0.24ha of meadow, and 5,000 bulbs. The reserve is protected by 515m of deer fencing. The project leads recorded species moving into the wetland habitats almost immediately (aquatic insects, frog spawn) and are eagerly awaiting additional evidence of speciesusing the new habitats created. The new hedgerows are particularly exciting as they contribute to creating habitat corridors across the wider landscape. The community partners continue to monitor for biodiversity and maintain the site and could expand it, as DSHP lease and manage additional fields along the village boundary.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project was exemplary of an iterative or stepwise approach, which has proven effective in securing community support and was important for project viability:

“There are four fields along that boundary of the village that are owned by the community. We chose to work in about one and a half of them, just to get the scale right and do something manageable that worked for them [DSHP], to see if it worked and if they could maintain and manage it […] We can expand out, we might have a phase 2 of something similar, just grow and create even more of a corridor or stepping stone.” – Project lead

Now that the local community has seen the outcomes and rallied behind this project, subsequent phases could expand on this shared understanding and achieve impacts with fewer start-up costs. In addition, trialling the habitat types and interventions and understanding their degrees of success and maintenance required will inform future phases, leading to more accurate costings and increased efficiencies in delivery.

This project had to overcome some misconceptions and pushback from the local community to be successful. The land is held in a long-term lease by the community trust (DSHP) and it was important to be patient and take the time to explain what is planned and how it would affect people’s space and lives:

“You need to take time to speak to people and talk about their concerns and try to rationalise, explain the project and what it’s going to do […] We had lots of drop-in sessions, we had opportunities for people to raise their concerns […] Bringing all the community, ultimately, with you and getting the positive feedback at the end from people saying, ‘I didn’t really want that, but I really value it now,’ is nice.” – Project lead

It was mentioned that the Green Action Trust managing the project as a third party was helpful because they were outside the community and therefore coming to it with fresh eyes and a clean slate from which to work and engage.

Focussing on the potential benefits that the project will have, tailored specifically for certain groups, can be helpful in starting conversations and overcoming resistance. For example, local community members and the local primary school are enjoying access to the site, which was delivered as part of the project with additional, non-NRF funding (three new access points; 4,345m of new path; three new benches).

Landscape Scale Wetland and Connectivity Project, Highland

NRF funds received: £86,685 to Well Ness Farm Cluster

Other project support: £15,840 (cash) + £10,400 (in kind)

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Farm cluster members, local contractors

Key activities & outputs

Seven members of the Well Ness Farm Cluster collaborated to create 26 new ponds across the 8,000 hectares managed by the cluster. The project also re-meandered 1,000m of watercourses, re-wetted and restored a large marsh by creating new scrapes, removing fences and re-profiling dangerous ditches. This has created a network of habitats around the Moray Firth which are key for ground-nesting birds, waders, and the great crested newt, all of which have moved into these habitats already. The project is collecting data on these species via bioacoustics monitoring and other surveying. Cluster members are continuing to explore what other nature outcomes it may be possible to deliver on their farms and across the larger, 21,000-hectare buffer zone they have drawn around the boundaries of their landholdings.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project is exemplary of what is achievable when farmers come together and has already inspired new farm clusters in neighbouring landscapes to organise and bid for NRF funding. Having a committed convener / facilitator in place was seen to be essential in forging trust and maintaining momentum within the project:

“Everyone has got areas on their farm which are agriculturally unproductive. Just give them to us and let us make them ecologically productive. You’ve got a wet corner of a field – Point us in the direction of it, we’ll go and have a look, bring the consultants. If it’s good, we’ll find the funding to fence it off, dig a pond, create something there, rather than running through it with the sprayer every year, spray the rushes, and it just never works. People responded really well to that, started annotating their farms for us, whilst at the same time building a list of different species that they would like to see more of.” – Project lead

It is important to remove barriers which might make farmers hesitant about joining a cluster. One key lesson was that keeping the objectives of the cluster targeted (in this case, “What can we do about the decline of farmland bird species we used to see?”), minimising time commitment of participating members, and avoiding prescriptive management changes on individual farms are essential to securing trust and buy-in to new farm clusters.

