Maintain and seek to increase investment in nature restoration through our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund.
Objective 5: Invest in nature
Priority Action 24. Drive increased investment in Biodiversity and Nature Restoration.
The Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) has been established and is being delivered by the Scottish Government, with a total commitment of £65 million to support nature restoration projects across Scotland.
Scottish Government publications confirm that the fund is actively distributing grants to projects focused on habitat restoration, species recovery, and ecosystem resilience, delivered through local authorities and partner organisations. However, there is no single consolidated published evidence source confirming total spend to date or demonstrating any increase beyond the original £65 million commitment.
Funding rounds and project awards continue, indicating ongoing investment activity, but published reporting does not yet provide a complete assessment of cumulative delivery or alignment with long-term restoration outcomes.
LINK recognises the Nature Restoration Fund as an important delivery mechanism for nature recovery in Scotland, while consistently highlighting that current levels of restoration funding remain insufficient relative to the scale of biodiversity loss, and that long-term impact depends on sustained and scaled investment alongside landscape-level coordination.
The Nature Restoration Fund supports direct, on-the-ground restoration activity, including habitat restoration, biodiversity enhancement, and local ecosystem projects, which are widely supported by ecological evidence as effective interventions for improving ecosystem condition and supporting species recovery.
Scottish Government materials confirm funded activities include peatland restoration, woodland creation, wetland restoration, and urban nature projects, all of which contribute to biodiversity recovery at local and regional scales.
However, ecological outcomes depend on scale, targeting, and long-term monitoring of funded interventions. While ScotLINK and wider NGO evidence recognise the fund as a key mechanism for delivery, they also emphasise that achieving meaningful biodiversity recovery requires sustained investment at a level significantly beyond current funding envelopes.
As a result, ecological impact is evidenced at project level, but system-wide ecological improvement has not yet been demonstrated or quantified.
Scottish Government – Nature Restoration Fund
NatureScot – Habitat restoration and biodiversity management
Scottish Environment LINK Blog – Who is going to pay for nature restoration?
Develop the targeting of peatland restoration for cost-effective delivery (i.e. identifying priority restoration projects) including for greater private investment in peatland restoration.
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