High Life Highland countryside ranger service win gold at international awards
The High Life Highland Countryside Ranger Service has been given a gold award at an international award level.
The team were awarded in the Education and Training: Conservation and Wildlife Projects category for the Highland Wildflower Meadow Mosaic Project at the annual Green Apple Environment Awards.
The Green Apple Environment Awards, launched in 1994, recognise, reward and promote environmental best practice around the world.
This ‘green’ award is the second in recent weeks for High Life Highland having won the Environment Category at the first ever Seriously Social Awards last month.
High Life Highland Countryside Rangers have been instrumental in the creation of the Highland Wildflower Meadow Mosaic project along with the Highland Environment Forum, which has resulted in around 100 vibrant little meadows being created in communities across the region, supported by a band of volunteers.
Wildflower meadows have declined by 97 per cent since the 1930s, so a project such as this offers a significant boost, enhancing local biodiversity and proving invaluable for a host of pollinators.
All the planting, whether it’s in a community garden, school, leisure centre or church, is all thoroughly considered and uses seeds collected in Scotland.
Imogen Furlong, High Life Highland Countryside Ranger Service Manager said: “We are absolutely delighted to win a Green Apple Environment Award for our wildflower meadows and are grateful to the Highland Environment Forum for their support in delivering this project. It is a wonderful way of bringing people together for the benefit of the environment and particularly our VIPs - very important pollinators!
“Pollinators such as bees, butterflies and other insects play a vital role in keeping ecosystems healthy. They are responsible for the pollination of many plants, which in turn supports the nation’s food supply and the health of natural habitats. Sadly, pollinator populations are declining due to a number of factors including habitat loss and climate change. They are quite simply the most important species on the planet, without them, we have no food!”
John West director of culture and learning at High Life Highland commented: “We can truly refer to High Life Highland as an award-winning charity with several accolades in the last few months, including and the Archive Service winning the Record Keeping Service of the Year category at the Archive and Records Association Excellence Awards back in August. Everything we do in High Life Highland is aimed at making life better and all of these awards are testament to that.”
High Life Highland Countryside Rangers also carry out an array of biodiversity monitoring, practical environment conservation activities and educational initiatives.