Link Caerlaverock, Dumfries & Galloway

NRF funds received: £68,467 (as of March 2024)

Other project support: Support from Caerlaverock Estate

Timeframe: 2023-2025 (project completed in March 2025)

Delivery partners: Local contractors

Key activities & outputs

Caerlaverock Estate is enhancing its coastal landscape to create seasonally wet habitats that support two rare priority species: the tadpole shrimp and the natterjack toad. Located along the Solway Firth, the estate has undertaken wider work on developing ponds to enhance water flow, meadows and wildlife corridors to protect and enhance biodiversity.

Leveraging neighbours’ expertise at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, who have received NRF funding to deliver the Wilder, Wetter Caerlaverock project, and the National Nature Reserve, the project’s goals are being delivered on schedule and to the intended quality. Complementary efforts between this project and Wilder, Wetter Caerlaverock have included sharing details on the most appropriate contractors, garnering expertise to conduct biodiversity audits, and ensuring accurate pond depth to accommodate for seasonal species. By the end of the two-year project, the estate will have established 5 hectares of meadow across four sites, 37 ponds, and 2.5 km of wildlife corridors, creating a large-scale biodiversity area along the Solway Coast.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project demonstrates how productive agriculture and conservation can coexist while also boosting estate enterprises and farming activities. Situated on prime agricultural land, the estate remains committed to food production, guided by both moral and financial responsibility. At the same time, it is integrating an environmental ethos to ensure long-term sustainability.

To balance these priorities, landscape alterations and wetland creation have been carefully designed as a mosaic within the agricultural landscape, with no-fence collars allowing cattle to graze seamlessly in designated areas.

Managed Realignment at Inch of Ferryton, Clackmannanshire

NRF funds received: £108,986 awarded to RSPB over 2 years

Other project support: £12,109 cash + £11,628 in kind from RSPB = £23,737

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Worked with consultancy, landowner, & SEPA; Communicated with NatureScot & local authority

Key activities & outputs

This project assessed the possibility of delivering a managed realignment, allowing the Forth Estuary to flood an area that had been impounded and recreate 74 hectares of intertidal habitat. Unfortunately, detailed ground investigations revealed that the material on site was not suitable to build the necessary new embankments and project will not go ahead to delivery. Development phase funding was essential to scoping this ambitious project. The information from the project was shared and discussed with NatureScot, SEPA, Clackmannanshire Council and the utility companies so that they are better informed about managed realignment projects in general, and the flood risk at the area around Inch of Ferryton specifically.

Impacts & lessons learned

The key lesson learned identified by the project lead was that ground investigations should be prioritised and completed as early as possible as part of assessing feasibility of coastal projects. Completing these investigations sooner would have allowed for earlier recognition that this project was not feasible on this site.

This project is a prime example of what NRF Development Phase funding is for, due diligence and trialling interventions, and funding of this type is extremely limited in Scotland. The project manager reflected that there are very few options for accessing funding which can be spent on this sort of design work, as most funds are restricted to delivery / capital works only:

“Maintaining a Development Phase / design stage funding is really, really valued…Having a fund that is willing to cross financial years and finding out about whether funding has been successful is really crucial, particularly for bigger projects.” – Project lead

Salt marsh is a rare and valuable habitat. There has been widespread destruction of these areas, leading to little total area and connectivity between them, and not all areas are suitable for recreating them. This project’s lead would encourage land managers who have areas of unproductive or inaccessible coastal land to consider space for nature, as these systems form effective natural buffers to climate change impacts, with co-benefits for many species. However, large-scale realignment projects such as this one should prioritise detailed ground investigations early in the project development timeline and earmark adequate resource for this, learning from the past example of this case study.

Natural Devon – Pool of Muckhart Initiative, Clackmannanshire

NRF funds received: £116,292 to Forth Rivers Trust

Other project support: £7,039 cash + £12,400 in kind

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Muckhart Flood Group, Muckhart Community Council, Church of Scotland, Muckhart Primary School

Key activities & outputs

Natural Devon – Pool of Muckhart has leveraged nature-based solutions to help mitigate flooding risks in the village of Muckhart. Spearheaded by the Muckhart Flood Group and Community Council and delivered by the Forth Rivers Trust, the community embraced an intervention that enhanced local biodiversity to ensure the health of the catchment in the long term. The project delivery was preceded by a participatory design workshop where community members identified the best-suited locations for the flood management structures.

