Deadline: 30-May-23
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is accepting nominations for the 2023 Nature of Scotland Awards to celebrate the inspirational people, projects and partnerships across different aspects of nature conservation in Scotland.
They have 10 awards to choose from, you can enter more than one category as long as you tailor your entry to the specific award details. They are especially pleased to launch their new Large Scale Habitat Restoration Award and that they have brought back their Food and Farming category.
Categories
- Business for Nature Award: Businesses have a critical role to play in fighting the nature and climate emergencies. They want to recognise those who can demonstrate a whole business approach to helping nature in Scotland. They welcome applicants from any business, big or small, from any sector.
- Coasts and Waters Award: Scotland’s seas, lochs and rivers are home to some of their most iconic animals; leaping salmon and playful otters, graceful seabirds, and inquisitive seals. If you’re involved with research, partnerships or schemes that help protect nature in Scottish waters, apply now so your project can get the recognition it deserves.
- Community Initiative Award: People take pleasure and pride in the nature they see everyday. Greenspaces are used, protected and cherished by the people local to them, more than anyone else. This award will go to an outstanding community-based initiative that clearly demonstrates what they have done for the benefit of nature. The project should be developed and led by the people it serves, acting as an inspiration to others and offering real value to the whole community.
- Conservation Science Award: This award will recognise and celebrate an individual or group of scientists whose published peer-reviewed research has had a demonstrable impact in support of nature conservation in Scotland, or can show exceptional promise of such impact in the future.
- Food and Farming Award: The way they produce food, both here in Scotland and across the world, can be hugely impactful. Evidence and research show how intensive ways of producing food directly lead to nature losses and greater greenhouse gas emissions.
- Health and Wellbeing Award: Nature is really important for their wellbeing and connecting to nature has been shown to improve mood, reduce feelings of stress, help people to feel more relaxed, and improve physical health. Making this connection and experiencing the health benefits for themselves can also inspire people to develop a life-long relationship with nature and take steps to protect it, recognising that they are not separate from, but a part of the natural world.
- Innovation Award: Have you pioneered a first of its kind project focused on saving nature? Did you take a new approach to conservation? Has your initiative or partnership broken new ground in the fight to protect habitats? Nature is in crisis – 1 in 9 species in Scotland are at risk of extinction, they are running out of time to save it. Now is the era for trailblazers to step up and channel their skills.
- Landscape Restoration Award: Scotland’s landscapes face unprecedented challenges due to the biodiversity and climate emergencies. Such a significant threat requires a landscape-scale, sustained and collaborative approach from many partners and local communities, working together to restore nature.
- Nature and Climate Action Award: Nature is crucial in the fight against climate change: it has never been more important to keep carbon locked in their peatlands, forests and saltmarshes. And nature can help prepare us for extreme weather driven by climate change. If they let them, their coastlands and peatlands can help protect us from rising sea levels and flooding, green walls can insulate their buildings and urban greenspaces can cool their cities. These are examples of “nature-based solutions”.
- RSPB Species Champion Award: Help us celebrate the exceptional achievements that individuals, partnerships and groups are making for Scottish species and habitats. One person’s passion for the natural world can lead to significant positive outcomes. You can apply for your own work or nominate another person’s successes.
Eligibility Criteria
- They are open for entries from both the people and project who have actually carried out the work outlined in the application and also from people who are nominating others.
- The awards are open to businesses, public sector organisations, research institutions, community groups and individuals who have been active in nature conservation across Scotland at any time since March 2020.
For more information, visit RSPB.