Green Times Magazine Spring 2024

Welcome to the latest edition of Green Times Magazine showcasing recent environmental news, events, projects, and volunteering opportunities in Aberdeen. This edition will look back on highlights from some of the great work going on across the city over spring and the last few months.

We would love to hear about your projects and events and anything you have going on. To subscribe or submit an article please contact greentimes@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Aberdeen B-Lines Wildflower project gets underway

Work is well underway on the Aberdeen B-Lines partnership project, with Buglife Scotland, which officially launched in March this year. The project aims to create wildflower meadows to help provide vital foraging and nesting sites for our local pollinator species.

Seed sowing events have taken place at Westfield Park, TECA, the Donmouth Nature Reserve and the Beach Esplanade (by Fittie), involving over 40 passionate volunteers. A selection of local provenance wildflower mixes have been chosen to create natural, and beautiful meadow areas. Keep your eyes peeled for things starting to sprout!

Buglife conservation officer Ruth Quigley said about the work so far: “Its been such a joy to work with the local community to create spaces in the city for pollinators. I can’t wait to see how the sites progress over the next few months”.

Over the summer the project will focus on creating bee banks at some of the B-Lines sites for solitary mining bees to nest in, as well as preparing for the autumn wildflower planting work. If this is something you would like to be involved in, please email Ruth at ruth.quigley@buglife.org.uk.

Aberdeen B-Lines is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot as well as funding from Milkywire, the Hugh Fraser Foundation and an anonymous funder.

NESBReC reaches two million records of species

The North East Scotland Biological Records Centre (NESBReC) has now recorded more than two million sightings of various species within its database of biodiversity information. The two millionth record was a sedge warbler (Acrocephalus Schoenobaenus) recorded at the Ythan Estuary. The bird is often heard before it is seen and its song can be described as loud, rambling, scratchy, and heard from reedbeds in spring and early summer. Sedge Warblers travel great distances to summer in Scotland, between April and September, and spend their winters in Africa, south of the Sahara.

By collating and managing biological information NESBReC supports the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership and acts as a local node for the National Biodiversity Network. The species data provides support for education and conservation bodies, national recording schemes and the wider community to assist with land use planning, conservation, site management, and research.

Anyone can record wildlife for NESBReC’s database and there is no need for it to be a rare or uncommon species. For example, hedgehogs and common toads are two species that are familiar to everyone but are experiencing declines in their population, making their continued sightings important information to record.

Wildlife records are maintained by NESBReC. The records centre depends on the financial support from a range of organisations, including public bodies, local authorities, and conservation charities which currently includes Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Council, NatureScot, Scottish Forestry, and Cairngorms National Park Authority.

You can find out more or submit a record via NESBReC’s website or by sending a simple email to nesbrec@aberdeenshire.gov.uk with details of what you have seen, where you have seen it and when.

Hutton science showcased in podcast series

Have you heard about the discovery of a globally rare truffle in a Scottish rainforest and the conservation conundrum it created? Would you like to learn more about what we can do to reduce the impacts of flooding, how we monitor the health of peatlands and the emissions they cause or how we can help reverse nature loss?

You can do all of the above and more thanks to The James Hutton Institute’s podcast, Hutton Highlights. Around once a month, they share some of the stories behind the world-leading research carried out at the Hutton.

Visit Hutton Highlights: (buzzsprout.com) to find out more and listen to the podcast (and links to the platforms it’s on) or search Hutton Highlights on your podcast platform of choice.

Over £1M in new funding awarded to aid red squirrel recovery in Scotland

Over £1m in new funding has been announced to aid red squirrel conservation efforts in key areas across Scotland for the next two years. A total grant of £1,052,796 has been awarded by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot, which supports the restoration of wildlife and habitats across the country.

The new funds will support the Scottish Wildlife Trust led Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) project to deliver vital conservation work on the ground and develop new and innovative techniques to halt red squirrel declines, reinforce protections for the core red only populations of the Highlands, and progress long-term aims for population expansion in the North East and Central Lowlands .

Programme manager Nicole Still said: “We are delighted to receive this new funding, which represents the next step in the journey towards integrating sustainable long-term red squirrel recovery in Scotland. Our hopes and aims for next phase are ambitious, but ones that we absolutely can realise with increased landscape-scale investment from partners, stakeholders, landowners, and local community involvement.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone already involved in red squirrel conservation across the country and look forward to bringing more people and organisations onboard with this important and vital work.”

Dr Katherine Leys, NatureScot’s head of biodiversity and geodiversity, said:

“Scotland’s red squirrels are one of our well-loved symbols of nature, but they are threatened by non-native grey squirrels. This funding from the Nature Restoration Fund will help to protect the highland population above the boundary fault. Through the fund, we support vital work to restore Scotland’s species and habitats. Now more than ever, we need nature-based solutions to the climate-nature crises. It’s projects like this that can really help to stop biodiversity loss and enable us to move towards a nature-rich, net-zero future for everyone in Scotland.”

