Highland Biodiversity - Summary

Highland Biodiversity - The Variety of Life

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Project Summary

The Highland Biodiversity Project was initiated in 2002 as a two year project aiming to raise awareness and identify and initiate priority actions for biodiversity across the Highlands, through an action planning process strongly influenced by local people. The project was funded by The Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Caithness & Sutherland Enterprise and RSPB Scotland with match funding from the Highlands & Islands Special Transitional Programme.

Seven Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) have been produced for the area of Caithness, Sutherland, Wester Ross, Ross & Cromarty East, Skye & Lochalsh, Lochaber and Inverness & Nairn. Over forty community-led practical projects and awareness-raising events received funding from the Project.

In addition, the Project commissioned a collection of over 400 images of Caithness for community use as part of an interpretive project, piloted a Marine Innovation Award Scheme and undertook a survey of the hay meadows of Skye, Lochalsh and Lochaber.

In order to build on the achievements of the project and contribute to the implementation of the LBAPs funding was secured in October 2004 from Leader+, Scottish Natural Heritage and The Highland Council for the ‘Highland BAP Implementation Programme’. £90,000 in total is secured. The Local Biodiversity Groups, which were originally set up to steer the production of the LBAPs, are putting forward priority projects to be funded through the programme. £10,000 has been allocated to each of the seven areas for biodiversity projects plus an additional £2,000 for events/open days to publicise the results of these projects and share experience and best practice between areas.