10 March 2010, LINK Agriculture Taskforce

Future Agriculture Support Inquiry: Interim Report Response

LINK's response to the Interim Report of the Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland: LINK's vision for the future of agricultural funding is for a series of tiered payments aimed at delivering public goods which are otherwise undersupplied by the market.  This payment system would include a base payment with a series of management requirements attached: payments for High Nature Value farming and organic farming systems; targeted agri-environment payments for meeting the requirements of environmental legislation where this demands significant locally differentiated changes in practice.  Whilst LINK supports the aim of the inquiry and the rationale for future payments elaborated in the interim report, we disagree with the proposed funding mechanisms.   

10 March 2010, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Act Heralds New Dawn For Management Of Scotland’s Seas

Following a decade of campaigning by members of Scottish Environment LINK, and the passing of the Marine (Scotland) Bill by the Scottish Parliament on 4th February, today’s Royal Assent by Her Majesty the Queen creates the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010.

After almost ten years of campaigning, we are delighted that we now have a Marine (Scotland) Act. We particularly welcome the duty to protect and enhance our seas, a marine planning system that includes environmental targets and a duty to deliver a network of marine protected areas...

9 March 2010, LINK Marine Taskforce

Aquaculture Briefing

The LINK marine taskforce believes all aquaculture legislation should ensure development within the industry is founded on the five guiding principles of sustainable development (in line with the Scottish Government’s own Sustainable Development Strategy): living within environmental limits; ensuring a strong, healthy and just society; achieving a sustainable economy; promoting good governance; and using science responsibly.

A briefing prepared by the LINK Marine taskforce for the Scottish Parliament debate on Aquaculture on the 10 March 2010

5 March 2010,

Carbon Accounts 2008-09

LINK's first published set of Carbon accounts, for the period covering financial year 2008-09

19 February 2010, LINK Sustainable Land Use Taskforce

Five Key Steps for Success

This paper identifies five key steps that LINK considers are fundamental to the success of the Sustainable Land Use Strategy (SLUS), as follows:

1. Defining the status of the SLUS
2. Defining the scope of the SLUS
3. Establishing the formal process for producing this and subsequent versions of the SLUS
4. Achieving better policy integration
5. Underpinning the SLUS with the ecosystem approach

See also: Living with the Land our proposals for Scotlands first sustainable landuse strategy

18 February 2010, Scottish Environment Week

Scottish Environment Week 2010 Programme

Scotland's Environment, it's great for Scotland!

Scottish Environment Week brings together MSPs, civic Scotland, business and environmentalists to celebrate Scotland’s environment. Since its inception in 2003, the Week has become a popular fixture in the Parliamentary calendar, and MSPs from all parties have attended events highlighting the many facets of Scotland’s environment. Join us for the 2010 Week’s packed programme of events.

11 February 2010, LINK Single Outcome Agreements Taskforce

Working for Sustainable Development through Single Outcome Agreements

LINK's report on priority issues for the Single Outcome Agreement process aims to help ensure that the SOA process works towards a more sustainable future for Scotland.  It aims to offer the support of the LINK and its member bodies to councils and Community Planning Partnerships through the onging process of development of SOAs, in relation to sustainable development, particularly the environment.

It addresses ten priority topics - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecological Footprint, Education/Volunteering, Historic and Built Environment, Landscape, Physical Activity/Health, Recreational Access, Transport, Water and Flooding.  LINK will monitor how these are addressed and overview emerging trends in the lead up to the national and local elections in 2011 and 2012.

Print version

8 February 2010, LINK Wildlife Natural Environment

Letter to Minister, Wildlife and Natural Environment

Letter to Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Minsiter for Environment, outlining LINKs position on deer management and invasive non-nate species.

4 February 2010, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill Stage 3 Amendments Briefing

A detailed briefing on Stage 3 amendments for the Marine (Scotland) Bill from Scottish Environment LINKs Marine taskforce.