The project achieved the creation of a large overflow channel connected to 3 substantial wetland scrapes, smaller uphill overflow channels feeding into a bunded large uphill scrape, 3 log leaky dams, 4 willow leaky dams, 7-10 uphill living willow leaky dams, and the sowing of 25 kg of wildflower seeds along the banks of channels and scrapes. Unpredictable weather in the forms of drought and torrential rain impacted the ability and success of the sowing efforts in the Spring of 2022.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project encountered challenges in securing landowner permissions to implement flood management structures at critical catchment points. Of the five landowners whose consent was required to carry out the full scope of the planned works, only two agreed, with concerns about future land value and lack of engagement and interest in the project being key issues. This underscores the importance of early landowner engagement, particularly in catchments where upstream management affects downstream impacts.

Despite the setbacks, the participatory project design enabled the team to address hesitant landowners’ preferences, explaining how the interventions would enhance local biodiversity and benefit the wider community. The team also found that securing buy-in from upstream and downstream landowners was easier when they saw that others were also participating in the scheme. Alongside consistent communication with landowners, key lessons include:

• The necessity for early community and stakeholder involvement to build long-term engagement and volunteer enthusiasm.
• Collaboration with the local flood management to ensure a smooth handover of post-project maintenance responsibilities.
• Training the flood group and local contractors in nature-based flood management techniques and preservation to improve local expertise and retain resources and skills within the community.

Peffery Catchment Restoration Programme, Highland

NRF funds received: £102,491 to Lockett Agri-Environmental (awarded – project ongoing)

Other project support: £125,580 cash + £18,400 in-kind support

Timeframe: 2023/24 - Ongoing

Delivery Partners: The Pebble Trust

Key activities & outputs

This project aims to restore significant sections of the River Peffery and its tributaries, which have been heavily modified over the past ~200 years. This project is in the process of installing leaky dams, re-meandering channelised sections, creating new wetlands, overflow channels, riparian plants, and storage ponds, and restoring Dingwall’s Pefferside Park pond. These interventions will restore important wetland and riparian habitats by re-wetting areas of ground and the creation of new habitats and water bodies. These measures will also reduce impacts from flooding in downstream Dingwall, abating the increasing effects of climate change.

Impacts & lessons learned

This catchment-wide initiative furthers a track record of successful nature restoration projects around Peffery, from the Biodiversity Challenge Fund, to development phase NRF projects,

through to delivery of self-sustaining flood management. The area has already attracted attention as a case study, which the delivery team hopes will leverage new sources of funding in the future:

“It is degraded from a biodiversity point of view, and it floods Dingwall and the business park that’s outside Dingwall. So, if we can develop a range of measures on a catchment scale that will have an impact on that, and I think we can, and that unlocks economic development in the business park, which is constrained because of flood risk, that’s a massive thing to be able to deliver at the end of a catchment scale project […] It’s still reliant on NRF funding and we want to get to a situation where we can bring in other sources of funding.” – Project lead

Decreased flood risk is a valuable ecosystem service to home and business owners, local authorities, insurers, and other stakeholders. This project hopes to engage private funders to unlock a final few projects which would complete the restoration of this catchment. This evaluation finds that the NRF has been successful at fostering new collaborations across landholding boundaries and among neighbours. This is a key aspect of delivering nature restoration through habitat connectivity and could build relationships necessary to achieve the scale of projects required to attract increased private investment through collective offers.

Peffery Wet Woodland, Highland

NRF funds received: £40,950 to Lockett Agri-Environmental

Other project support: £3,142 cash + £550 in-kind support

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery Partners: The Pebble Trust

Key activities & outputs

The project created 2.3 hectares of wet woodland on the south side of the Peffery floodplain at Fodderty by re-meandering a channelised farm drainage ditch to take a more natural route. A natural wet woodland of alder and willow carr are being allowed to establish through natural regeneration.

