Our funding supports RSPB Scotland to acquire Bass Rock and Craigleith islands, in the Firth of Forth near Berwick, protecting the marine life that call them home.
These islands are habitats of outstanding importance to the natural and cultural heritage of the UK. Bass Rock is a 330million-year-old volcanic outcrop that supports the world’s second largest population of gannets – more than 90,000 birds. Craigleith is home to around 10,000 breeding puffins. The colony is in recovery after they were almost wiped out in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Our £585,525 grant is enabling RSPB Scotland to take the islands into charitable ownership for the first time in 320 years. They’ll oversee conservation management of the sites, make them more accessible to the public and safeguard the bird populations. Over 70% of Scotland’s seabird populations are in decline, threatened by climate change, food scarcity, accidental bycatch by fishing vessels, invasive species and predators.
Bass Rock was first inhabited as a hermitage in the 8th century. It features Bass Castle, built in the 15th century, a 16th-century chapel, a lighthouse tower designed by David Stevenson (brother of writer Robert Louis Stevenson) and a keeper’s cottage. These buildings, along with the rock’s distinctive silhouette, have been an inspiration to artists and writers throughout history, including Stevenson and JMW Turner.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has also awarded RSPB Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Seabird Centre, a development grant to support further plans for the islands, including an immersive 360-degree viewing theatre. Boat trips will continue from late March to early October.
Simon Thurley, Chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “I am delighted to announce this substantial grant to secure the future of Bass Rock, Craigleith and the seabirds and marine life that call them home. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to secure the islands for the public and ensure that, with RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Seabird Centre at the helm, their role as seabird sanctuaries is protected for the future.”
Sir Hew Dalrymple, the former owner of the islands, said: “The Dalrymple family have been fortunate to have been custodians of the Bass for over three hundred years. During my lifetime the gannet population has quadrupled. However, it is clear the seabird colonies of the Forth now face unprecedented challenges. I believe that RSPB Scotland is the organisation best equipped to take up this challenge on their behalf, so I am delighted to pass on to them stewardship of Craigleith and the Bass.”
Since 1980, we’ve supported over 1,400 projects, including more than 200 land and nature grants worth nearly £22million across the UK. Find out more about these projects.