Pine Martens and Red Kite make a Cumbernauuld comeback

Cumbernauld Living Landscape and its hardworking supporters have improved more than 2.6 metres of natural habitat.

The charity has put the focus on no fewer than nine reserves in Cumbernauld – and the winner has been the level of biodiversity that has flourished there.

While the project has been going on, species such as red kites and pine martens have started to re-appear in the area.

And in the case of the pine martens, their existence could naturally reduce the population of grey squirrels, which can damage native trees and reduce woodland bird numbers, and even possibly paving the way for the endangered red squirrel to grow in numbers.

CLL works to improve accessibility to green spaces, to connect young people to nature and to share with people the health and wellbeing benefits the outdoors can bring.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust, Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s lead partner, aim is to improve the environment for people and wildlife in an area with an urban backdrop which has so much greenery despite this.

The group is just one of the inspirational community success stories featured in the Scottish Land Commission’s MyLand.Scot campaign - an initiative that aims to raise awareness of the role and benefits land can play in everyday life in Scotland.

Jennifer McNulty, Project Manager at Cumbernauld Living Landscape, said: “The team and I could not be happier with the results of the restoration project so far.

“It’s great that the people who live in and visit Cumbernauld have native Scottish wildlife on their doorstep.

"We’re helping to turn Cumbernauld into a green network for wildlife, a place wherespecies can move around the town and beyond using the green corridors of woodland, wetlands and grasslands the project is developing.”

In addition to the restoration project - the team have been running ‘Nature Ninja’s sessions with volunteers – giving them skills to maintain the land in the generous number of sites involved.