The Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) has been awarded £30,000 towards a project to increase awareness and restore areas of rare calcareous grasslands in Perthshire.

SAC says that grasslands are often over-looked in favour of higher profile habitats, such as woodlands and heather moorland. In Perthshire, a group of farmers are working in collaboration with SAC to establish the Highland Perthshire Calcareous Grassland Project and raise awareness of the importance of grasslands.

The project is supported by the Tayside Biodiversity Action Fund, SNH and the Cairngorms National Park Authority with £30,000 of grant aid over 3 years. The grant will be used to fund restoration work on the sites, and to hold Open Days. It is hoped that through the project more farmers will become involved in restoring and managing their grasslands, and that the public will become more aware of these issues.

The highland areas of Perthshire are important for wildflower grasslands, with many rare plants and species found in the area, primarily because of the calcareous nature of the soils. The wildlife species include rare butterflies such as the Northern Brown Argus, and an extremely rare Mason Bee that is only found in one other area of Scotland.

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