Council confirms Flow Country grant to RSPB

The Highland Council has confirmed a decision by its Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee to grant £10,000 from the Landfill Community Fund to the RSPB in relation to a drain blocking project in the Flow Country, Caithness.

The decision by the Area Committee was challenged by 10 councillors in a notice of amendment to the full council.
The signatories asked the Council not to fund the project believing the drains will block up naturally over time.

After debate, the Council voted 40 – 27 to confirm the £10,000 grant to the RSPB.

As a Landfill Operator, the Council distributes its Landfill Community Fund to local projects, which meet the requirements of biodiversity conservation and public amenities or parks.

A funding limit is £10,000 towards any single project.

The RSPB project forms a key part of its extensive work to restore blanket bog of the Flow Country in Caithness and Sutherland, which contains 4% of the world’s blanket bog.

Having felled trees, RSPB now need to unblock the drains that were installed during tree planting.

-Ends-