Nature Restoration Fund funds next phase

The next phase of Saving Wildcats - moving towards a restored population of wildcats and a fair coexistence between wildcats and people

Following releases conducted in Badenoch and Strathspey in 2023-2025, the wildcat is beginning the first steps on a journey to recovery. To secure the future for wildcats, it is necessary to ensure this fragile new population is resilient and stable over time by tackling threats and continuing releases.



This next phase will seek to build stronger collaborations between the conservation, domestic cat welfare, land management and farming sectors to support the return of wildcats and lay the foundations for wildcats to become a flagship for environmental recovery and human-carnivore coexistence. 

The main delivery phase will take place between October 2026 and March 2028.



The formal partners in this grant will be The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), Cats Protection (CP) and Agroecosystems, who will work alongside existing partner NatureScot (NS), Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) and others.