Over the years many other groups and organisations have come to us with great ideas for projects. But all too often there is no way to bring these to fruition because our community does not own any land on which to site these projects.  Funds for community gardens and woodlands, shelter and informal spaces, for instance, are all impossible to achieve unless the community either owns or leases land. Furthermore, informal access to land for recreation purposes is often restricted due to land management practices. But with a nationwide loss of biodiversity, and local issues with flood water management, we are looking again at how our community can influence the management of the land around us. We appreciate that agriculture and forestry forms a major part of our local economy, and we understand that with access to our surrounding countryside comes responsibility.

Since 2021 we have been working with Glencairn Land & Woods Trust (formerly Cairnhead Community Forest Trust) to address some of these issues.  We have supported small scale volunteer projects with them, including riverside tree-planting sessions in 2022 and 2024. 

We also support the Glencairn Midsummer Festival, which provides a full weekend of nature-inspired walks, talks and activities to encourage a deeper appreciation of our surroundings. Organised by the John Corrie Wildlife Garden group, and held in both the JCWG and the adjacent Glencairn Bowling Club, this event brings together experts from many other groups and organisations to share their skills and knowledge. This year, Moniaive Initiative worked alongside the Galloway & South Ayrshire Biosphere to present a workshop on High Focus Habitats and Species, looking in particular at the freshwater and wet woodlands of Glencairn.

Our aim for 2024-25 is to continue to investigate options for riparian planting, and other biodiversity improvement, particularly those that could also contribute to flood mitigation. Wherever necessary, we aim to also improve path access to any areas that we work on.