From NatureScot: A trailblazing marine environment fund – designed to help ensure Scotland’s coasts and seas are healthy, productive and nature-rich – is already having a great impact, after its first two years saw over £3.2m in funding distributed to 45 projects.

Examples of the projects funded around Scotland include improving the ability to rescue stranded marine mammals, using cutting-edge technology to track the health of the marine environment, restoring sand dunes, and improving seagrass beds.

The Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF) has so far distributed nearly £3.3m, with £2.9m coming from the Nature Restoration Fund, along with almost £400,000 from private finance (led by the offshore wind industry). It is a new financial tool designed to help bridge the green finance gap for Scotland’s marine and coastal environments. The Fund enables sectors that use Scottish waters, such as aquaculture, fishing, energy and shipping, to voluntarily contribute to the health and biodiversity of Scotland’s seas by creating a grant pot. This is then distributed to marine nature enhancement projects across the country.

Photo by Nils Leonhardt

Under the scheme, £33,889 was granted to British Divers Marine Life Rescue for a mobile command and control centre to assist stranded marine animals.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) received over £101,087 to purchase new survey equipment for their sailing vessel, such as hydrophones, acoustic recorders, navigation equipment and cameras.

Examples of other projects funded include £68,897 to the St Andrews Link Trust to support work to recharge and strengthen the dune system to protect against storm floods; £256,852 to the Glasgow Science Centre to create a unique floating reed bed system in the Canting Basin in the Clyde; and £57,188 to WWF Scotland to increase capacity for seagrass restoration.

Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan said: “SMEEF is a prime example of effective cooperative action between the public and private sector, backed by responsible, value-led investment contributing towards the shared goal of protecting and enhancing our natural environment”

Sarah Brown, SMEEF Project Manager, added: “It’s wonderful to see all these creative and vital projects coming to life, supported with this innovative new type of funding. Our future depends on tackling the nature and climate change crises and our coasts and seas are so important in that fight”

SMEEF is hosted by NatureScot, and managed jointly with core funders, Scottish Government Marine Directorate and Crown Estate Scotland.

For more information and a full list of the projects which have been awarded funding to date, see the SMEEF Impact Report.

For more information on SMEEF, including how to make a donation or apply for grant funding, see the SMEEF website.