Funding approved for innovative new natural capital project

A project aimed at developing a more ecologically sustainable approach to hill farming, and which will help conserve the vulnerable Northern Brown Argus butterfly, will start work shortly.

The Species-Rich Grassland project, part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal Natural Capital Scotland programme, has had funding approval from the Borderlands Partnership Board.

The project will support and promote the rural economy and sustainable land management. It will focus on species-rich grassland and the conservation of the Northern Brown Argus (NBA) butterfly in the Scottish Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway over the next six years. National charity Butterfly Conservation will trial a host of experimental techniques at farms, using the butterfly as a flagship for the protection and creation of flower-rich grassland in the region’s hills.

The project aims to be an exemplar in the UK in the development of new and innovative clean growth rural land management practices and make farm businesses more financially viable by making the most of the region’s natural capital.

The work is part of the wider Borderlands Natural Capital Scotland Programme. The programme is made up of six pilot projects aimed at supporting new, innovative ways of working with the environment, economic development, and land use planning and management. The Programme is funded by Scottish Government and UK Government and is part of the wider Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.

Cllr Euan Jardine, Leader of Scottish Borders Council and Borderlands Partnership co-chair, said:

“This project is the first to start delivery in our Natural Capital Scotland programme. It is an innovative project looking at how to develop and harness the benefits of the natural capital of our region, working closely with farmers to improve their land while also increasing the bio-diversity and improving the natural capital of the Borderlands region.”

Butterfly Conservation’s Head of Conservation for Scotland Dr Tom Prescott said:

"This is a hugely exciting project for us: with this funding we can employ a dedicated project officer to work with farmers to maintain and enhance habitat for rare butterflies and other wildlife .

"One of the reasons that people love this part of Scotland is that so much of the land is still managed in traditional ways that benefit wildlife, so if we can prove that landowners can maintain and restore important habitats then it preserves that Borders magic for visitors and the people and wildlife that live here."

Butterfly Conservation's project focuses on an endangered butterfly - the Northern Brown Argus. This delicate orange-and-brown insect used to be much more widespread, but its UK distribution plummeted 56 per cent between 1990 and 2018.

Northern Brown Argus butterfly by Jim Asher

This is largely because the Northern Brown Argus caterpillars only eat one plant - the Common Rock Rose - and this is usually only found in species-rich grassland of which some 90% has been lost in the UK in the past century.

Natural capital can include small scale conservation to multi-million pound investment funds and is increasingly important in understanding and valuing the relationship between the environment and the economy.

The Scottish Government defines natural capital as the environmental resources (e.g. plants, animals, air, water, soils) that combine to present a flow of benefits.

These benefits can be ‘use values’, such as timber, freshwater or outdoor recreation; or ‘non-use values’, such as the value people place on the existence of particular habitats or species. Natural capital forms a part of our natural wealth, alongside traditional assets such as infrastructure, skills and technology.

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Notes for editors

Borderlands Partnership

The Borderlands Partnership exists to unlock the potential for sustainable and inclusive economic growth across the South of Scotland and North of England and is made up of Cumberland Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Northumberland County Council, Scottish Borders Council, and Westmorland and Furness Council.

Butterfly Conservation is the UK charity dedicated to saving butterflies, moths and our environment. Our research provides advice on how to conserve and restore habitats. We run projects to protect more than 100 threatened species and we are involved in conserving hundreds of sites and reserves. www.butterfly-conservation.org   @savebutterflies

For further information, images or interviews please contact the Butterfly Conservation Comms Office on 01929 406005, or email news@butterfly-conservation.org