The project carried out ecological and topographical surveys and design work. A mature stand of poplar trees, which are of low biodiversity value, and some oaks were removed. Banks were removed and a new channel provided ~300m of new watercourse. This will create an area of high value biodiversity and carbon storage. It will also reduce downstream flooding and diffuse pollution through natural flood management as the woodland slows the flow of water, contributing to the wider Peffery Catchment Restoration Programme, Highland.

Impacts & lessons learned

The new wet woodland increases the habitat diversity of the surrounding landscape and provides an important habitat for invertebrates, amphibians, freshwater plants, and insectivorous bird species. Channelising watercourses was a widespread practice in Scotland for decades, therefore there are many opportunities for projects of this type, a point raised by the project lead:

“The re-meandering project, we probably need to do hundreds of those in Scotland, so the thing I'd be interested in with monitoring is how to do that – how can we speed this up and make it more cost effective?” – Project lead

There is an intention to monitor the site and confirm the anticipated benefits to these species over the coming years. However, the organisation delivering this project, who work in nature restoration across Scotland, have turned their attention to replicating this solution to address the pace of nature restoration needed. They also reflected that, compared to other project types and depending on the specific methods used, re-meandering is a relatively low-cost yet high-impact intervention for nature.

Pentlands to Portobello Greening, The City of Edinburgh

NRF funds received: £169,674 to Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust

Other project support: £2,500 cash + £1,000 in kind

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: City of Edinburgh council, Swanston Farm

Key activities & outputs

The Pentlands to Portobello Greening project worked to enhance green and blue spaces along a 4 km active travel route following watercourses from Swanston Village and Burdiehouse to Brunstane and Joppa. Passing through neighbourhoods that fall within the 20% most deprived according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, they now feature improved peri-urban greenspaces that support both natural wildlife and human health. Nature improvements focused on 10 sites along the route, including planting 91 riparian trees, creating 0.26 hectares of wetland habitat, and establishing 898 meters of native hedgerow. Additional activities included planting shrubs, tree groups, orchards, and enriching meadows.

Impacts & lessons learned

An important lesson from this project is that covering a large area of work provided the flexibility to adapt its scope and locations when faced with obstacles. For instance, while the initial feasibility study indicated that all sites were suitable for habitat improvements along the burn, it was later discovered that two locations didn’t meet the required public land ownership criteria. This underscores the value of adaptability in overcoming such challenges. The NRF's flexible funding model was crucial in this regard, allowing for budget adjustments to ensure biodiversity improvements could still be made at alternative sites, despite land ownership hurdles. This flexibility kept the project on track and ensured continued success in enhancing biodiversity along the route.

The project also had significant social impacts. The acquisition of funding allowed the Greenspace Trust to engage volunteers from diverse communities in activities such as bulb planting and riparian tree planting. This helped strengthen existing community groups like the ‘Friends of Burdiehouse Burn’ and ‘Friends of Little France Park,’ who are already involved in regular park maintenance. These greenspaces are vital for improving wellbeing, offering a sense of community and belonging and fostering social connections through shared activities like walking, gardening, or volunteering.

Quharity Burn Restoration, Angus

NRF funds received: £119,467 to Kinnordy Farms Partnership

Other project support: £13,000 cash + £6,000 in kind

Timeframe: 2023/24

Delivery partners: N/A

Key activities & outputs

This project deployed a range of measures to restore the Quharity Burn, which drains into Loch of Lintrathen, one of the drinking water sources for Dundee. After detailed flood modelling and design works, the interventions identified and executed included: realigning 145 m of the burn to take a more natural route; installing two sections of engineered wood structures and 18 large wood structures to protect the new riverbank, boost floodplain roughness and habitat diversity; infilling of the existing channel. The site now has greater physical diversity, more heterogenous vegetation, a natural flow regime, and increased soil stability and roughness, which will reduce run-off rates.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project was led by a private estate interested in long-term, strategic nature restoration across the landholding. Because the estate led the project, the estate owner had flexibility to make good use of on-site resources such as wood, which they gave as an in-kind contribution to the project:

“All the large wood was from that wind-blown plantation up at the top there. It was a good thing we had it, because it turns out that roughly half the cost of these projects is getting the large wood structures to site […] Reinforcing the bank, where you need to, putting wood into the water to replicate the deadwood that should be in a natural channel with trees around it […] They have done projects like this where they have had to bring in the wood from somewhere else, on public roads, on lorries, and that must have been a major cost.” – Project lead

Large-scale landowners are uniquely able to support large-scale nature restoration projects such as this one on their land and waters. The project lead commented that they and their neighbours are aligned in their thinking and actively try to share good practice with other Scottish estates.

