£10,000 boost for Fife Nature to help with records on wildlife checks in Kingdom

It came from NatureScot for the coming year and will help it continue to bring together information on wildlife and also support those who gather and check these records. These data holdings can then be used in lots of ways, including to support conservation.

Fife Nature is part of Fife Council and is the Local Environmental Records Centre for the area.

Lindsay Bamforth, information officer, said: "Funding last year helped us develop an online wildlife recording for beginners talk, which was a real success. This is something we’d like to rerun. If anyone's interested in joining us online for an hour or so, please get in touch. Records from the public, even of common species, are very important – come along to hear how to get started.”

Fife Nature is also one of the core partners of the Better Biodiversity Data (BBD) project. It is developing a strategic approach to biological data matters across Scotland. The project is led by the NBN Trust and funded by NatureScot and the Scottish Government.

Councillor Jan Wincott Fife Council’s spokesperson for the environment said: “Fife Nature is an asset for the area. Its work building the knowledge-base is important and it supports local decision-making. It also has a vital role contributing to strategic discussions.”

Ben Ross, NatureScot’s Head of Protected Areas, Innovation and Data, said: “The more we know about the nature and wildlife of an area, the better able we are to conserve it. Fife Nature plays a vital role to provide the best information possible on habitats and species in the area, which in turn will support policies that protect and restore nature and help tackle the climate emergency.”