See also our shorter general Stage 3 Briefing

4 February 2010, LINK Marine Taskforce

Parliament Votes to Protect Scotland's Marine Environment

"After almost ten years of campaigning, it is great that the Scottish Parliament has passed a bill that will improve the health of Scotland’s seas. We particularly welcome the duty to protect and enhance our seas, a marine planning system that includes environmental targets and a duty to deliver a network of marine protected areas."

LINK Marine taskforce welcomes the passing of the Marine (Scotland) Bill. 

2 February 2010, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill Stage 3 Briefing

Key amendments that would improve the Bill at stage 3 include i) introducing a general duty to consider the health of our seas as a primary objective in all our activity in the marine environment, ii) clearly linking marine management and marine protection provisions, by including Scottish Ministers’ policies for protection and enhancement of MPAs within the area of the plan, and iii) clarifying the content of marine plans, by ensuring that they contain a programme of objectives. This provides greater certainty for all stakeholders...

Breifing for Stage 3 of the Marine (Scotland) Bill from Scottish Environment LINKs Marine taskforce

16 December 2009, LINK

LINK Newsletter Winter 2009

Latest news and views from the LINK network and friends.

Including: A New Challenge for LINK - opinion piece by Helen Zealley; Living with the Land launched; introduction to Living Streets, a new LINK member and more.

2 December 2009, LINK

Living with the Land

This paper sets out the views of member bodies of Scottish Environment LINK regarding the land use strategy to be prepared under Section 57 of the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. This strategy is referred to below as the “Sustainable Land Use Strategy” (SLUS).

Although its main purpose is to tackle climate change, the SLUS provides real opportunities to deliver other public objectives. It has potential to support landscape and wildlife protection, to ensure more co-ordinated planning and delivery between agencies, to reward multi-benefit land use and to resolve conflicts between different land uses.

2 December 2009, LINK

We Must Learn to Live WITH the Land

Scottish Environment LINK today published “Living with the Land”, a paper outlining proposed content for the Sustainable Land Use Strategy (SLUS)

"For too long we in Scotland have lived off the land, now we need to live with the land. Instead of land being viewed as simply a resource to be exploited for profit and pleasure, we must learn to nurture and sustain the natural qualities of all of our land because its health is absolutely essential to people’s well-being

2 December 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill Stage 2, Amendments (3) Briefing

A detailed briefing on the 3rd Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 2 of the Marine (Scotland) Bill from Scottish Environment LINKs Marine taskforce.

See also :our brief on 1st Marshalled List of Amendments and brief on 2nd Marshalled List of Amendments.

25 November 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill Stage 2, Amendments (2) Briefing

A detailed briefing on the 2nd Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 2 of the Marine (Scotland) Bill from Scottish Environment LINKs Marine taskforce.

See also :our brief on 1st Marshalled List of Amendments and brief on 3rd Marshalled List of Amendments

24 November 2009, LINK Agriculture Taskforce

European Parliament Report on CAP Reform

Letter to George Lyon MEP for Scotland, congratulating him on his appointment by the Agriculture Committee to write the Report on CAP reform.

See also: Beyond the CAP

18 November 2009,

Marine Bill Stage 2, Amendments (1) Briefing

A detailed briefing on the 1st Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 2 of the Marine (Scotland) Bill from Scottish Environment LINKs Marine taskforce.

See also: our brief on 2nd Marshalled List of Amendments and brief on 3rd Marshalled List of Amendments.

17 November 2009,

Oral Evidence on European Union Budget Review Inquiry

LINK gave oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament European and External Relations Committee for their inquiry into the European Union Budget Review.

See also our written evidence: Inquiry into the EU Budget Review and EU Budget Reform Inquiry, Additional Evidence

13 November 2009, LINK

Scotland’s Zero Waste Plan

Keeping to the broader principles for a zero waste strategy, we believe that if the Scottish Government is truly to deliver a Zero Waste Scotland they must...

12 November 2009, LINK Planning Taskforce

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) Proposed Policy Changes Consultation

Scottish Environment LINK Planning Task Force consultation response to the Scottish Government Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) Proposed Policy Changes Consultation.

