Latest news with #NickHalfhide
Daily Record
18-07-2025
- General
- Daily Record
North Lanarkshire gets funding boost for greenspaces from National Lottery Heritage Fund
Approximately £640,000 will be spent by the creation of a ground-breaking 'environmental justice map'. North Lanarkshire will receive a funding boost for greenspaces from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The first of its kind, this new programme announced by Natural England, National Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund with expert advice provided by NatureScot and other UK nature agencies, aims to help at least 100 places across the UK to become greener, healthier, happier places for people to live and work. Approximately £640,000 will be spent by the creation of a ground-breaking 'environmental justice map' – including a digital platform highlighting areas of greatest need and visual representations of what North Lanarkshire could become, ensuring voices are heard in shaping a greener future. This initiative addresses profound need in an area where nearly 69 per cent of residents live within 500 meters of a derelict site - significantly higher than the Scottish average of 26.5 per cent. At its heart is a commitment to co-creation with communities through consultation. Residents will help prioritise investment and develop designs for 18 projects to enhance existing natural networks and create habitat connections, with the support of two full-time specialists and a cohort of greenspace ambassadors. A sustainable funding model will explore innovative green finance options like habitat banking and green auditing. Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: 'I am delighted to announce an investment of £15 million which will help 40 towns and cities across the UK better plan their urban nature recovery, connecting people and communities to their natural environment in the places they live. 'We have invested over £1bn in regenerating over 900 urban parks and green spaces over the last 30 years, helping nature thrive in towns everywhere – and this exciting initiative, working with partners right across the UK, will continue to build on this investment and give millions of people better access to nature close to home.' NatureScot Chief Executive, Nick Halfhide added: 'Our urban greenspaces are where most people connect with nature on a day-to-day basis, and we know that access to nature offers benefits for everyone's health and well-being. 'This money will help Fife and North Lanarkshire to attract private investment into their greenspaces. Both local authorities have ambitious plans to work with the communities most in need of the transformational benefits urban greenspaces offer. 'We can't wait to help them make the most of these opportunities.' *Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
The National
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
More than 14,000 hectares of peatland restored across Scotland
More than 14,000 hectares of degraded peatlands have been restored across Scotland in the past year, which the Scottish Government says exceeds its targets set out in its last Programme for Government. Peatlands are areas of wetland that support habitats and species that are important for biodiversity, while also protecting the wider ecosystem by improving water quality and reducing the severity of flooding. Covering nearly two million hectares, Scotland is home to two-thirds of the UK's peatlands, but nearly three-quarters of the country's peatlands are currently degraded. READ MORE: Scottish minister hits back at Defence Secretary 'student union politics' jibe The Scottish Government has pledged £250 million to support the restoration of 250,000 hectares of peatlands by 2030, with an interim target of 110,000 hectares by 2026. A total of 90,000 hectares have been restored since 1990, with 14,860 of those completed throughout the 2024-25 financial year. Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie (below) hailed the benefits of restoring Scotland's peatland as he said: 'As we celebrate World Peatlands Day, I am very pleased to report Scotland's Peatland ACTION partnership has put 14,860 hectares of degraded peatlands on the road to recovery last year. This is a new record in one year. 'Restoring peatland benefits our environment by reducing emissions, reducing risks of flooding and wildfires and improving water quality. It also invests in people and skills, creating green jobs in rural communities. 'This means we have exceeded our 2024 Programme for Government commitment and represents a 42% increase over the 10,360 hectares restored during 2023-24. I thank all of our partners for their sustained efforts and tenacity in delivering another milestone figure.' Nick Halfhide, NatureScot interim chief executive, said restoring peatland is essential in addressing the climate emergency while helping to boost Scotland's biodiversity and water quality. He said: 'As key partners in the Scottish Government's Peatland ACTION Partnership, NatureScot has successfully facilitated 65% of the restoration work completed in 2024-25. This significant achievement contributes substantially towards the overall target of 250,000 hectares of degraded peatland being put on the road to recovery by 2030. 'Restoring Scotland's degraded peatlands is essential to addressing both the climate and nature emergencies – it makes a vitally important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while providing broader benefits for biodiversity and water quality.' Forestry and Land Scotland helped to deliver 1744ha of peatland restoration work across Scotland in the last year, surpassing its yearly target of 1500ha. Its CEO Kevin Quinlan said: 'Forestry and Land Scotland is proud to be supporting the Scottish Government's commitment to restoring 250,000 hectares of peatlands by 2030 as a key delivery partner in the Peatland ACTION Partnership. 'Every site we restore adds to the scale of the contribution we make in efforts to transform and restore one of Scotland's largest degraded ecosystems to create a far healthier landscape.'
