Rural jobs under threat after 'shock' £5m nature funding cut described as 'devastating blow'

A sum of £5 million has been redirected from the Nature Restoration Fund – a pot of money that supports some 170 projects across Scotland tackling climate change and nature loss - as ministers try to find savings across government departments.

Some of those projects include saving some of Scotland’s rainforests, protecting the country’s red squirrel population, and improving river catchment areas.

Dee Ward, chairman of Scottish Land & Estates (SLE), a membership organisation representing landowners and land managers, described the latest cuts as “a devastating blow” to rural Scotland. He said the decision would put jobs supported by the funding at risk.

In a letter addressed to Deputy First Minister and MSP for Skye and Lochaber Kate Forbes, Mr Ward said: “Land managers across Scotland taking action to tackle climate change and restore biodiversity will be shocked to hear that their jobs - integral to achieving one of the First Minister’s four key priorities - will be put at risk by the £5m cut to the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund.

“Since it was launched in 2021, this fund has been instrumental in providing the finances required to deliver over 164 projects that have delivered benefits for our climate and nature, created jobs, and attracted private finance to boost local economies.

“The cut to the Nature Restoration Fund is the latest in a series of devastating blows to rural Scotland dealt by the Scottish Government. It reinforces the very clear message that has been sent by the Government to everyone who lives and work in our rural communities: In terms of the Scottish Government’s priorities, rural issues lie at the bottom of the pile.

“When cuts need to be made, invariably they seem to come from the rural budget.”

Some of SLE’s members directly funded by the Nature Restoration Fund include Highlands Rewilding’s Beldorney Pond Creation for Biodiversity and Resilience to Climate Change, Tweed Forum, a river trust working on several restoration projects on the River Tweed, and Saving Morvern’s Rainforest, a project that aims to enhance and restore important areas of rainforest on the Morvern peninsula.

SLE’s chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing said: “This decision flies in the face of the First Minister’s priorities to tackle climate change and grow the economy, putting the jobs most intimately involved in protecting and restoring our environment at risk.

“Our members want to do all they can to deliver for people, jobs and nature. We urge the Scottish Government to reconsider these cuts to enable them to achieve this. It may seem small in overall budgetary terms, but it will have a huge impact across rural Scotland.”

In the latest round of funding allocated from the nature fund in April, Colin Galbraith, chairman of the Scottish Government nature agency NatureScot, spoke about how projects benefiting from this pot of money “are helping us to bring about the nature transformation we desperately need to see, but there is much more to be done”.

Mr Galbraith spoke about Scotland facing “an unprecedented nature-climate crisis and how the agency “will continue to work closely with local communities, land managers and partners across Scotland to ensure that they can steer and help achieve this positive and sustained change to benefit people and nature”.

A coalition of environmental groups have since called for an urgent meeting with the Scottish Government about the cuts. The 12 organisations, including some of Scotland’s best-known nature charities, said they were “highly concerned” about the impact this would have.

Organised through Scottish Environment Link, the letter has been sent to acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin. Signatories include the heads of the Royal Zoological Society Scotland (RZSS), RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

RZSS said it was “dismayed” at cuts, adding in a statement: “Our concern is that this could indicate a drop in commitment from the Scottish Government towards nature restoration.”

Elsewhere, concerns have been raised over how the drop in funds will strip the support farmers need to incorporate nature-friendly projects into food production.

The Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFF) said it was “deeply concerned” the cuts would undo some of the environmental work farmers have been working on to help biodiversity with the support of funding.

Ruth Ashton-Shaw, an NFFN Scotland steering group member and a farmer from Dumfries and Galloway, said: "It's crucial that funding for nature restoration isn't redirected. This money should be ring-fenced to safeguard Scotland's environment and support our economy. 

"Our natural landscapes are already under significant pressure. Diverting these funds now will only worsen the situation, leading to long-term consequences that could harm both our environment and agricultural livelihoods.

"We need to invest in projects that protect our biodiversity, restore habitats and combat climate change. I urge the Government to reverse this decision and prioritise the long-term health of our natural resources. Failing to do so puts both our environment and our rural communities at risk."

A spokesperson for NatureScot said while the agency did not have figures on how many jobs the Nature Restoration Fund supports, more than £40m had been awarded through it since its launch in 2021, supporting more than 170 projects.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said while capital funding of £5m from this year’s Nature Restoration Fund had been redirected within local authorities, it would be replaced in future years.

The spokesperson said: “We have been clear that we are taking on significant additional financial pressure to fund the local government pay offer, and the Finance Secretary has been clear that painful choices have had to be made.

“We remain committed to a wide range of actions to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and restore and regenerate it by 2045, including protecting 30 per cent of Scotland’s land and seas for nature by 2030. Protecting and restoring nature will be a key feature in the upcoming Programme for Government.”