Park Authority to invest £8m this year in delivering for people, communities and nature in the Cairngorms National Park
22nd March 2024
The Cairngorms National Park Authority is set to invest more than £8million over the coming 12 months with spending targeted at projects that help local communities, nature and climate in line with the National Park Partnership Plan.
The board of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, meeting in Grantown-on-Spey this morning (Friday 22 March,) approved the organisation’s budget and operational plan for 2024/25.
The Park Authority receives core funding of around £9million from Scottish Government with additional finance for the likes of peatland and nature restoration programmes. However, it’s the Park Authority’s ability to lever in crucially important funds from other sources that enables it to deliver and support a broad range of projects.
Sandy Bremner, Convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority board welcomed the budget proposals. He said: “The Park Authority delivers across a huge range of projects, from community action plans and access infrastructure to deer and water management. This funding, along with the other sources we can access, will make a real difference for the people who live and work in the National Park.”
Grant Moir, the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s Chief Executive explained: “The operational plan covers a huge range of investment by the Park Authority in the National Park, along with our continued efforts to secure significant leverage in inward investment to the area. The operational spend supports jobs and investment across the National Park such as, peatland contractors, catchment partnerships, community organisations, business support, farmers and many others.”
Areas of work that will be delivered over the coming year include:
- Further investment in tackling the climate emergency through nature based solutions such as woodland expansion, peatland restoration and river catchment restoration projects.
- The introduction of a Climate Adaptation Fund which will be open to individual businesses, community organisations, charities, etc.
- The delivery of an Integrated Wildfire Management Plan for the Park.
- Nature friendly farming initiatives that support waders, species rich grassland, mob grazing, goose management, etc.
- Projects that support active travel including Cycle Friendly Cairngorms and incentives that will help change travel behaviours as well as continued investment in access infrastructure.
- The Park Authority is also looking to set up a cultural heritage network for the Park.
- Projects that support the health and wellbeing of the Park’s residents and visitors.
“A great deal of what we deliver in the coming years will come under the banner of Cairngorms 2030, our programme of 20 long-term projects, supported by £10.7million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund,” said Grant.
“The programme brings together 70 organisations to deliver projects spanning nature restoration, active travel and sustainable transport, community development and health and wellbeing. Together, they will help the Cairngorms become the UK’s first net zero national park.”