Press Release
£73,000 FOR SCOTTISH COASTAL PROJECTS FROM THE CROWN ESTATE
3 March 2008
Projects and schemes run for the benefit of coastal communities all around Scotland will share over £73,000 in funding from The Crown Estate’s programme of marine stewardship.
The projects receiving support are:
- The Fishing for Litter Initiative by KIMO UK receives £10,000. We have funded this project for the last three years and are delighted to be able to continue our support. The project to date has delivered a network of fifteen harbours with over 100 fishing vessels registering to participate in the scheme by which they collect litter at sea and bring it ashore for disposal.
- £9,000 will go to the Moray Firth Partnership for a project that will provide an overview of the current resources and uses of the Moray Firth. Information will be gleaned from strategic development plans, population data, et cetera, to help understand the pressures on specific areas and species. Management opportunities will be reviewed with regard to safeguarding marine protected areas and areas of high marine biodiversity value. The project will also draw on best practice principles from other areas and consider how these could be extended to address recreational pressures and create sustainable coastal communities.
- The Firth of Clyde Forum will receive £9,000 aimed at contributing towards the Clyde pilot of the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative which supports the delivery of integrated and sustainable management of the marine and coastal areas of the Firth of Clyde. Funding will also cover the Clyde Area Management Group which supports the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
- St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve receive £30,000 for a project that will concentrate on three main objectives: conservation, raising awareness and community involvement. Particular emphasis will be on maintaining key habitats and species in favourable conservation status, strategic partnership working, and raising awareness of marine wildlife and its conservation.
- £3,000 will go to Ness Development Centre for a project that will provide a means of disseminating information to harbour users at Port of Ness Harbour in order to enhance safety and encourage more to use the facility. There will be provision of signage with regard to a code of conduct for harbour users and interpretive materials that will raise awareness of the harbour, its environment, natural history, history, et cetera.
- Scottish Natural Heritage’s Tern Conservation project in Tayside will receive £2,000. This funding will provide 24 hour wardening on the foreshore of Montrose Beach to protect a colony of Schedule 1 little terns during May-September 2008. The team of wardens will protect the terns from disturbance and also engage with members of the public explaining the conservation / biodiversity interests and the link between the foreshore and ecology of the terns.
- Moorings Association of Chanonry Sailing Club will receive £10,000 for Fortrose Bay Trot Moorings project. This project aims to improve the environmental management and stewardship of Fortrose Bay in the Inverness Firth by installing a trot mooring system which will provide mooring facilities for existing local demand, anticipated growth in demand, and visiting yachts.
The grants have been made from the latest round of awards from The Crown Estate’s marine communities fund, part of the organisation’s programme of marine stewardship.
Dr Carolyn Heeps, Head of Policy, Science and Sustainable Development for the Marine Estate at The Crown Estate, said: “The aim of our marine communities fund is to provide support to initiatives and programmes which contribute to the development of best practice and make a significant contribution to the good management and stewardship of the marine estate.
“We were really pleased with the number and quality of projects that applied to the fund and the panel had a challenging time in assessing the applications and deciding on the successful projects. We now look forward to seeing the completion of the projects, each of which we believe will bring real benefits and enjoyment to the coastal communities where they are based.”
With around 55% of the foreshore, approximately half of all estuary beds and tidal rivers out to the 12 mile territorial limit, the marine estate is the largest and most diverse within The Crown Estate. The Crown Estate is committed to sustainable and long-term management of these unique assets.
The Crown Estate’s dedicated programme of marine stewardship helps deliver these aims and is a core element of the organisation’s corporate responsibility plan.
In addition to the marine communities fund, The Crown Estate’s programme of marine stewardship also supports marine research delivering well managed, high quality research projects that provide scientific evidence to support business planning and the management of current and future offshore assets and the seabed.
The deadline for applications for the next funding round for marine communities fund projects is Thursday 8 May 2008. We can receive project applications any time before the deadline. If you would like any further information about the application process and to download application forms please visit our marine stewardship page.
Please note that the following deadline for applications will be in October 2008.
If you would like further information about the application process, or to download application forms, please visit:
Further Information
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