Hello from a very sunny and warm Skinflats (I have worked in this office for nine months now and that is the first time I have been able to say that!). The good weather means it is the perfect time to get out and about, and what better way to spend a morning than experiencing some of the fantastic wildlife that can be found in our Futurescapes? Well that is exactly what Derek Mackay MSP did on Tuesday morning when he visited the Inner Forth to find out more about the project. Zoe Clelland, the Senior Conservation Officer for south and west Scotland, was guide for the day, and here explains what the visit was all about;
On Wednesday morning we were delighted to welcome a new birdwatcher to the Inner Forth – Derek Mackay MSP, Minister for Local Government and Planning.
The Inner Forth Futurescape has been recognised as a really important part of delivering the Central Scotland Green Network - an initiative that aims to improve the environment of Central Scotland for people and for wildlife. The CSGN was recognised as nationally important in Scottish Government’s second national planning framework, NPF2, and as part of the consultation process for its successor (NPF3) Mr Mackay was keen to come and see the Futurescape for himself.
With the sun shining we had a fantastic view over the area from Clackmannanshire Tower - it’s a great place to see the scale of the ambition and also appreciate just how important the Inner Forth is for industry and for agriculture as well as for wildlife. It was great to hear the Minister recognise just how important it is to preserve important areas for wildlife and to deliver a high quality environment as part of a prosperous Scotland.
Having promised some birdwatching as part of the trip we headed off to Kinneil Lagoons to see a site that we will be working at in partnership with Falkirk Council. Kinneil is an excellent place to get a view over the mudflats that make the estuary so special for birds and Robert Coleman our Area Reserves Manager for the area was able to introduce Mr Mackay to a few of them, including getting some nice views of shelduck and curlew.
We’re really pleased that there is growing recognition of just how important it is to protect and enhance Scotland’s natural assets – its wildlife and high quality environment - as well as economic ones. If you want to make sure Scottish Government gives the CSGN the status it deserves in NPF3 then you can respond to the consultation here.
Hosting a visit like this is always a good reminder of two things. Firstly that the Inner Forth is right there in the centre of things – its easy to reach from Edinburgh and Glasgow and its exciting that the sites we will be working on with our partners over the next few years will be accessible to so many people. And secondly, that when we take people on a visit like this, the Inner Forth never fails to surprise people with its wildlife and history in a good way! Enhancing this interest and revealing it to even more people over the next few years is something I’m really looking forward to.