LOCAL MSP Keith Brown has become a species champion.

He has become the latest politician to join forces with Scottish Environment LINK as well as partnering agencies and will be lending his support to the Sticky Catchfly plant.

It grows in the Ochil Hills and on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh and is considered to be rare.

Lending his political support to protect Scotland’s threatened wildlife, the MSP said: “As a keen walker, I was delighted to agree to become a species champion for the Sticky Catchfly which grows here in the Ochils and on Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh which is next to the Scottish Parliament.

“I look forward to working with Scottish Environment LINK, Scottish Wildlife Trust and Plantlife to highlight the Sticky Catchfly which is a very rare and endangered plant and to encourage the reintroduction of the plant where suitable.”

With clusters of pink flowers, the Sticky Catchfly lights up south facing crags and was first recorded in Edinburgh in 1670.

Containing high amounts of a specific class of hormones, it is also said to increase the disease resistance of surrounding plants.

The flower is threatened by sheep and rabbit grazing cliff faces, overgrowth by gorse and ivy, gorse and bracken fires, droughts, cliff falls, non-viable colonies with too few plants and a lack of awareness of the species' vulnerability.

The agencies say remaining colonies should be regularly monitored to avoid extinction.

They also say programmes than involve collecting seeds and reintroducing seedling plants should be supported.

Thirdly, they would like to see landowners and managers of the plant to be involved in planning its survival.

And last but not least, the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy should be fully implemented.