£122,746 award to expand Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) in Scotland

Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) is set to scale up nature-based investment across Scotland, following a £122,746 funding award from NatureScot through the Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS). The funding will expand the successful LENs approach that aims to build resilience across farming communities and the agricultural supply chain in the catchment, to enhance the livelihoods of local farmers and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The funding will allow partners to build on the early success of Leven LENs, which launched its first trade earlier this year. With this new support, LENs, Forth Rivers Trust, the Scottish Rural College and the Tweed Forum will:

• Expand the trade in nature-based solutions in the Leven, attracting new partners and farms
• Extend our work to adjacent areas in Allan Water, Devon, Fife and potentially Perth
• Establish a LENs in the Borders/Tweed region
• Map stakeholder interest for LENs across Scotland to guide future policy and additional LENs regions.

The Leven LENs, supported initially through FIRNS in 2023–2024, has already demonstrated the value of collaborative investment in land use, with the introduction of agricultural practices to 10-15 farms in its first year of trading that will benefit water quality, biodiversity and carbon reduction. Forth Rivers Trust (FRT), a core delivery partner, has played a vital role in bringing local land managers and businesses together to deliver a programme that is rooted in catchment priorities. Other partners include Diageo, Perth & Kinross Council, and SSEN Distribution.

Accelerating uptake of LENs in Scotland, the project will engage businesses across water, agriculture, whisky, textiles, and tourism, laying the foundations for a cumulative £16.2 million in nature investment by 2030.

Tom Brown, LENs Scotland Senior Programme Manager, said:

“This FIRNS support comes at a crucial time where it can help us to direct investment into the Scottish landscapes that businesses rely on. We’re building regional trading networks that are commercially grounded, scalable, and designed to benefit landscapes, local communities and supply chains.”

LENs is a pioneering model that brings together businesses and stakeholders across landscapes to co-fund regenerative agriculture practices that deliver nature-based solutions such as flood mitigation, carbon storage, increased biodiversity and water stewardship.

The funding runs from 28 July 2025 to 31 March 2026 and is one of 27 initiatives funded through FIRNS’ latest £1.87 million investment drive led by NatureScot and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.