Restoration Forth

2021-2024

The ScottishPower Foundation launched the new Marine Biodiversity Fund in 2021 which will award up to 600K over the next three years to the ‘Restoration Forth’ project in the Firth of Forth.

The first award from the fund – and the biggest-ever grant provided by the ScottishPower Foundation – ‘Restoration Forth’ is managed by leading independent conservation organisation WWF in partnership with scientists, charities and local community groups. They are working together to design a blueprint to restore and sustainably manage seagrass and oyster habitats for a thriving Firth of Forth.

In the first year of the project, stakeholder consultation took place alongside baseline research to assess the suitability of potential habitats.

In year two, one hectare of seagrass and 10,000 oysters will be re-distributed in the Forth, while a community skills programme will be rolled out through local schools and community workshops.

By the end of the third year, it is hoped that four hectares of seagrass meadow – equivalent to over seven football pitches – will have been restored. This would mean that, by 2030, at least 42 hectares of critical coastal habitat will have been restored in the Firth of Forth and Restoration Forth will provide the blueprint for further marine restoration efforts across Scotland and around the UK.

Follow the progress of the project as it gets underway here on our webpage or on social media.