WATCH: Boat of Garten's osprey centre flying high thanks to EU funding
Two highly popular wildlife attractions in the strath were amongst the biggest recipients from a one-off EU cashpot which has now come to an end because of Brexit.
The RSPB Osprey Centre at Loch Garten was given a grant of £252,004 from the Natural & Cultural Heritage Fund (NCHF) to improve its facilities.
The upgrades were needed to help cater for more visitors who flocked to the attraction after it appeared in the BBC's Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch programmes in 2019.
Meanwhile Scotland’s Wildlife Discovery Centre which will open its doors in spring 2024 at the Highland Wildlife Park by Kincraig received £1.2m.
The charity's Loch Garten Osprey Centre by Boat of Garten was reconfigured to increase its capacity without extending the footprint of the building.
These improvements provide enhanced views of wildlife and the Caledonian forest.
Natural light and solar heat has also enabled the current opening season to be extended from five months to eight months each year.
The total cost of the improvements was £360,005.
Most of the project was funded with support from the NCHF who provided grants for 13 developments around the Highlands and Islands.
These projects were chosen by an advisory board for their focus on the landscape, wildlife, or culture of the region.
Other recipients included new visitor centres at Dundreggan and Corrieshalloch Gorge, museum renovations at Kilmartin and Strathnaver, grassland restoration on the Isle of Skye, and the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project.
At an event at NatureScot headquarters at Great Glen House in Inverness earlier this week, speakers reviewed the aims of the projects and how they could impact tourism and jobs, as well as supporting Gaelic culture.
NatureScot’s deputy director Eileen Stuart said: “The NCHF programme has been a resounding success.
"It’s been a wonderful journey seeing these 13 projects come to life, bringing sometimes overlooked corners of Scotland to the forefront and benefitting rural communities.
“With its breath-taking scenery, the Highlands and Islands have always drawn people from far and wide, and these projects open the window even wider to the area’s fascinating nature, culture, and history.”
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The projects also aimed to help retain local jobs and services. VisitScotland Destination Development Director, Chris Taylor, discussed the potential impact on local tourism.
He said: “Investing in infrastructure projects such as these creates a long lasting legacy of high-quality visitor experiences in the Highlands and Islands.
“Investment in 13 projects - spread geographically across the Highlands and islands – is an amazing achievement and really brings our unique nature, scenery and culture to the fore.
“VisitScotland welcomed the opportunity to be part of the project board, which has helped shape £22m of new investment in the visitor economy.
“The knock-on visitor economy benefits from these projects will be huge – employment, supply chain, local businesses, food, transport will all get a boost.”
The overall funding for all 13 projects adds up to more than £22m with provisions from various sources — including The Scottish Government’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme.
The NCHF was led by NatureScot, and funded by ERDF and was a single round of applications in 2019, with decisions made to award these 13 projects taken that year.
Each project started at a different time but in accordance with their project plans – with adaptations due to Covid – will finish this year
A NatureScot spokeswoman said: "We are not eligible to apply to subsequent programmes because the UK is no longer a member of the EU.
"Instead, the UK government made domestic funding available to local authorities through the Levelling Up and Shared Prosperity Funds."
For more information on how the funding changed the RSPB Osprey Centre at Loch Garten, visit here.
The other big local winner
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will open its new Scotland’s Wildlife Discovery Centre in spring 2024, showcasing the richness and diversity of Scotland’s native wildlife and its place in the world.
The centre, at the Highland Wildlife Park, will become a gateway to the landscape and wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park. For more details click here.
More about the cashpot
The Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund was used to encourage people to visit some of the more remote and rural areas and create and sustain jobs, businesses and services in local communities.
The purpose of the fund was to promote and develop the outstanding natural and cultural heritage of the Highlands and Islands in a way that conserves and protects them.