For further information please contact Katie Berry, kberry@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk , 0131 312 4719.

The battle for biodiversity

Elrick Hill is plagued by a problem whose origin can be pinpointed all the way back to the Victorian-Era: Rhododendron. This ornamental plant is beautiful to look at, which is why it was introduced to our shores from its native Japan. It became popular on country estates for its ornamental value but in modern times is one of Scotland’s most threatening, invasive non-native plants. It forms dense thickets that shade out native plants and dominates the habitat, which is hugely detrimental to our native biodiversity.

This is the case with Elrick Hill and is why the Countryside Ranger Service, along with dedicated volunteers as well as students from Scottish Rural College, have been tackling the problem, to restore the ground flora to its natural glory.

Rhody’s thick and extensive root system provided a tough battle, taking the team three days to make a significant impact. Once cut, it is important to keep Rhododendron off the ground as even the smallest branch can re-root and continue the chaos. We constructed large piles of cuttings which will provide great habitats for insects, amphibians and small mammals that reside on the hill. The war for Elrick Hill’s biodiversity is not over but for the time being this battle is won.

You can find out about our events and volunteering days on Eventbrite and our Facebook page.

Refreshed Local Outcome Improvement Plan and Locality Plans for North, South and Central approved!

Community Planning Aberdeen are delighted to announce that the refreshed Aberdeen City Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) 2016-26 and three Locality Plans for North, South and Central have been approved!

We are committed to continuing our work to improve the lives of people, communities and businesses in Aberdeen. Our collective vision remains that Aberdeen is “a place where all people can prosper” by 2026. You can access the plans at the links above to read about how we will do this.

Webinar

You can also Sign up to our webinar on 4 September at noon to hear more about the refreshed plans.

The Place section of the LOIP is about how we can do even more to promote and improve the positive qualities of Aberdeen as a place to live, work, and visit. Our environment and the quality of the place is vital to the quality of life enjoyed in Aberdeen and encouraging the health and wellbeing of people. The three outcomes in this section cover:

Reducing carbon emissions in the city.
Increasing sustainable travel (walking, cycling and reducing car use).
Looking after the place we live with well cared for open spaces and buildings.

There are 12 improvement projects that will help us achieve these aims. These include a focus on reducing carbon emissions and waste; and increasing walking and cycling. We also plan to work with communities to build community resilience through the development of community-led resilience plans, and supporting and empowering communities to care for their neighbourhoods and to increase their satisfaction with good quality green space.

If you are interested in getting involved as we work towards a brighter future for our city, please visit Community Planning Aberdeen, or email communityplanning@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Funding awarded for outdoor classroom in St Fittick's Park to celebrate learning in nature

In November 2023, the Friends of St Fittick's Park (FOSFP) secured funding from the Scottish Government's Just Transition Fund to build an outdoor classroom in the park. The classroom proposal received widespread community support through the Green Participatory Budgeting process run by a partnership of local agencies, including ACVO, AVA and NESCAN Hub.

The classroom, which consists of a wooden shelter and storage containers, will offer a place for local people of all ages to take part in a range of activities designed to increase awareness and enjoyment of nature in the park, including guided walks in existing woods and wetland areas. It will be a meeting point for events such as Walk Aberdeen's Health Walks, which promote the benefits to physical and mental health of being outside in greenspace. It will also be a facility for the volunteers who run park litter-picks and tree care.

Along with other local volunteer-led groups looking after the environment, FOSFP have joined the Its Your Neighbourhood campaign run by Keep Scotland Beautiful, working to keep Aberdeen's outdoor places thriving and available to everyone.

The classroom was celebrated as part of the Go Torry event on Saturday 15 June.

Activities planned at the classroom will include Scottish fruit tree and soft fruit planting and nature-focussed art projects. The Scottish Wildlife Trust will be on hand to talk about the park and resident fauna and flora.

Spring has sprung

Spring is in the air and across the city, plotters have sprung into action! With a sprinkle of rain and a dash of sunshine, green shoots are starting to appear.

Council allotment plots are well used and we recorded a massive surge in applications during the pandemic. These fantastic green spaces are a haven for plotters, animals and insects. See below a photo of Garthdee Field Allotment’s insect hotel.

These growing spaces bring the community together with benefits far exceeding the obvious food growing, exercise and intergenerational learning. They also have a massive positive impact on mental health, species diversity and our carbon footprint.

In partnership with Every Student we recently installed a water harvesting device at King Street Allotments. Rainwater is collected from the student building’s roof and diverted into containers to supply the allotment holders with water for growing produce.

If you would like more information on allotments, community gardens and other food growing spaces across the city please visit our Allotments page.