Scottish Solway INNS Control and Knowledge Programme, Dumfries & Galloway

NRF funds received: £96,150 to Galloway Fisheries Trust

Other project support: £14,065 cash from own funds + £5,000 from Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership grant

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Landowners and relevant stakeholders of respective INNS populations

Key activities & outputs

This project worked closely with stakeholders and the community to implement a coordinated, long-term INNS control program across nine river catchments in Dumfries & Galloway. Efforts targeted priority species –including Japanese knotweed, Giant hogweed, and American skunk cabbage – while also addressing Himalayan balsam and Gunnera.

As the only organisation leading a region-wide INNS management effort, the Trust played a crucial role in tackling this challenge. The project funded a full-time officer for two years, and with the support of 12 dedicated volunteers, successfully controlled 23 groupings of INNS populations. Additionally, it generated valuable data, creating distribution maps that serve as a baseline for future management, where ArcGIS story maps helped visualise INNS density and raise awareness for planning.

Impacts & lessons learned

The Galloway Fisheries Trust has found that frequent, personal stakeholder engagement and deep local knowledge are the most effective strategies for long-term INNS management across the Solway catchment. Employing a dedicated project officer with strong community ties was essential for fostering engagement and ensuring the successful adoption of prevention measures.

Also facilitated by the project officer, a key innovation in the Trust’s strategy was the introduction of biosecurity kits at Loch Ken, which helped raise awareness among green and blue space users about their role in preventing INNS spread while enabling them to take immediate action by keeping their equipment clean. Additionally, long-term control plans have been established with relevant landowners, ensuring they take responsibility for ongoing management beyond the initial eradication phase. Due to these successes, the project is expanding into a second phase funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which will continue to work closely with stakeholders and local communities to deliver a coordinated and long-term INNS control programme across Dumfries & Galloway.

Turning Tarmac into Wetland, Rewilding Kilminning, Crail, Fife

NRF funds received: £220,587 to Crail Community Partnership

Other project support: £24,050 cash from crowdfunding + £27,724 in kind

Timeframe: 2022/23-2023/24

Delivery partners: Kilmac & Stantec contracting companies

Key activities & outputs

By acquiring a 14.3-hectare plot of land through a Community Asset Transfer, wedged between farmland and Crail’s WWII airfield, the Crail Community Partnership is preserving South Kilminning as a space for nature. The project’s main features are a wetland pond, which doubles in size when fully flooded, an adjacent marsh and burn connecting the waterway to the sea during pond overspills, and a 0.75 hectares of wildflower meadow, consisting of 112 different species.

The site provides a visual representation of the interaction between industrial and natural systems as the flow pipe emerges in the centre of the pond. 40 cm of clay and thick soil excavated from the wetland basin have been repurposed to cover the site’s tarmac, separated by a geotextile membrane to protect the designated archaeology. This layer of clay will support seasonal meadows and diversify habitats, particularly during the winter months.

Impacts & lessons learned

This project exemplifies how dedicated funding can unlock opportunities for biodiversity restoration, even in complex sites with historical protections. Without support from NRF, efforts to restore an abandoned archaeological site under Historic Environment Scotland regulations would not have been possible. The excavated soil from the newly created wetland pond has been repurposed to support seasonal meadows, enhancing habitat diversity, particularly in winter. By integrating human land use with ecological functions, the site now serves dual purposes – reducing antisocial behaviour like fly-tipping while encouraging visitors to engage with the space. Additionally, farmers have gained a more practical, environmentally friendly solution for managing excess water.

Notably, the project fostered strong community engagement:

• The funding served as a catalyst for significant community involvement, with match and crowd funding raising approximately £50,000 from over 100 donors across Fife and Scotland.
• Contributions from local organisations, such as the Fife Bird Club and Crail Common Good Fund, along with pro bono expert surveys, highlight the power of grassroots support and the value of broad community participation rather than reliance on a single donor.

