Next steps for Scotland's nature
What happens in the next Scottish Parliament matters for nature and all of us
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Why we need to grow the Nature Restoration Fund
This vital funding pot has worked wonders for birds, bees and butterflies. Here’s why it must continue to grow.
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The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) has been a lifeline for nature since it launched in 2021, driving real change for wildlife across landscapes. In our final manifesto ask, we’re calling on the Scottish Government to invest more in this small but powerful funding pot.
What is the Nature Restoration Fund?
The Nature Restoration Fund is one of the only funding pots in Scotland focused on protecting and restoring our precious natural heritage. The £65 million budget it’s had over the past five years has worked wonders for nature and communities across Scotland. It’s allowed RSPB Scotland and many other organisations to create vital habitat for waders, bees and butterflies, plants, bats and many more. But nature is facing serious challenges across Scotland and more needs to be done.
More important than ever
One in nine species is at risk of national extinction in Scotland, from Puffins to Red Squirrels. In terms of biodiversity, Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
We can turn things around, if we make the right choices.
Scotland has pledged to protect 30% of Scotland’s nature on land and sea by 2030. The next Scottish Parliament will go beyond this deadline. This makes the Nature Restoration Fund more important than ever. If we want to restore nature and reach our targets, we need to expand the vital work we’re doing to save species and adapt to a changing climate.
Gradually increasing the Nature Restoration Fund to £200 million by the end of the next Parliament, while also investing in NatureScot and local authorities so they can administer their shares of the fund, would show the next Scottish Government is serious about protecting and restoring biodiversity. We all want to live in a country with abundant wildlife which is protected and celebrated.
The impact of nature funding
Among the many NRF projects which have delivered transformative results for nature are the wonderful new wader scrapes at our Lochwinnoch reserve. These have made it possible for Little Ringed Plovers to breed at the site for the very first time. They also brought in an incredibly rare Black Winged Stilt, only the thirteenth ever recorded in Scotland. The scrapes are providing much needed habitat for Curlews and Lapwings. Wading birds are under serious pressure due to habitat loss from intensive farming and forestry and creating these scrapes makes a real difference.
See the transformation as scrapes are created at RSPB Scotland's Lochwinnoch nature reserve
6:55Meanwhile, the NRF project at RSPB Abernethy reserve aims to restore and expand the Caledonian pine forest, benefiting a huge range of species, including Crested Tits, critically endangered Pine Hoverfly and Twinflower.
Restoration Forth is a major programme working with local communities to restore seagrass meadows and native oyster populations in the Firth of Forth. This project has already planted around 210,000 seagrass seeds in the Forth, creating habitats for thousands of species, and reintroduced over 46,000 European flat oysters, boosting biodiversity, improving water quality and helping store carbon.
If the Nature Restoration Fund is increased, imagine what impact it could have for wildlife across Scotland. It’s an investment in Scotland's future. We urge the next Scottish Government to make this pledge.
How you can help
Tell your local politicians how much nature means to you. As the Scottish election campaign trail heats up, it makes all the difference when people let candidates know what’s important to them.
Sign up to our campaigns email for the latest news and updates on how you can help take action for nature in Scotland.