We broadly welcome the changes proposed and particularly welcome the introduction of much improved policy on climate change, sustainable development and flooding. However, we must make it clear that we retain doubts about the implications of the scale of reduction in background information proposed compared with the current suite of SPPs and NPPGs. We also have some concerns about the somewhat disjointed nature of the further consultation on proposed alterations to the consultation draft only, rather than consultation on a complete draft document...

12 November 2009, LINK Landscape Taskforce

National Park Strategy Group

We at LINK were much encouraged by the cross-party support in the debate in Parliament on 4 November about the future of national parks in Scotland. The government's decision to set up a Strategy Group to look at, inter alia, the boundaries of the existing national parks and the potential for future national parks across Scotland, is welcomed...

Letter to Roseanna Cunningham, Environment Minister

3 November 2009,

Oral Evidence on Common Fisheries Policy Reform

Lloyd Austin attended a Rural Affairs and Environment Committee oral evidence session on behalf on LINK regarding Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform

...we say that ecological sustainability should be at the heart of those central objectives because, in the long term, that will deliver social and economic sustainability...

2 November 2009, LINK

LINK Website Terms and Conditions

LINK Website Terms and Conditions
 

30 October 2009, LINK Agriculture Taskforce

Pack Inquiry Response

Response to the The Brian Pack Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland

LINK believes that agricultural support should be directed towards promoting sustainable development in rural areas...

29 October 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill must be ‘World Leading’ Too

Calum Duncan, the Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Marine Task Force has called for all parties in the Scottish Parliament to continue their progress towards a strong Marine Bill...

26 October 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill Stage 1 Briefing

LINK’s Marine Task Force warmly welcomes the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee’s Stage 1 Report and its recommendations to strengthen the provisions of the Bill in a number of key areas. At the heart of our campaign is our belief that the marine environment is the foundation for all the benefits that the sea provides for the people of Scotland. A healthy and well-functioning marine environment is a prerequisite for a sustainable Scottish economy.

Stage One of the Marine (Scotland) Bill takes place on the 29th October 2009.

14 October 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Marine Bill Must Return Our Seas to Health

Scottish Environment LINK today released an independent scientific report on the historic decline of species in Scotland’s seas, and called for the Marine (Scotland) Act to contain strong measures to reverse these declines - not just to protect what is left

See report: Recovering Scotland's Marine Environment

14 October 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Recovering Scotland’s Marine Environment

Recovering Scotland’s Marine Environment is an independent report by Dr David Hughes and Dr Thom Nickell from the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

Focusing on features for which there is good evidence of decline, the report makes a strong case that Scotland’s marine environment is in a far from pristine state and is in real need of recovery. Many habitats and species have been seriously depleted over a long period as a result of human activities, fragile habitats are particularly vulnerable to some mobile fishing gear, while the discharge of organic waste and water-borne chemical contaminants can also lead to the depletion of certain species. Unsustainable fishing practices have led to the decline of some fish stocks.

See also: press release

10 October 2009, LINK Marine Taskforce

Evidence on Common Fisheries Policy Reform

Written evidence presented to the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee

Reform of the CFP is timely, not only because the 2002 reform has done little to alleviate overfishing and its wider ecological footprint, but also because of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), which sets a challenging new context for fisheries management. The Directive requires that Europe’s seas achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020 at the latest, and requires that reform of the CFP does not impede the delivery of GES, and therefore ‘must take account of the environmental impacts of fishing’...

18 September 2009, LINK Planning Taskforce

Consultation response to the Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) Consultative Draft.

The consolidated SPP could well lead to less effective and consistent development and application of policy, and perversely to more delays and challenges.

16 September 2009,

Oral Evidence on Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill

LINK provided Oral Evidence on stage one of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee. The Committee was specifically looking at sections 1 and 2, which propose the transfer to Scottish Natural Heritage of functions of the Deer Commission for Scotland and the Advisory Committee on Sites of Special Scientific Interest