Unique funding for pilot project at Anstruther’s Dreel Burn is unveiled

The work in the East Neuk aims to support nature restoration, and brings together public, private and philanthropic funding in a new grant programme, the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS).

The Dreel Burn Investment Readiness Partnership, which is backed by Fife Council’s Shared Prosperity Fund, brings together community organisations, national agencies, green finance and land management specialists to work with local businesses and residents, developing a new model to fund nature restoration.

The project is led by Fife Coast & Countryside Trust (FCCT) with Anstruther Improvements Association, Apella Advisors, CreditNature, Fife Council, James Hutton Institute, North Star Transition and Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Kate Anstruther, a trustee of Anstruther Improvements Association, said: “We launched our Dreel Burn Project in 2022 and are delighted to see how the hard work of our volunteers at a local level is contributing towards the development of a sustainable, long-term catchment management plan for the restoration of the Dreel Burn.

“We want a clean, biodiverse and vibrant river, valued by the farming, fishing, rural and urban communities of the East Neuk. The partnership will resource our communities to act as responsible stewards of the burn.”

FIRNS is contributing £259,000 with £75,000 coming from Fife Council fund. With scientific input from James Hutton Institute, the partnership aims to work with landowners to identify and recommend nature-based land management improvements across the Dreel Burn catchment to support landscape-scale restoration. Benefits include growth in natural populations of fish and molluscs, improvements to local water quality, and resilience to drought conditions.

Jeremy Harris, chief executive at FCCT, said: “People in Fife are starting to recognise the signs of climate change as they go about their lives. In recent weeks the Kingdom has felt the impact of more intense seasonal storms and tides, and we’ve seen unprecedented damage to our coastal infrastructure.

“There is an urgent need for new thinking as we work together to tackle the large and complex challenges facing our natural environment. Our view is that we need all parties at the table since all sectors have a role to play in looking after the natural environment upon which we all, ultimately, depend. This project will go a long way to developing practical ways of making that happen, and offering tangible improvements, initially to the Dreel Burn, but eventually throughout Fife and beyond.”