Wilder, Wetter Caerlaverock, Dumfries & Galloway

NRF funds received: £325,661 to Wildfowl & Wetland Trust (awarded – project ongoing)

Other project support: £70,040 split evenly between cash and match funding

Timeframe: 2023/24 - Ongoing

Delivery partners: local contractors and graziers

Key activities & outputs

This project is restoring the natural habitat transition between saltmarsh and adjacent freshwater systems. It neighbours ongoing restoration efforts in the Solway Firth, fostering significant information exchange with Link Caerlaverock as well as maintaining a close relationship with the National Nature Reserve.

Historically, the reserve has been managed to accommodate traditional farming methods and geese breeding, involving artificial fertilisers and pesticides whose role have become outdated in a contemporary conservation area. This project encourages restoration of the land’s biodiversity and connectivity through a smoother transition between mudflats, saltmarsh, wet grassland, and bogs. This project will restore 200 hectares of wetland habitat, promoting ecosystem-sensitive grazing, enhancing natural processes by blocking land drains, and increasing water retention in scrapes and pools. It will also create additional habitats for rare bird species and invertebrates.

Impacts & lessons learned

Similarly to Link Caerlaverock, this project highlights the importance of balancing agricultural practices with nature conservation. Initially, site managers faced a critical decision: manage the site as a demonstration farm or allow it to rewild entirely. A third option was chosen: managing the site as a nature reserve while continuing to use agricultural methods like conservation grazing with cattle. This approach has increased biodiversity and improved the economic viability of farming in the area. By involving local farmers in the decision-making process, the project garnered strong community support, and practices such as rotational grazing and no-fence collars were well-received.

The project also demonstrates the value of adaptive management, with project managers evolving their approach from piecemeal interventions to landscape-scale activities. A budget structure that allows for a whole-ecosystem delivery to landscape restoration was crucial in making this happen. The project officer reflected on how the project’s approach evolved over time:

“When we first developed the idea, we planned small-scale work across the entire site. However, as the project progressed, we realized that focussing more intensive efforts on specific fields was more effective. While some areas of the reserve remain untouched, they’re still well-suited for nature applications. There are also aspects we haven’t yet addressed, which could be included in future applications.” – Project lead at Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site

Edinburgh Process case studies

Aberdeenshire Council – Ugie Catchment Small Scale Tree Planting Pilot

Key activities & outputs

The Ugie Catchment Small Scale Tree Planting pilot project in Aberdeenshire has successfully promoted tree planting on intensively farmed land. More than 4,000 trees were planted in Buchan along the river Ugie, with six local farmers and five project partners working in collaboration. The project officers engaged farmers who were previously reluctant or unfamiliar with tree planting. The project’s ability to offer administrative support eliminated any burdens and logistical complexities for farmers, who were solely to focus on planting and provided with trees, stakes, and protective tubes. This approach not only achieved environmental benefits such as enhancing biodiversity and creating habitat networks but also empowered farmers to view tree planting as manageable and beneficial for their operations.

As a result, the project sparked a cultural shift within the farming community, with many participants interested in expanding their planting efforts and exploring larger forestry schemes. Additionally, the project's success helped foster partnerships with organisations like Scottish Forestry and the Woodland Trust, aligning with broader woodland creation goals. The project, now named the Aberdeenshire Sma Wids scheme, has now been registered as an established SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation) with OSCR (Scottish Charity Register), ensuring its future sustainability. A new project officer will be hired to oversee its expansion, expecting to deliver 40 new tree planting projects over the next two years.

Challenges and lessons learned

A challenge the Council faced was rapidly developing spending plans and evaluation processes, then deploying the funds effectively within a tight 7-month timeframe. The delay in receiving NRF funds – typically deposited in the summer but needed for projects that must be completed by the following March – has caused challenges in planning and securing match funding from external partners. For instance, the council received £200,000 of NRF funding unexpectedly in the first year (2021), which was a learning curve for the team as they were not accustomed to managing such large sums for nature restoration. The inability to carry over unused funds from one year to the next has disrupted project timelines.

