A North Lanarkshire Council report highlights recent work carried out to improve green spaces throughout the area.
Over the last year, the council has invested funding from various sources including the Scottish Government and National Lottery to enhance parks and other green areas.
Countryside rangers have assessed almost 700 sites across North Lanarkshire and all temporary workers have either been given permanent posts or had the duration of their employment extended.
The team also carries out regular inspections at the 30 most important locations, which allows them to carry out maintenance or resolve any issues with antisocial behaviour.
The rangers also work alongside volunteers at Greenhead Moss and Palacerigg Country Park to perform conservation tasks and build paths or ponds. In addition to providing savings from the council, the volunteers gain physical and mental health benefits which is especially important as many have previous mental health struggles.
On the topic of mental health, the ranger service also hosts Branching Out sessions at the three country parks. This is a therapy programme for people who use mental health services and participants engage in activities such as clearing weeds, building bird boxes, bushcraft, photography and sculpture.
Schools also visit green spaces for educational reasons and the rangers are working on providing more sessions in the next school year.
The ranger service also organises many other activities for residents and groups such as litter picks and opportunities to spot wildlife including bats and badgers.
The council received £556,000 from the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund which has been used for projects which tackle the climate crisis and promote biodiversity.
Examples include wildflower seeding, improving biodiversity at cemeteries, surveying nature reserves, dealing with invasive species, planting trees and investigations into converting areas of grass into wildlife habitat. Some 160 people took part in a survey on this which showed many people enjoyed the wildflower meadows and wanted to be involved with planting more.
Eight areas were designated as trial “no mow” areas last November to support wildlife and during the summer months surveys showed improvements at six of these, meaning mowing will either be stopped or reduced in the long term.
The Scottish Government also provided £105,000 to promote walking and cycling to and around green spaces. This has supported such projects as new e-bikes in Strathclyde Country Park, digital maps for residents, and health walks.
Additionally, a project officer is currently working with local groups to oversee projects at Dumbreck Marsh near Kilsyth and the greenspace team is also collaborating with partners to deliver the Nurturing Natural Connections project in Cumbernauld. Various improvements have already been made in the town and a bid for new funding is likely to be submitted in February.
At a recent meeting the council’s environment and climate change committee acknowledged the work which had been carried out, recognised future plans and the positive impact of interventions, acknowledged the team’s success in securing significant amounts of external funding and endorsed the recommendations relating to No Mow sites.
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