Scotland’s boldest effort to breathe life back into its wild places has passed a landmark £65 million in funding, with more than 250 projects already helping restore rivers, rainforests, wildlife and fragile coastlines.
Launched in 2021, the Nature Restoration Fund has become the beating heart of Scotland’s ambition to reverse decades of damage to its landscapes and species.
From the Cairngorms to the coast, the fund is making real change happen, helping to repair what’s been lost and create stronger ecosystems for generations to come.
Following its success, the Scottish Government has now committed to extend the fund into 2026 and 2027, ensuring the momentum behind this green recovery keeps growing.
The fund has already helped restore saltmarshes, revive wetlands, plant native trees, reconnect rivers with their floodplains and remove invasive species.
One of the fund’s most remarkable achievements is the Highland Amphibians Reptile Project, which has boosted the survival rate of the Highland Great Crested Newt from just 2 percent to a remarkable 13 percent.
That leap in numbers has allowed these elusive creatures to be translocated for the first time in Europe, a quiet but powerful win for biodiversity.
Another standout effort is the work of the Scottish Entanglement Alliance, trialling ways to drastically cut the number of whales and basking sharks tangled in fishing gear.
These innovations could reduce entanglement by up to 80 percent, while still supporting traditional low-impact creel fishing — a vital lifeline for many coastal communities.
Climate Action Minister Dr Alasdair Allan, speaking from the Brerachan Water Restoration Project near Pitlochry, praised the fund’s far-reaching impact.
“More than 250 projects have already benefitted from the fund, and we’re proud to extend our commitment,” he said.
“This work is restoring biodiversity and helping Scotland tackle both the climate and nature crises head on, while also bringing real wellbeing benefits to local people.”
At Brerachan, where the fund supported the restoration of 25 hectares of wetland, native trees are now taking root and the river has been reconnected with its floodplain — a transformation that reduces flood risk and brings wildlife back to the land.
Richard Lockett, who led the Brerachan work, said the NRF was the catalyst for change.
“We’ve gone from a drained and degraded plain to a rich and varied habitat,” he said.
“We’ve created ponds, infilled old drains, and even built a chute channel to help water flow naturally onto the land again.
“It’s now teeming with life.”
NatureScot Chair Professor Colin Galbraith called the fund “critical” in giving nature a fighting chance.
“It’s allowed people to take real action, from bringing back water voles to planting new rainforest,” he said.
“But we must go further.
“Scotland’s nature is still in crisis, and we owe it to ourselves and future generations to keep investing.”
