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Gullane Beach. © Lizzie Duthie / Fauna & Flora

Gullane Beach. © Lizzie Duthie / Fauna & Flora

Supporting community-based conservation in Scotland

Project

Fauna & Flora is working across Scotland to empower and connect community-based organisations, enabling them to lead local and national conservation efforts.

Our work in Scotland

Fauna & Flora empowers community-based organisations in Scotland, bolsters community conservation action and enables community-led voices to influence national-level policy decisions. One of the major outcomes and successes of Fauna & Flora’s work in Scotland is the Coastal Communities Network (CCN), a group of communities that share learning and experiences and come together to take action and influence decisions.

Watch: how the Coastal Communities Network is supporting community-led action in Scotland

Project goals

We are expanding our work across Scotland by offering bespoke support to communities working on both terrestrial and marine-focused projects. We aim to:

  • Enable community-based organisations to flourish and have a demonstrable impact, by assisting individual groups with bespoke support, mentoring and advice.
  • Facilitate community-led projects and fundraising capabilities by providing a small grants scheme (The Community Support Fund), with associated training, mentoring and grant-writing support.
  • Develop cross-community learning and a common voice by supporting community-based organisations to connect with each other, providing opportunities to share experiences, peer-to-peer learning, and developing common conservation agendas.
  • Continue to support the Coastal Communities Network as it moves towards functional independence, including supporting the development of its governance and operational structures for resilience into the future.
© Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / NaturePL

© Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / NaturePL

Project timeline

    2023

    CCN comprises over 20 community groups.

    Puffin © Digital Nature / Adobe Stock

    Puffin © Digital Nature / Adobe Stock

    2020

    Fauna & Flora begins to support community-based organisations that are focused on terrestrial biodiversity, nature recovery and climate impacts.

    2019

    Fauna & Flora launches the Community Support Fund, a small grants fund for community groups focused on biodiversity conservation projects.
    CCN’s aquaculture forum, consisting of 12 different CCN community groups, is formed and secures representation in government technical working groups. 

    Velvet crab © Martin Prochazkacz / Shutterstock

    Velvet crab © Martin Prochazkacz / Shutterstock

    2017

    With Fauna & Flora support, the Coastal Communities Network emerges as a coalition of community-based organisations who wish to take action together for their marine environment.

    2017

    Fauna & Flora teams up with NatureScot to develop the community-led Marine Biodiversity Monitoring project, which enables communities to access training, share skills and information, and develop shared protocols for monitoring inshore waters.

    2016

    A ‘demonstration & research’ marine protected area is designated in Fair Isle with Fauna & Flora support, after many years of effort from the community.

    © COAST

    © COAST

    2014 - 2015

    Fauna & Flora helps establish new community groups along the west coast, such as the Community Association of Lochs and Sounds (CAOLAS) and Craignish Restoration of Marine and Coastal Habitat (CROMACH).

    2011

    At invitation of the Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST), Fauna & Flora starts to work in Scotland, initially through providing support to COAST in its local conservation work within the waters off the Isle of Arran.

Project partners

Fauna & Flora supports many community-based organisations across Scotland. It also provides direct support to the Coastal Communities Network.

Donors

We are grateful for financial support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, John Ellerman Foundation, Arcadia, Millichope Foundation, Hugh Fraser Foundation, William Grant Foundation, Aurum Charitable Trust, VP PLC, among many others who have supported us over the years.

Resources

Streamlining the Licensing and Permitting Processes for Marine Habitat Restoration in Scotland - Workshop Report

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pdf
1 MB

Harnessing community-led marine conservation in Scotland: A case study

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pdf
3 MB

A Case Study of Demonstration & Research Marine Protected Area development in Scotland

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pdf
2 MB

Marine restoration in Scotland: Defining potential for a shared vision

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pdf
2 MB

Scotland: Giving a global voice to coastal communities

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pdf
240 KB

Fauna & Flora’s Community Support Fund

Barnacles. © Lizzie Duthie / Fauna & Flora

Safeguarding our seas

Urgent action is required to ensure that our oceans – and the remarkable wildlife found within them – can be nurtured back to health and given time to recover.

There is not only a moral imperative to act; our very survival depends on doing so.

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Barnacles. © Lizzie Duthie / Fauna & Flora

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