Highland Council work to enhance biodiversity

Highland Council is embracing the climate change agenda by increasing the amount of set aside and wildlife corridors across the area.

In 2019, the local authority declared a climate and ecological emergency and has committed to being low carbon by 2025.

One way the council says it can do its part and locally address the global climate and ecological emergency is to reduce both the areas being mown, and the frequency of cutting, increasing biodiversity, crucially in urban areas where it is often low, and is great for habitat creation, as well as absorbing more carbon in these areas and reducing the carbon emitted in managing the greenspaces.

The benefits to pollinators, such as bees and butterflies, are evident, but the knock-on impacts to other species of plants, insects, birds and mammals are just as important.

Providing spaces for more species to thrive can make communities more biodiverse and enjoyable places to live, with cleaner greenspaces.

Interpretation information will be available on the council website and signs will be placed at locations which are not being cut to help to identify the flora and fauna benefits of the areas – an approach being followed by many other councils to explain to the public that land is being left uncut for biodiversity reasons.

Other ways in which the council will reduce emissions will be by only cutting paths through larger greenspaces, reducing verge cutting and creating wildflower or wildlife corridors between some green spaces.

The council is also encouraging people to be responsible citizens when out and about in our greenspaces and asks that you please take litter home with you or use bins provided.

The council will be encouraging community food growing initiatives in some of the areas set aside. If you are interested in learning more about this please email communityfoodgrowing@highland.gov.uk. air and thriving