MAJOR funding for conservation and restoration projects on a coastline in the south west of Scotland has been announced.
The Solway Coast and Marine Landscape Connections Project (Scamp) will receive £1.4 million in funding, which will see natural habitats restored along the Dumfries and Galloway coast.
The Scamp scheme will be delivered over 10 years, and five key habitats, including seagrass meadows, native oyster reefs, salt marsh, coastal woodland, and sand dunes, will be prioritised as part of the project.
The project will also see 120 miles of new coastal trails created, with 10 seaside “gateway” sites developed.
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Panels along the coast and trails will also be installed, allowing people to learn more about the Solway Firth and the surrounding area.
Karen Morley, Scamp programme manager, welcomed the funding, adding it will help the team make a “real impact” in their restoration efforts.
“It is rare for a nature restoration project to attract this level of investment over a prolonged period of time,” she said.
“But it is also essential for this ambitious innovative programme of work to be delivered by ourselves and our partners and ensure we can make a real restorative impact on our Solway land and seascape.”
Scamp is the first project to secure support through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's (NLHF) £150m Landscape Connections initiative.
The project is the first of around 20 across the UK which will benefit from the funding aimed at boosting nature recovery, helping rural economies, and attracting more visitors.
NLHF chief executive Eilish McGuinness said it was the “perfect project” to start the initiative.
She said: “The Solway Firth's rich natural heritage has supported communities along its length since the earliest settlement.
“The heritage of millennia of human habitation are reflected in the landscape and history of the people, places and communities.
“This will be enhanced with National Lottery player support to deliver large-scale, long-term, meaningful change for the environment and its people, furthering our vision for heritage to be valued, cared for, and sustained for everyone, now and in the future."
Dumfries and Galloway Council is leading the Scamp initiative alongside a list of local partners.
Council leader Gail MacGregor said: “With a potential total investment of almost £8m from the heritage fund this commitment demonstrates the huge potential of our Solway Coast to become a leading light in coastal and marine nature restoration, playing its part in helping with the nature and climate crisis.
“By allowing our coastal and marine environment to thrive we will be bringing opportunities for learning, green jobs, wellbeing and nature-related economic development to our communities.”
