A new conservation initiative, headed by North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Action Plan (NES LBAP) is being launched, in an effort to help restore some of our most valuable natural wildlife habitats.

Wetlands within the North East, and indeed the whole of Scotland, have suffered dramatic decline over the last fifty years.  This loss of habitat has had a marked impact on much of our native wildlife. Additionally, the importance of wetlands to local communities in helping alleviate flooding is now widely recognised, and in globally contributing to the control of greenhouse gases.

Although climatically, Grampian is a dry area of Scotland, many sites which originally were wet have been drained over centuries. Wet habitats include fen, reedbed, swamp, wet woodland, bog, forest wetland and wet grassland. A reduction in the overall extent of wetlands will have led to major knock-on changes in flora, fauna and habitat – mostly detrimental. For this reason, a Wetlands Action Plan has been developed in the North East to enable expansion and restoration of these important habitats.

As part of the Action Plan, the NES LBAP is seeking help from local landowners and communities to help restore this essential habitat through the Wetland Pilot Project. The initiative, which gets underway this month, is a partnership programme involving Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Aberdeenshire Council, the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and RSPB, in conjunction with Landcare NorthEast.  The aim is to identify potential locations suitable for a wetland restoration project in NE Scotland, coordinating with landowners to generate support for such work, raising awareness and promoting the value of wetlands.

Dr Roger Owen, Head of Ecology at SEPA, has been involved in developing the Pilot Project. “The potential value of wetlands in the North East of Scotland is immense, especially for wildlife, and also for storing and purifying water, locking up carbon and providing great places for visitors to see and experience the natural world.” Roger added, “This project will help us to increase the number of wetlands in our part of Scotland and provide many more of the benefits that wetlands bring to biodiversity and people.”

For more information or if you would like to be involved in this exciting new initiative to help restore some of Scotland’s lost landscape, contact Flora Grigor-Taylor or Steff Ferguson at Landcare NorthEast on 013398 81376, or Rose Toney, LBAP co-ordinator on 01224 395189

ENDS

Notes to editors:

North East Scotland LBAP takes action to conserve important species and habitats for our benefit and for future generations. The LBAP covers North East Scotland (Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray) and is a partnership of local authorities, environmental, forestry, farming, land and education agencies, businesses and individuals.

The partnership was formed in 1996 by a statutory and voluntary agencies and individuals with a common interest in conserving biodiversity.

The aim of the partnership is to protect and enhance the local biodiversity by developing and implementing a Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP).
North East Scotland Local Biodiversity Action Plan
c/o The Macaulay Land Use Institute
Craigiebuckler
Aberdeen
AB15 8QH

Tel : 01224 395189