Connections between greenspace and residents to be explored in Cumbernauld project

Cumbernauld Glen

"Our research is critical to what the project is trying to achieve, and the project overall is a great opportunity for collaboration. We want to examine whether benefits arising from ecosystems do indeed change as a result of different types of interventions"

Researchers at the James Hutton Institute have become important partners in a project which aims to improve green spaces in a Lanarkshire town.

Cumbernauld Living Landscape, a partnership between the Scottish Wildlife Trust, North Lanarkshire Council, Conservation Volunteers, Sanctuary Scotland and the James Hutton Institute, has received funding to develop its Creating Natural Connections project. The four-year initiative aims to make the town's woods, parks and open spaces better for wildlife and residents.

The project will work with young people and community groups to build a network of people who care about the town's greenspaces and wildlife reserves. The natural environment will be improved through measures including increasing native woodland cover, removing non-native invasive species and creating new wildflower meadows.

Better relationships between local people and the nature in their neighbourhood will be forged through activities and events, imaginative artworks and new interpretation, and practical volunteering.

Dr Anke Fischer, a senior research scientist at the Institute’s Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences group and one of the researchers involved in the project who will be responsible for evaluating it in its first phase, explained why the Institute will support the project.

“Our research is critical to what the project is trying to achieve, and the project overall is a great opportunity for collaboration. We want to examine whether benefits arising from ecosystems do indeed change as a result of different types of interventions. Another aspect we will explore is how interventions like these affect people’s well-being if barriers to outdoor recreation are removed.”

Ian MacKenzie, Cumbernauld Living Landscape project manager, said: "Cumbernauld is one of Scotland's greenest towns. It's criss-crossed with woodlands, meadows and ponds that are rich in wildlife, but we have a lot of work to do to ensure that local people benefit from what's on their doorstep”.

More information about Cumbernauld Living Landscape is available here.