Species on the Edge

Scotland's spectacular coasts and islands are amongst the most biodiverse areas in the UK. And they provide a last refuge for some of our most threatened species. Species on the Edge is a ground-breaking partnership that focuses on 37 priority species found along Scotland's coast and islands.

Species on the Edge is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and will run until 2026. Working with local communities in some of Scotland’s most remote areas, Species on the Edge will provide a vital lifeline for vulnerable coastal and island wildlife. We aim to:

• Secure and improve the future for coastal and island species in Scotland.
• Form a support network between communities, to safeguard vulnerable biodiversity.
• Strengthen the partnership approach to conservation work in Scotland.
• Raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity to Scotland.

Protecting Scotland's Island Wonders is a BCT led project for Species on the Edge. We’ll work across coastal Scotland, with a focus on Argyll and Inner Hebrides and particularly Skye, where our Project Officer is based, as well as Solway, Orkney and Outer Hebrides. Our focus will be on the common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared bat and Daubenton’s bat. Find out about these and other UK resident bat species here.

We aim to raise awareness of bats, debunk misconceptions and increase understanding of their importance for a thriving Scottish landscape. We will learn more about the status of bats on our Scottish Islands and coastal areas. And with the help of community science, we will learn about the challenges and opportunities for bats posed by these incredible landscapes.

Overall, we aim to better understand bat populations to improve conservation in these areas.

Protecting Scotland’s Island Wonders has got off to a great start in the first year! We’d like to thank everyone involved with helping us to understand more about bats around the coast of Scotland, from our project partners, to the landowners and volunteers.

There’s been a great deal of monitoring, engagement and close work with landowners, especially on our key area of Skye. You can learn a bit more about our progress in this short summary report.

If you’re interested in helping with our work for Species on the Edge or would like to learn more, please contact Cathryn Baillie (Project Officer) at cbaillie@bats.org.uk

You can learn more about this ambitious programme on the Species on the Edge website.

And you can follow Species on the Edge on Twitter and Facebook.

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Species on the Edge is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and will run for four-and-a-half-years, until the end of 2026.

The partnership is led by NatureScot and consists of the Rethink Nature partners: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, The Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife, and RSPB Scotland.