This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New home for threatened newt
21/07/2005
Deputy Environment Minister Rhona Brankin today visited
a conservation project in East Dunbartonshire which is
creating nine new ponds habitats in a bid to encourage the
Great Crested Newt population to expand.
There are currently fewer than one thousand of the
amphibians in Scotland's pond and terrestrial habitats.
Visiting a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation where
one of the pondscapes is being created, Ms Brankin
said:
"The protection and conservation of the Great Crested
Newt highlights the work we need to do to sustain the rich
biodiversity in and around Scotland's ponds.
"I am delighted to see money from the Scottish
Executive's Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme being well
spent in this initiative which will protect this valuable
and threatened habitat.
"We are committed to safeguarding habitats so that the
rich and varied wildlife they support can continue to
thrive in Scotland."
- The Great Crested Newt Project is run The Clyde
Amphibian and Reptile Group with assistance from East
Dunbartonshire.
- The Scottish Executive's
Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme (BAGS) has awarded
the project 8,520 pounds for 2004/05 and 11,000 pounds
for 2005/06.
- BAGS supports and encourages
projects that benefit local and national biodiversity
and help implement the new Scottish Biodiversity
Strategy.
- In 2004-05, 33 Community Groups
and Enivronmental Organisations were awarded in excess
of 270, 000 pounds under the scheme and a further 31
projects will receive a total of 301,000 pounds this
year.