The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative has been recognised at a national awards ceremony for our work tackling invasive non-native species across river catchments in northern Scotland.

The project was highly commended in the “Best Practice: Large-scale Nature Conservation” category at the 2023 CIEEM Awards, held at the Birmingham Botanic Gardens on the 28th June. 

The CIEEM is a national body representing and supporting ecologists and environmental managers across the UK and Republic of Ireland. The Large-scale Nature Conservation category recognises landscape-scale projects working to enhance ecosystem functioning, support biodiversity and promote sustainability to the benefit of both current and future generations.

The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative is an ambitious partnership project, working with 10 fishery boards and trusts and covering over a third of mainland Scotland – making it the largest invasive species project in the UK. The Initiative works alongside local communities and delivers a sustainable volunteer-led approach to secure and maintain long-term biodiversity gains.

Volunteer and Communications Officer Jane Hamilton and Project Officer Mark Purrmann-Charles travelled down to the award ceremony in Birmingham to collect the certificate.

Jane Hamilton commented: “The whole team is delighted to be highly commended for this prestigious national award and for the recognition this gives to the project. Our dedicated team, partners and volunteers are working hard to tackle invasive species and, through their removal, conserve our environment and biodiversity in northern Scotland. We are very pleased to see the value of our collective efforts being recognised in this way.”

For a full list of the 2023 CIEEM results: https://cieem.net/about-cieem/cieem-awards/2023-awards/