South of Scotland Enterprise confirms funding for UNESCO Biosphere

The Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere (GSAB) Partnership has welcomed a new funding package from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE).

The award will support the GSAB Partnership to deliver new pilot projects that contribute to the goals of the Scottish Government’s net zero and biodiversity strategies and give practical effect to the region’s inclusion in the South of Scotland’s new Natural Capital Innovation Zone, and to the ambitions set out in preparing the new Regional Land Use Framework. It will also help the organisation to continue its programme of community and sustainable business development, which includes the Biosphere Certification Mark and Biosphere Communities schemes, Carbon Literacy training, and youth education on climate change.

In addition to SOSE’s support the GSAB Partnership receives core funding from Dumfries & Galloway, South Ayrshire and East Ayrshire Councils and as a registered Scottish charity also raises funds from grants, donations and legacies. A previous funding award from SOSE in 2020 enabled the GSAB Partnership to raise the area’s profile through initiatives such as the Heart of the Biosphere documentary film and Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear, the social enterprise which has appeared on BBC’s The One Show and featured in VisitScotland’s most recent winter marketing campaign.

Among the projects moving forward will be the GSAB Partnership’s project to help farmers to assess the natural capital on their farms, a significant element of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal which aims to attract new investment in the South of Scotland. The funding package will also boost efforts to restore nature at a landscape scale, including through the Solway Coast & Marine Project (SCAMP) and Nith catchment ‘Summit to Sea’ initiative. Among the GSAB Partnership’s new biodiversity projects launching this year will be red squirrel conservation in Ayrshire, and the charity will continue to host the D&G Climate Hub, one of Scottish Government’s network of regional hubs supporting community-led action on climate change.

With the wider geographical boundary approved by UNESCO as part of its ten yearly review in 2023, Galloway and Southern Ayrshire is the largest of the UK’s seven UNESCO Biospheres and the SOSE funding award recognises the value of this designation in facilitating national and international networking and research. The new award aims for the UNESCO Biosphere to be an “incubator” of high impact projects that have collective benefits region-wide, raising the profile of the South of Scotland through modelling strategic partnerships and long-term resilience.

John Thomson, Chair of the GSAB Partnership’s board of trustees, said: “The funding we are acknowledging today will help to power the UNESCO Biosphere through a critical time. We recognise the tight budgetary constraints currently facing both the public and third sectors and against that background are greatly encouraged that South of Scotland Enterprise continues to recognise through its funding support the diverse benefits that UNESCO designation and the GSAB Partnership’s activities bring to the region. Beyond funding, SOSE has championed the UNESCO Biosphere as a driver of investment in South Scotland through sustainable business and tourism, and as a key protection for the natural and cultural heritage on which this depends.”

Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to be one of the funders supporting the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, a proven asset for the region and one with huge potential still to be explored. We are particularly excited for the next phase of the Biosphere’s work in Net Zero and nature recovery as part of Scotland’s Natural Capital Innovation Zone, which brings such immense scope for progress not only in policy and strategy but for grassroots action through which the whole of the South can truly thrive.”

Ed Forrest, Director of the GSA UNESCO Biosphere, said: “The support of SOSE both as a funder and as partner in the development and delivery of shared objectives within the UNESCO Biosphere will be transformative in empowering our delivery programme, particularly with the renewed focus on natural capital and nature recovery. The value of working in partnership with the public sector, businesses, landowners and communities is integral to achieving success in our pursuit of a better future for people and nature in our UNESCO Biosphere.”

More information about the GSAB Partnership and the Galloway & Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere is available at www.gsabiosphere.org.uk. or by email request to info@gsabiosphere.org.uk.