BBC News
01-03-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Seagrass: £24.m project launched to restore 'wonder plant' to Scotland's coasts
A £2.4m seagrass planting programme has been launched to help restore the plant in seas around the north of project aims to plant 14 hectares (34.6 acres) of seagrass, often described as a "wonder plant" by conservationists, over the next three are often likened to rainforests because they provide food and shelter for thousands of species, but they have been declining globally since the the last century 92% of the plants have been lost from Britain's coasts and areas once covered by seagrass are now "lifeless seabeds", according to research by University College London. The new initiative is a partnership between the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN).Grants have been awarded to four organisations that cover areas from Shetland to the Kintyre are Mossy Earth's Wilder Firths project (based around the Black Isle), Kintyre Coastal Network's East Kintyre Biosphere, Wester Ross Fisheries Trust's seagrass planting project and Restoring Shetland's Marlie Meadows - a project by the University of the Highlands and is home to a vast number of species, and is a food source for many also takes in CO2, making it useful in tackling climate partnership said Scottish seas are a special place for marine habitats like seagrass, with the country's coasts stretching 18,000km (11,185 miles) and containing 8,000 species or more. SMEEF is hosted by NatureScot, whose chief executive Nick Halfhide said the programme was an example of business and the public sector "joining forces" to "improve the health of our seas, helping to tackle the nature and climate emergencies".He said: "Nature and climate are closely linked; if one is suffering, the other will be as well."So we need to take care of our seas, and our seagrass, and restore nature at scale."Shirley Robertson, SSEN's head of strategic planning and sustainability, said the support of the four organisations involved will enable the "vital" restoration of said: "The positive contribution of seagrass to the environment cannot be underestimated, which is why at SSEN we made the commitment in our 2023-28 business plan to help fund the restoration of these underwater meadows."Scotland's acting net zero and energy secretary Gillian Martin said: "It is great to see this investment by SSEN into seagrass restoration, which will benefit wildlife and coastal communities all around Scotland and which really demonstrates the value of SMEEF as an innovative vehicle to attract investment into nature."Tackling the twin nature and climate crises cannot be achieved by any government alone - securing private investment is vital to meeting the scale of these challenges."
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Seagrass planting bids to restore nature along Scottish coastline
Scotland's most comprehensive seagrass planting programme has been launched to help restore nature in seas around the country. The £2.4 million project aims to plant 14 hectares of seagrass, described as a wonder plant, over the next three years. Seagrasses are often likened to rainforests because they provide food and shelter for thousands of species, but they have been declining globally since the 1930s with an estimated 7% of seagrass meadows being lost every year. Launched on World Seagrass Day on Saturday, the initiative is a partnership between the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution. Grants have been awarded to four organisations that span the whole of Scotland, from Shetland to the Kintyre peninsula. These are: Mossy Earth's Wilder Firths project; Kintyre Coastal Network's East Kintyre Biosphere; Wester Ross Fisheries Trust's seagrass planting project; University of the Highlands and Islands – Restoring Shetland's Marlie Meadows project. Seagrass is home to a vast number of species, and is a food source for many others. It also takes in CO2, making it useful in tackling climate change. The partnership said Scottish seas are a special place for marine habitats like seagrass, with the country's coasts stretching 18,000km and containing 8,000 species or more. SMEEF is hosted by NatureScot, whose chief executive Nick Halfhide said: 'This is a wonderful example of business and the public sector joining forces to make a real difference to improve the health of our seas, helping to tackle the nature and climate emergencies. 'Nature and climate are closely linked; if one is suffering, the other will be as well. 'So we need to take care of our seas, and our seagrass, and restore nature at scale.' Shirley Robertson, SSEN Distribution's head of strategic planning and sustainability, said: 'We are honoured to be involved in this ongoing partnership and welcome these four organisations, based in SSEN's north of Scotland distribution area to the programme. 'Their support will further enable the vital restoration of these areas of seagrass, previously lost around some Scottish coasts. 'The positive contribution of seagrass to the environment cannot be underestimated, which is why at SSEN we made the commitment in our 2023-28 business plan to help fund the restoration of these underwater meadows.' Scotland's Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: 'It is great to see this investment by SSEN into seagrass restoration, which will benefit wildlife and coastal communities all around Scotland and which really demonstrates the value of SMEEF as an innovative vehicle to attract investment into nature. 'Tackling the twin nature and climate crises cannot be achieved by any government alone – securing private investment is vital to meeting the scale of these challenges.'
The Independent
01-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
Seagrass planting bids to restore nature along Scottish coastline
Scotland's most comprehensive seagrass planting programme has been launched to help restore nature in seas around the country. The £2.4 million project aims to plant 14 hectares of seagrass, described as a wonder plant, over the next three years. Seagrasses are often likened to rainforests because they provide food and shelter for thousands of species, but they have been declining globally since the 1930s with an estimated 7% of seagrass meadows being lost every year. Launched on World Seagrass Day on Saturday, the initiative is a partnership between the Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution. Grants have been awarded to four organisations that span the whole of Scotland, from Shetland to the Kintyre peninsula. These are: Mossy Earth's Wilder Firths project; Kintyre Coastal Network's East Kintyre Biosphere; Wester Ross Fisheries Trust's seagrass planting project; University of the Highlands and Islands – Restoring Shetland's Marlie Meadows project. Seagrass is home to a vast number of species, and is a food source for many others. It also takes in CO2, making it useful in tackling climate change. The partnership said Scottish seas are a special place for marine habitats like seagrass, with the country's coasts stretching 18,000km and containing 8,000 species or more. SMEEF is hosted by NatureScot, whose chief executive Nick Halfhide said: 'This is a wonderful example of business and the public sector joining forces to make a real difference to improve the health of our seas, helping to tackle the nature and climate emergencies. 'Nature and climate are closely linked; if one is suffering, the other will be as well. 'So we need to take care of our seas, and our seagrass, and restore nature at scale.' Shirley Robertson, SSEN Distribution's head of strategic planning and sustainability, said: 'We are honoured to be involved in this ongoing partnership and welcome these four organisations, based in SSEN's north of Scotland distribution area to the programme. 'Their support will further enable the vital restoration of these areas of seagrass, previously lost around some Scottish coasts. 'The positive contribution of seagrass to the environment cannot be underestimated, which is why at SSEN we made the commitment in our 2023-28 business plan to help fund the restoration of these underwater meadows.' Scotland's Acting Net Zero and Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said: 'It is great to see this investment by SSEN into seagrass restoration, which will benefit wildlife and coastal communities all around Scotland and which really demonstrates the value of SMEEF as an innovative vehicle to attract investment into nature. 'Tackling the twin nature and climate crises cannot be achieved by any government alone – securing private investment is vital to meeting the scale of these challenges.'
