Scotland is home to more than 60% of the UK seabird population. Annually more than 5 million seabirds return to Scotland to breed. Our rocky cliffs, remote islands and productive coastal waters support a third of all breeding seabirds across Europe. Scotland’s seabirds are of international importance and are a key indicator of overall marine ecosystem health. As apex predators within the marine ecosystem, seabirds play a vital role in supporting its equilibrium.
However, over the last 20 years, 16 of the 24 species of seabirds breeding in Scotland have declined, with half of these declining by more than 50%. Key threats facing our seabirds within the busying Scottish seas are insufficient food availability, climate change,, and predation by invasive non-native and domestic species. In recent years our seabirds have also suffered the hugely detrimental impacts of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
To support these vulnerable species and better understand the challenges they face, SMEEF has established a ‘Seabirds’ theme. The grants allocated under this theme will be distributed to organisations and groups across Scotland which are working maximise seabird prospects and build resilience in.
We recently welcomed proposals to the first open grants round of the Seabird Resilience Fund – Taking Flight -, which we established with the support of voluntary contributions from offshore renewable energy developers in the Northeast and East Ornithology Group (NEEOG). This initiative would not be possible without developers within NEEOG and we thank them for their generous donations. The following developers provided contributions to the fund:
- Bellrock Offshore Wind Farm Limited
- Broadshore Offshore Wind Farm Limited
- CampionWind Limited
- MarramWind Limited
- Morven Offshore Wind Limited
- Muir Mhor Offshore Wind Farm Limited
- Ossian Offshore Wind Farm Limited
- Thistle Wind Partners Limited
- Stromar Offshore Wind Farm Limited
Taking Flight is now closed for applications. Applications made before midday on Friday 7th of November 2025 can expect a decision by February 2026.
We are planning on re-opening Taking Flight for applications in 2026. If you are interested in applying for future rounds of funding, sign up to our newsletter for updates.