Community groups, charities, public organisations and more are encouraged to apply.
Grants of between £2000 and £25,000 are now available for nature restoration projects in northwest Scotland. Resources will be distributed through the 2026/27 Highland Nature Fund (NRF) Community Grants Programme.
Now well established, the scheme has so far invested around £1 million in 96 community projects. Wildflower meadow sites have been established, local tree planting has taken place en masse, wetland areas and ponds have been crated and invasive non-native species have been removed, stabilising a number of at-risk habitats.
Approved projects from the 2025/26 tranche include:
- Arisaig Community Trust – Reviving Nature in Arisaig – £17,238
- Aultbea Community Council – Himalayan Balsam Removal in Laide/Aultbea – £7,600
- Balmacara Community Trust – Balmacara Woodland Park Regeneration Project – £13,798
- Beauly Fishery Board – River Beauly: Improving Atlantic salmon smolt survival – £6,263
- Broadford and Strath Community Company – Nature Restoration, Broadford Community Woodland – £8,500
- Broadford and Strath Community Company – Biodiversity Enhancement, Broadford Community Garden – £2,620
- Butterfly Conservation Scotland – Re-establishing a population of Dark Bordered Beauty – £20,164
- Butterfly Conservation Scotland – Restoring Habitats for Priority Lepidoptera in Easter Ross & Sutherland Coastal Landscape – £11,219
- Community Association of Lochs and Sounds – Lochaline Native Oyster Restoration Project – £25,000
- Culduthel Woods Group – Pond Improvement Project – £9,000
- Farmer Jones Academy CIC – Gro For You – Ross-Shire Nature Pond – £7,500
- Friends of Merkinch LNR – Merkinch Warden Programme – £16,650
- Go Flourish – Fungi, Flora, Fauna – North Kessock’s Biodiversity Boost – £14,426
- High Life Highland – Nocturnal Forage Restoration – £5,365
- John Muir Trust – Rainforest Restoration in Britain’s Last Wilderness – £12,315
- Knocknagael Ltd – Creation of a Species Rich Wetland – £7,000
- Knocknagael Ltd – Creation of a Species Rich Meadow – £4,270
- Laide and Aultbea Community Woodland – Newt Pond Restoration – £3,439
- National Trust for Scotland (NTS) – Gleann Leac na Muidhe INNS Eradication Partnership – £16,000
- NICE Nairn – Dune Resilience Project Nairn ( Phase 2 ) – £20,110
- Rogart Development Trust – Restoration of the Mart Site – Wildflower Meadow – £2,177
- Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – Tern Raft Revival – £16,569
- Scotland the Big Picture – Torlundy Wild Connections – £21,480
- Scottish Wildlife Trust – In-Stream River Restoration at Ben Mor Coigach – £11,287
- Speyside Fields for Wildlife – Glenbeg Habitat Restoration – £15,388
- Strathdearn Community Developments – Wildflower Meadows & Orchard Creation in Community Areas – £8,151
- Boleskine House Foundation SCIO – Tree Planting and Wildflower Seed Harvesting – £6,625
- West Sutherland Fisheries Trust – Eels in Loch Assynt – £4,330
- Wick Development Trust – Wick Riverside Biodiversity Improvements – Phase 2 – £9,100
‘Highland communities have shown tremendous enthusiasm and commitment to restoring nature in their local areas, and the Nature Restoration Fund has helped turn many of these ideas into reality. Over the past five years we have seen projects delivered across Highland that are making a real difference for biodiversity while also creating benefits for local communities,’ said Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans.
‘From tree planting and wildflower meadows to wetland restoration and habitat enhancement, these projects are helping to build a healthier and more resilient natural environment,’ he continues. ‘I would encourage eligible groups and organisations to consider applying to the fund and play their part in helping us meet our shared ambitions for nature recovery and tackling the impacts of climate change.’
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