To find your nearest food growing space and get involved view the Aberdeen City Food Growing map.

School pupils grow their gardening skills

On Friday 24 of May pupils from Forehill Primary school, in partnership with the Bridge of Don Men’s Shed launched their garden project with a planting workshop.

The Men’s Shed funded and constructed a poly-tunnel in the school grounds to create a space for the school children to grow plants, fruit and vegetables. Additional planters will be built and positioned outside the poly-tunnel to provide more growing space.

Aberdeen City Council Education and Children’s Services Convener Councillor Martin Greig said: “This is a fantastic project which will allow pupils and members of the community to get involved in food production with many opportunities for learning from a young age.”

Chairman of the Bridge of Don and District Men’s Shed John Smith said: “The project will provide a growing space for learning and intergenerational community activity. What we have achieved so far in this partnership is quite remarkable and the prospect of children learning all about horticulture and the food cycle is exciting. This project is a fantastic example of community partnership.”

Freya (P3) who takes part in workshops in the polytunnel project say: "I love going in the polytunnel because you get to see so many varieties of plants. It's so fascinating and relaxing."

Another pupil, Isla (P3) said: "I like going in the polytunnel because we learn about living nature and plants. It feels so hot when you go in there."

Finlay (P2) said: "The polytunnel is very relaxing to be in because it's so hot. We are growing vegetables then we can eat them in school."

Head Teacher at Forehill Primary School, Ailsa Gowl said: “The opportunities for interdisciplinary learning are vast, ranging from construction skills, to food production, cooking, and numeracy skills required for budgeting the project. Many thanks to the Men’s Shed who have funded and managed the build and maintenance of the polytunnel and planters.”

The Men’s Shed will also supply electricity to the poly-tunnel from recently installed solar panels. And members will be lending their advice on how best to garden. Once grown, the produce could be cooked at the school or at home so the children can appreciate what it is like go from seed to the table.

For more information or to get involved contact:

Forehill Primary School forehiill@aberdeencity.gov.uk

Bridge of Don and District Men’s Shed

secretary.bodshed@outlook.com

Cove Woodland Walk Open Day – stall holders wanted!

Cove Woodland Trust is a small charity based in Cove, set up several years ago to purchase and maintain 16 acres of land for the good of the community and nature.

For the past few years, we’ve held an open day on the land to bring together those from our local community, stall holders and traders to help promote the site and the work that we do.

The event will take place between 10am-2pm on Sunday 30 June 2024. On the day, we’ll be joined by Hayfield who are hosting pony rides, there’ll be a bouncy castle and entertainment for children, stall holders from local businesses for food, fun and trading, and we’ll be joined by community groups and charities.

We are looking to identify any additional traders or groups that align with our goals of supporting local wildlife, habitat creation and nature restoration. If that’s you, please get in touch by contacting cwtsecretary@outlook.com

Climate Week at Duthie Park

Climate Week North East is an annual programme of events that aims to raise awareness and promote climate action, with events taking place all over the North East. As part of CWNE24 in March, the Duthie Park Ranger Service organised seven workshops for primary schools as well as a free public event at the David Welch Winter Gardens.

Over the course of climate week, a total of 177 pupils from various schools attended the “Recycling Rocks” workshops. Pupils took part in interactive games to learn what climate change is and how it works, by comparing Earth’s atmosphere to that of our closest planets. They learned about the carbon cycle and how human activity has pushed it off balance, and what simple actions we can take in our everyday lives to minimise impact. The pupils also learned more about the importance of recycling and made a display out of old milk bottles for the Winter Gardens entrance.

The Duthie Park Ranger Service also partnered up with One Seed Forward, CFINE, and Granite City Good Food for the “From Plant to Plate” event that took place that same week. The public event was well attended by over 350 people that came along and learned about food sustainability. Children had the opportunity to plant something to take home and people were able to take potato seeds to grow their own. A community growing workshop was also run as part of the event, where people learned how they can get involved and start their own community garden.

In total, Aberdeen City Council hosted 12 events, partnering with 20 organisations with an estimated total of 800 attendees. Other council-led events included litter picking, drop-in workshops, a Green Family Fun Day at Hazlehead park and a range of events at various libraries across the city.

For more information about the Duthie Park Ranger Service or to organise an educational visit for your group, please email DuthieParkRangerService@aberdeencity.gov.uk

News, Updates and Events

Ian Findlay Path Fund enters third year - applications are now open.
Aberdeen’s third Cruyff Court opens in city community.
Listen to the Hutton Highlights Science Podcast.
Check out the latest Aberdeen Countryside Rangers Volunteering Events.
Find your local Walk Aberdeen Health Walk.
Read the latest NESCAN Hub Newsletter.
Submit your Biological Records through NESBReC.