LAST week, Scotland's Nature Agency, NatureScot, has announced its priorities towards nature following the publication of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS).
The new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy outlines a clear goal for Scotland to reach a Nature Positive status by 2030 and restore and regenerate biodiversity across the country by 2045.
The SBS highlights over 100 actions to address the biodiversity crisis in Scotland.
“We know that nature loss and climate change are inextricably linked. If we are to succeed in tackling these twin crises, then solutions that involve uses of the land and sea, should enhance the state of nature and solutions for nature should enhance climate resilience,” stated NatureScot in its new plan.
NatureScot’s objectives against Scotland’s biodiversity crisis
NatureScot’s aligns with six objectives from the SBS.
The organisation’s first objective is to accelerate the restoration and regeneration of degraded landscapes on land and at sea.
“Healthy and restored ecosystems will massively contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and help us adapt to the risks of a more chaotic climate,” stated NatureScot.
The restoration of ecosystems in urban areas is also important, requiring changes to the way we plan and manage the green and blue spaces of our towns and cities.”
NatureScot has highlighted the need to put a stop to biodiversity loss by 2030 and adapt to climate change. Protected areas such as nature reserves are key to halt the loss of biodiversity.
These zones provide diverse benefits for society such as carbon storage, “local employment opportunities and support to health and wellbeing”.
Nature Scot's third objective emphasises the need for agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and forestry to become more sustainable.
It has proposed to assess how a more sustainable farming method helps ecosystem health or create a shared understanding of priority habitats managed under agricultural land use.
NatureScot also aims to protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats.
The SBS outlines that many of Scotland’s species are at risk from diverse threats.
In its priorities, NatureScot stated: “Climate change will mean that the profile of species and populations in Scotland will need to adapt but, where feasible, we must make every effort to prevent the extinction of globally threatened species.”
NatureScot needs to understand more about the impact of Climate Change on vulnerable and important species and habitats by understanding the scale of the impacts of climate change.
“The biggest gaps relate to biodiversity protection and enhancement (£8 billion) and climate change mitigation through bio-carbon (£9 billion).
“It is crucial that ways to bridge this finance gap and provide certainty for investment routes which are developed.”
NatureScot’s final point concerns the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.
This report from May 2019 identifies both direct and indirect causes of biodiversity loss.
The five direct causes are influenced by indirect factors, such as societal values, consumption habits, population changes, trade, technology, and local to global governance.
NatureScot hopes to better understand and take action to tackle the indirect causes of biodiversity loss.
