The Inner Forth Landscape Initiative
David Anderson
Inner Forth Futurescapes Officer
RSPB Scotland
Talk outline
• Why the Inner Forth
• The Inner Forth Landscape
Initiative
• Protecting the Natural Heritage of
the Inner Forth
A Special Place for Wildlife
A Special Place for People
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Industrial Heritage
Cultural Heritage
Agriculture
Development
Pressures
• Land claim
• Development
• Climate change
Working Together
• Everything is linked
• Wildlife cannot be
protected in isolation
• Need to think on a
landscape scale
• We need to work in
partnership
The Inner Forth Landscape Initiative
Our vision is to...
• Turn perceptions of the Inner Forth around and
rekindle local pride,
• Connect disparate habitats to create a
landscape flourishing with wildlife,
• Conserve, enhance and celebrate the Inner
Forth’s natural, cultural and built heritage,
• Create opportunities and support people to
enjoy, explore and take action to look after their
landscape,
A dynamic, changing landscape
(past, present & future)
Reconnecting people back to the Forth
So far we have.....
• Built a partnership
• Stage 1 HLF Landscape Partnership Bid
• Initial research and community engagement
• HLF Stage 1 pass for £1.9m – 50% of costs
Development Stage: 2012-2013
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Community & stakeholder engagement;
Identify, design and select detailed projects;
Feasibility and project scoping studies;
Secure match funding for project delivery;
Prepare Landscape Conservation Action Plan
& submit Stage 2 bid to HLF;
Inner Forth Landscape Initiative Project Management Structure
•Landscape Initiative Programme Board – Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) - Chair, RSPB, Falkirk
Council, Stirling Council, Historic Scotland, Central Scotland Forest Trust (CSFT), Sustrans
Landscape Initiative Project
Team:
•Programme Manager
•Community & Projects
Officer
•Administrator (0.5FTE)
Sponsoring Group
Landscape Initiative Steering Group – RSPB (Chair), Falkirk Council, Stirling Council,
Clackmannanshire Council, Historic Scotland, SNH, CSFT, TCV, Sustrans, SEPA
Working Groups
Natural Heritage
•Identify needs and
opportunities for
restoring / conserving
natural heritage features
of the Landscape
•Design and coordinate
Development Year
studies to inform project
development
Membership:
RSPB (Lead), SNH,
SEPA, CSFT, Butterfly
Conservation, Buglife,
SWT, Falkirk, Fife ,
Stirling, Clacks Councils,
TCV
Cultural Heritage
•Identify needs,
opportunities and key
themes to conserve and
celebrate the (tangible and
intangible) cultural
heritage of the area
•Design and coordinate
Condition Surveys of
potential projects sites
Membership:
Historic Scotland (Lead),
Falkirk Council,
Clackmannanshire
Council, Stirling Council,
Fife Council, Archaeology
Scotland, Local heritage
groups
Audience Development /
Community Engagement
•Oversee community
engagement activities and
coordinate with other
community engagement
activities in the landscape
•Identify approaches to
enhance community
participation and learning
opportunities
•Oversee preparation of
Learning and
Interpretation Plan
Membership:
RSPB, TCV, HS, SNH,
CSFT, local authorities,
Access
•Identify needs and
opportunities to improve
physical access
•Design and coordinate
access audits, projects
and strategies to
encourage active use of
landscape
Membership:
Sustrans (Lead), Falkirk
Council,
Clackmannanshire
Council, Stirling Council,
SNH, CSFT, Paths for All
Skills and Training
•Identify needs and
opportunities to increase
heritage skills through
training
•Develop training plan
Membership:
CSFT, TCV, Falkirk
Council, Historic Scotland,
Clackmannanshire
Council
Funding Network
•to identify match
funding opportunities for
the Delivery Phase
•To agree how partners
can work together to
their respective
advantages to secure
match funding
•To encourage
cooperation and reduce
competition over limited
funding
Membership:
RSPB, SNH, Falkirk
Council, Clacks Council,
Stirling Council, CSFT,
Forth Valley LEADER
Natural Heritage Working Group
• Identified our habitat
priorities
– Wetlands
– Industrial
– Farmland and estates
• Phase 1 study
• Woodland and designed
landscape study
Conserving and Enhancing Natural
Heritage
• Inner Forth Wetland Network
• Habitat Stepping Stones
Conserving and Enhancing Natural
Heritage
• Restoring Natural
Features
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Managing and
Restoring designed
landscapes
The Next Steps
Delivery: 2014-2018