Isle of Gigha Ranger Service have received £248,000 to carry out the Protecting Gigha’s Woodlands Project to help nature thrive and recover.
The landscape project will eliminate 21 hectares of invasive non-native species: rhododendron ponticum, skunk cabbage and Himalayan balsam, which are dominating and threatening much of Gigha’s landscape and existing woodlands.
The project will also see near to 3,000m of hedgerows planted to increase tree cover and provide greater structure by connecting pockets of isolated woodland and naturally regenerating areas.
It will also provide hedgerow habitat that over half the UK’s priority species make use of for travel, nesting and foraging.
Commenting on the funding on their Facebook page, a Gigha Ranger Service spokesperson said: “We want to say a massive thank you to NatureScot and the Nature Restoration Fund for supporting our project on this small island,
“It’s fantastic to receive such amazing support to help our landscape thrive, and support our community at the same time.”
Highlands and Islands MSP Ariane Burgess has also praised the nature restoration projects which are also taking place on Luing and Scarba.
The Green MSP highlighted how these projects are key to rebuilding Scotland’s nature, which in turn can slow or even reverse climate change.
Speaking in a debate in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Burgess said: “A great deal of the work on the ground, to meet our climate targets, will take place in the Highlands and Islands.
“The Highlands and Islands have the land and the nature that is pivotal in this national effort. So we need to welcome and accommodate more people in the region, to deliver more and more projects like these.
“That’s why affordable rural housing is crucial. We need housing for workers, and long-term homes to support stable, growing communities.”
The Turning the Tide project across Luing and Scarba will create and restore woodland, habitat corridors and wetland on both islands, led by cattle farmers the Cadzow Brothers.
Both projects are supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, established by Green Minister Lorna Slater.