Borders Act for Change: SBCAN

We had a fantastic morning taking part in Borders Act for Change on 5th February alongside our colleagues from Tweed River Culture and The Southern Uplands Partnership. It was a brilliant opportunity to engage in hands-on conservation work and contribute to an exciting ecological project.

For our action this month, the SBCAN team decided to support Bright Green Nature by assisting with data gathering for their yellow meadow ant translocation project. This initiative is an important step in enhancing local biodiversity and strengthening ecosystem resilience in the Scottish Borders.

Surveying Deer Park for Invertebrates

Before any translocation can take place, it's crucial to understand the current conditions of the site. Our task was to survey Deer Park in Selkirk, identifying any existing anthills and monitoring small invertebrates present in the area. To do this, we used two key survey methods:

• Visual Survey – We walked the site, carefully looking for any anthills that might already be present.

• Pitfall Traps – These small traps help us monitor ground-dwelling invertebrates, giving us a snapshot of the site's ecological baseline.

Although we didn’t find any yellow meadow ants on this visit, that won’t be the case for long! The next phase of the project will see ants being carefully translocated to the site. Yellow meadow ants play a crucial role in calcareous grassland ecosystems, helping to improve soil health, support plant diversity, and enhance climate resilience.

A Huge Thank You!

A massive thank you to Lisa from Bright Green Nature, who led our session and shared fascinating insights into the project and the vital role ants play in ecosystem health. We all learned so much and were thrilled to be part of this initiative.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the next steps—stay tuned for updates as the translocation progresses! In the meantime, give Bright Green Nature a follow to see more of their fantastic conservation work.

💚 #BordersActForChange #SBCAN #BrightGreenNature #EcologicalRestoration #ClimateResilience