Funds earmarked for nature restoration are to be used to finance wage settlements in Scottish local authorities.

According to BBC Scotland News, ministers have sent letters to councils asking them to divert current year allocations from the Nature Restoration Fund to make pay arrangements.

The fund is worth £29.2 million, with the money split between communities and the Scottish Government’s nature conservation agency, Nature Scot.

The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.

The money will be used to finance local projects to combat the natural emergency, ranging from tree planting to restoring waterways.

It is estimated that one in nine species in Scotland are at risk of extinction due to long-term habitat loss, and ministers have said restoring biodiversity is “critical” to tackling the climate crisis.

Last week, Finance Minister Shona Robison said spending restrictions were “inevitable” due to the “spending challenges” we face.

Lang Banks, Director of WWF Scotland, said: “It is extremely frustrating to see the small amounts of money allocated to climate and conservation action come under even greater pressure.

“Scotland is one of the most environmentally degraded countries in the world and it is really important that we take action now to counteract this.

“Many of the actions you can take to protect nature also benefit the wider community, whether it’s reducing carbon emissions, cleaner air or reducing flooding.

“So if you take money away from this area, you’re only creating problems for the future.”

Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said: “This is desperately bad news.

“A recent analysis has shown that funding for nature needs to be increased, not cut. Scotland is one of the most environmentally damaging countries in the world, ranking 28th out of 240, and this trend is continuing.

“The Nature Restoration Fund has been instrumental in delivering projects across Scotland, in both rural and urban areas, creating jobs and delivering benefits to people, the economy, biodiversity and nature.”

She added: “The short and long-term consequences of this measure will be clearly felt now and in the future.”

She said repeated polls had shown that the Scottish public wanted nature restoration to be given greater priority in government decisions.

“Yet once again they are left short-changed and have to settle for decisions that put nature restoration low on the priority list,” she said.