SNH Area News


Grampian Correspondent: Ewen Cameron


Return of the natives


Stories of wildlife in decline may seem commonplace, but it’s still possible to find nuggets of good news. For instance, major projects have allowed red squirrels to make a comeback in and around Aberdeen, and water voles are re-appearing in Formartine, near Ellon. Both animals were previously losing out to invasive non-native species – grey squirrels were replacing reds and American mink were killing off water voles. The water vole project used long-


term research to find an efficient way of trapping mink. Small rafts in rivers were checked for footprints, and the areas with lots of activity determined where to place the mink traps.We can’t eliminate mink, but they’re sufficiently under control for voles to be seen again in the Tarty and Foveran Burns for the first time in over 10 years. The ‘Saving Scotland’s Red


Squirrels’ project in the northeast involves stopping any further spread of grey squirrels across Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire. It requires targeted control to protect the remaining red squirrels that are still hanging on. Thanks to a dedicated project team and public support, we’re now seeing reds returning to some of their original haunts in the city. You can find further details at


www.watervolescotland.org and www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk


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Moving on


In mid-April we locked up our Aberdeen office in Rubislaw Terrace for the last time and moved into the purpose-built Inverdee House in Torry.We share the building with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).


Although it was a bit of a wrench to


leave our ‘home’ of over 30 years, the modern Inverdee House will help us to continue saving energy and lower our carbon footprint. This modern building also gives a better working environment and makes it much easier for colleagues to visit. SEPA and JNCC are key partners


for SNH, and our joint working will become even more efficient now that all three organisations share the same building. Projects that we all work on include development planning; the water framework directive; river catchment management, such as the River Dee Special Area of Conservation; river basin management planning; marine renewables and much more. Having all three organisations in the


same building also gives us a further opportunity to share more ‘back office’ support. As a result, SNH Aberdeen have been able to make another small reduction in staffing. Click on www.inverdeehouse.org.uk/default. aspx for further information.


Helping hands


The last time Grampian featured in these pages, we wrote about projects helped through the Grampian LEADER programme. The good news is that, even with budget cuts, we’re still managing to support some great community projects. Recently, we gave £8,000 to the


Whale & Dolphin Society to kit out their Spey Bay classroom; £15,000 to the Strichen Community Park to buy a new tractor to maintain paths and cut grass; and £1,000 to help a newly formed group of volunteers purchase bat detection equipment. In addition, 2010 is the International


Year of Biodiversity and we wanted to help publicise the fact that it’s not just tigers and polar bears that are important. So, we’ve helped the Scottish Ornithologists Club print their NE Bird Atlas. Eventually, a free copy of the book will be placed in all schools and libraries in Grampian. Most groups to which we grant


aid have one thing in common – they realise that Scotland’s natural world supports our economy and quality of life, and we all have to take responsibility for it. They know that SNH can’t do everything, so they roll up their sleeves and muck in. And for our part, we’re delighted to be able to give them a helping hand.


The Nature of Scotland


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