Two projects to restore the natural ecosystems and improve public access to areas of land neighbouring Glasgow Airport are underway.
The first project is based at the local Paisley Moss nature reserve, which runs alongside the cycle and walking path next to the airport’s perimeter fence and contains ponds, marshes, reeds and sedge beds that support hundreds of different animals and plants.
The wooden boardwalk that runs through the heart of Paisley Moss has fallen into disrepair and was not safe to walk on, which meant visitors could not gain full access to the nature reserve. To remedy this, Glasgow Airport will invest more than £3,000 to restore and repair the boardwalk to ensure visitors can safely enjoy all that Paisley Moss has to offer.
The second project is based at the Greenock Road area next to the site of the former Inchinnan Parish Old Hallows Church at the Black Cart River. Recent work to clear trees on airport land to ensure the safety of aircraft on take-off or approach highlighted the need to clean up and restore the natural habitat of the area, which had become a magnet for rubbish and fly-tipping.
Glasgow Airport will invest over £10,000 to restore the area and increase biodiversity by clearing out all the waste materials, construct beetle banks, improve soil quality to support regrowth and planting wildflowers to encourage a variety of pollinating insects including bees, butterflies, moths and hoverflies.
Kirsty Webster, Glasgow Airport’s sustainability manager, said: “We are in a unique and privileged position that we are home to a wonderful nature reserve which hosts different ecosystems and a wide array of species throughout the year.
“This privilege brings with it responsibility and that is why we are committed to investing in the future of Paisley Moss to ensure it is accessible.
“It has often been said that biodiversity and aviation cannot go hand in hand, however, this isn’t the case. While we need to make sure we maintain our land to ensure aircraft safety, insect attracting plants and wildflowers are a great way of being able to restore and protect our local ecosystems while managing flight operations responsibly.”