The nature of the NRF funding, which is strictly capital based, has led to some limitations in how it can be utilised. For instance, delivering against the Nature Networks criteria has sometimes been unclear:

"In complete honesty, none of our projects have had delivering Nature Networks as the primary goal, but almost everything we do contributes to them in some way. The challenge for Local Authorities isn’t necessarily to deliver Nature Networks but to map them. However, since NRF is strictly capital funding, our council has a rigid interpretation of what it can be spent on – primarily assets or asset improvements. This makes it difficult to allocate funds to non-material tasks like mapping unless they directly lead to a capital spend." – Environmental planner, Aberdeenshire Council

Through the course of NRF funding, the council has created a robust, defensible internal system for evaluating and selecting projects based on community needs. This has facilitated quick project delivery and increased community participation, particularly in rewilding and sustainable green space management. The council is able to prioritise conservation projects with minimal red tape, which has allowed them to implement and manage over 150 community-based green space projects. The NRF money has been a “game changer.”

Dundee City Council

Key activities & outputs

Dundee City Council delivered 9 projects over the 2022-2024 financial years, using NRF funding to support their Local Biodiversity Action Plan. Projects have included improving the biodiversity value of grassland in city greenspaces (native seeds / bulbs, new mowing regimes), improving ponds, INNS removal, tree planting, swift nest boxes, and amphibian ladders for drains. Their largest project to date was called Tr-Action: Planting Climate Resilient Woodlands in Dundee, which involved planting over 12 hectares of new, native woodland at three sites across the city.

Challenges and lessons learned

For the Tr-Action project, the council applied to the Competitive Fund strand, because they had already scoped the work required and had it “sitting on the shelf as a quite developed project,” making the application process simple. However, upon reflection, the limited capacity of council officers means the project management requirements of the Competitive Fund strand make it less suitable for projects run by local authorities:

“The Edinburgh [Process] strand has been brilliant because we haven’t had to apply for it, because applying for additional funding takes up quite a lot of resources and time […] Although the Tr-Action project was brilliant, it was a big project and it took up all of our time […] I don’t think we would do that again, where we had the Edinburgh strand funding plus the additional [Competitive Fund strand] funding. We just don’t have the capacity to manage both.” – Greenspace Officer, Dundee City Council

Council staff shared some of the unique aspects of restoring nature in an urban environment during the interview:

“We've been able to add much more biodiversity into projects like active travel, the Local Development Plan review, we're also looking at our Open Space Strategy or Woodland Master Plan, they’re all coming together now, and it's nice to be able to see how they all link in.” – Greenspace Officer, Dundee City Council

Various council initiatives in Dundee all rely on the relatively limited green spaces in the urban setting to implement interventions. For example, sustainable urban drainage (i.e. rain gardens, overflow ponds), active travel (routing cycling or walking paths through green spaces), climate change, and net zero. Council staff commented that NRF funding has given them a seat at the table with teams managing these other objectives and sparked positive integrations and collaborations. Access to NRF funding in this council area has allowed the managing team to take specific, and targeted actions for habitats and species, giving traction to their Biodiversity Action Plan, over and above what was possible before.

Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar – Invasive Species Control Project

Key activities & outputs

The INNS project has been running successfully for 3-4 years, focussing on the removal of Gunnera, a highly invasive plant threatening indigenous vegetation. Given that 75% of the Outer Hebrides is community-owned, the Local Authority has worked closely with Community Land Trusts (CLTs) to implement control measures. Crofters have played a key role in driving removal efforts, recognising the risks Gunnera poses to crops grown for both human and animal consumption. Private landowners, primarily sporting estates, have also taken action due to concerns about the plant’s encroachment on salmon and sea trout spawning areas.

A strong partnership with NatureScot has been instrumental in the project’s success. NatureScot provided essential training in its early years and continues to support the monitoring of INNS populations across the islands. The project has also enabled internal training within the Local Authority, equipping operators with the necessary skills for ongoing management.

Beyond INNS control, other key environmental priorities on the island include peatland restoration and marine conservation. There are emerging opportunities for match funding through renewable energy companies, which are investing in biodiversity initiatives as part of their carbon offsetting commitments. Wind farm developers and energy firms have expressed interest in supporting peatland restoration, offering a promising avenue for future conservation funding.

