A new strategic partnership between South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) and the Scottish Wildlife Trust was announced today (Wednesday 4 December) during a visit to the region by Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin.
Ms Martin visited Melrose in the Scottish Borders to attend a roundtable with SOSE, partners and key stakeholders to discuss the opportunities arising from the South of Scotland being designated as the nation’s Natural Capital Innovation Zone (NCIZ).
The recognition highlighted the South of Scotland’s unique and combined strengths to drive forward the wellbeing economy through furthering natural capital opportunities.
The new partnership will explore innovative financing opportunities for nature as part of the NCIZ, which aims to support help Scotland address the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said:
“Scotland’s natural capital plays a key role in supporting many of our vital industries – a connection that is often under-represented when we look at economic performance.
“The new Natural Capital Innovation Zone will help support our work with partners across the public and private sectors to protect biodiversity and reduce emissions, as well as supporting sustainable businesses utilising our incredible landscapes and ecosystems.
“It will also help demonstrate how natural capital can support our wellbeing economy and just transition goals.”
SOSE Chair, Russel Griggs OBE added:
“The South of Scotland has been designated as Scotland’s Natural Capital Innovation Zone because we are perfectly positioned to drive change due to our unrivalled and unique natural qualities.
“Today has been about championing the crucial role our region has as the NCIZ in supporting the delivery of a wellbeing economy not just for the South of Scotland but for the nation, and globally.
“We know the NCIZ is an important test bed for the kind of innovative projects that need to happen to attract responsible private investment to natural capital projects and open new economic opportunities for businesses and local communities.”
Jayne Ashley, SOSE’s Head of Natural Capital said:
“We are delighted to announce our strategic partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust today, only a few weeks after being designated as the NCIZ.
“It confirms our commitment to working together to ensure support for nature is prioritised as we explore innovative ways to unlock opportunities for nature restoration for the future.”
Jo Pike, Chief Executive of Scottish Wildlife Trust said:
“By acting now for nature, we will save huge amounts of money later. Our natural environment, economy and the wellbeing of our communities are all interconnected.
“Innovations in how we resource nature restoration are vital for building a resilient and sustainable future, in line with the aspirations in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.”
The partnership will initially focus on developing an Open Innovation Challenge, which is due to launch in spring 2025.
This will involve engaging with diverse stakeholders through structured challenges, using a collaborative and open approach.
The Challenge will aim to unlock creative and scalable solutions to help realise the full potential of Scotland’s riparian zones — the interface between land and a watercourse – to turn them into thriving, interconnected nature networks that benefit both people and the environment.
