Scottish Rural Development Programme
The Scottish Government’s Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) funds a range of economic, environmental and social measures for the benefit of rural Scotland.
The National Park Authority helps land-based businesses with SRDP by:
- proactively advising land managers on their options under SRDP through our Integrated Land Management Plans;
- proactively assisting land managers to apply to SRDP where the business is well-positioned to deliver on National Park priorities.
To deliver conservation and land use projects that have significant impacts at a landscape scale or to individual businesses, the National Park Authority rely on the Scottish Government’s nationally available Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). In summary, the SRDP funds a range of economic, environmental and social measures for the benefit of rural Scotland. The Scottish Government’s priorities for the SRDP 2014-2020 are:
- Enhancing the Rural Economy
- Supporting Agricultural & Forestry Businesses
- Protecting & Improving the Natural Environment
- Addressing the Impact of Climate Change
- Supporting Rural Communities
The main National Park priorities that can be delivered through SRDP are to tackle the key environmental threats identified in Wild Park:
- Climate change pressures
- Invasive non-native species
- Unsustainable grazing impacts
- Poor quality of lochs and rivers.
The four SRDP 2014-2020 schemes most relevant to delivery of these Park priorities are:
- Agri-Environment Climate Scheme – promotes land management practices which protect and enhance Scotland’s natural heritage, improve water quality, manage flood risk, mitigate and adapt to climate change, improve public access and preserve historic sites;
- Forestry Grant Scheme – promotes forestry practices which reduce the impacts of climate change, provide timber for industry, enhance and protect the environment and provide opportunities for public enjoyment;
The National Park Authority’s role in the SRDP involves:
- proactively advising land managers on their options under SRDP through our Integrated Land Management Plans;
- proactively assisting land managers to apply to SRDP where the business is well-positioned to deliver on the above Park priorities;
- advising land managers and our other partners on the potential of proposals in draft and submitted SRDP applications to deliver on National Park priorities;
- actively advising Scottish Government on the actual and potential effect of SRDP on the delivery of Park priorities.
If you would like to discuss the SRDP in relation to any of the above, please contact landmanagement@lochlomond-trossachs.org or on 01389 722600.