Awards of between £5,000 and £20,000 are being offered to successful NGO or community-led projects which will help to plan for the future management of nature sites in a low-impact and sustainable way, improving the experience for both visitors and local communities.

The closing date for applications is Friday 29 January 2021

The NatureScot Better Places Green Recovery Fund will support projects in the preliminary stages of visitor management planning, such as scoping local interests and issues, further development or review of existing plans, and feasibility and design work for infrastructure solutions. Areas which suffer from excessive visitor management pressures will be prioritised. Projects should be completed by 31 March 2021.

NatureScot is committed to helping everyone to be able to enjoy Scotland’s outdoors and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code is designed to help us do this safely and responsibly. NatureScot CEO, Francesca Osowska said:

“This pandemic has affected all of us and for many nature has proved to be a big comfort – literally a breath of fresh air. We expect large numbers of people to be visiting Scotland’s outdoors again in 2021, to enjoy green spaces in our towns and cities as well as our world-renowned countryside. Investing in nature, including in visitor management, is a key part of a green recovery: providing jobs; addressing nature loss; and tackling climate change. Our Better Places Green Recovery Fund will help us to identify where and how to prioritise future investment in visitor infrastructure, and the skills needed to build and maintain improvements so that we can all access and enjoy nature easily and safely."

Apply here