Challenges and lessons learned

A major challenge has been the scale of funding relative to the vast landmass requiring protection. The Local Authority received approximately £247,000 in previous years – an amount that "doesn’t really scratch the surface when you’re talking about INNS." Further complicating matters, a cyber-attack on the Local Authority’s servers resulted in the loss of financial records, making it difficult to track past allocations.

Local authority representatives commented that it has been challenging to implement Nature Networks across Eilean Siar. Unlike many mainland councils, the Local Authority owns little to no land, meaning it must rely entirely on cooperation with private landowners and Community Land Trusts to deliver environmental projects. The council understands the importance of keeping biodiversity high on the political agenda and ensuring the presence of a dedicated local biodiversity officer. In Eilean Siar, this role has remained unfilled since June 2024, underscoring the persistent challenge of recruiting specialists in remote areas. Biodiversity funding is particularly vulnerable during budget cuts, often overshadowed by politically higher-priority investments, such as care homes and other essential services. The Development Manager at Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Council emphasised how to NRF has helped to maintain political focus on biodiversity:

“The NRF plays a crucial role in keeping biodiversity in the minds of councillors by demonstrating its tangible benefits beyond just having a plan. Too often, biodiversity plans are created, then left on the shelf, only revisited for annual reporting. The real value of NRF is that it funds not just plans, but real action on the ground.”

Despite the uncertainty of future NRF funding, long-term control efforts continue. NatureScot remains committed to monitoring treated sites through vegetation surveys, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas. Private landowners are also actively tracking INNS on their properties, ensuring that even if public funding declines, the momentum for invasive species control is not entirely lost.

Perth & Kinross Council – Crook of Devon Community Orchard and Pollinator Project

Key activities & outputs

Perth & Kinross Council delivered 33 projects over the financial years 2022-2024. Projects support their Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) and have included tree planting, riparian habitat restoration, wildflower meadow creation, pond creation, amphibian ladders, hedgehog homes in schools, pollinator-friendly planting in support of a pollinator highway network, creation of a wildflower rain garden, restoring an urban drainage pond, and removal of INNS.

The case study interview focused on the Crook of Devon Community Orchard and Pollinator project. This project expanded a community orchard, with mixed fruit trees and underplanting with wildflowers and bulbs, creating a new pollinator corridor. All the planting and associated project works were carried out by volunteers of Crook and Drum Growing Together, who are currently working with Tayside Biodiversity Partnership to create a ‘Biodiversity Village’.

Challenges and lessons learned

Perth & Kinross Council distribute a portion of their Edinburgh Process funding to local community groups. The council invites applications for projects and scores these using a matrix to ensure biodiversity benefit, alignment with their LBAP, and a diverse mix of projects across the council area.

“It just takes the pressure off us, first of all, but also, you're getting more of a wide scale nature restoration, not just focussing on those council [owned] areas […] It helps empower communities to take action on the climate and biodiversity crisis.” – Climate Change Land Restoration Officer, Perth & Kinross Council

A challenge that was mentioned, from a community group’s perspective, was that the applications for funding made available to community groups seemed designed for larger projects, with £1,000 being the minimum amount available. This was more than this group felt they needed or could find volunteers to deliver, however they did increase the scale of their delivery to achieve the minimum amount. From the council’s perspective, though, it is important to limit the total number of projects, as the administration of these can become too much to handle.

Overall, however, the innovative approach of funding community groups was highlighted as being central to their ability to deliver a large number and variety of projects across the three years of the NRF. The council used to have a target for directing Edinburgh Process funding towards nature restoration to be delivered by the council versus by community groups (roughly a 60/40 split), however they now put council- and community-led projects into the same pool and assess all proposals side by side:

“This year, all applications are to be reviewed against set scoring criteria. Once the application deadline has passed, the highest scoring applications will be recommended for approval to the Executive Director of Communities. This year there will be no proposed split between Community Greenspace and Community projects, as those that best support outcomes for nature, in line with scoring criteria, will be recommended for approval. Once recommendations have been approved by the Executive Director of Communities, successful applicants will be notified of their grant funding award.” – Excerpt from Perth & Kinross Council return form.

This approach could have multiple benefits for other local authorities, efficiently directing funding to motivated community and volunteer groups.