20 Aug 2026
Scotland’s Environment Strategy (2026) lists integrated actions by which “Scotland’s society is transformed for the better by living sustainably”. It aims to “empower and enable people across Scotland to experience the benefits of shifting towards healthy, sustainable lifestyles”. This “whole of Scotland” approach requires that we understand how well we’re doing in progress towards greater sustainability. Ten years ago, I proposed an index of sustainable development (SD), published in The Ecologist. The index satisfies the […]
13 Aug 2026
In June 2026, Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) published an official investigation evaluating the Scottish Government’s performance in protecting the marine environment. The report concludes that Scotland has failed to meet its statutory target of achieving “Good Environmental Status” (GES) for the seabed—set for and missed in 2020—and identifies critical deficiencies in policy design, environmental monitoring, […]
29 Jul 2026
Few industries are as woven into Scotland’s coastal identity as fishing and few face a more complex management challenge. The variety of different fishing methods and patterns that make up the fleet in Scotland need to be managed in different ways to lessen their interactions and impacts on the marine environment and support sustainable opportunities and coastal livelihoods. In reality, the approach to […]
11 Jun 2026
On June 4th we joined our members and supporters outside the Scottish parliament to demand urgent action to restore Scotland’s nature. Following our Scotland Loves Nature campaign the Natural Environment Act was passed into law this year, requiring the Scottish government to set legally binding nature recovery targets. This could be a game changer – […]
06 May 2026
Scotland and nature are in many ways inseparable: our landscapes, our wildlife, and our seas are all at the heart of our shared culture and identity, and people come here from all around the world to see the wonders we enjoy on our doorsteps... By Dan Paris is director of policy and engagement at Scottish Environment LINK
07 Apr 2026
Scottish voters will go to the polls next month in an election that will bring a massive turnover in elected representatives. As many as half of the MSPs being sworn in are likely to be fresh faces, and – regardless of the winning party – the Cabinet and Ministers will look very different. The 2021-26 parliament […]
26 Mar 2026
In June 2021, in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, MSPs logged on to a Nature Champions webinar to begin their journeys as Nature Champions in the 6th Scottish Parliament. It’s hard to imagine that, in just under five years, so much has been achieved! Since then, more than 100 MSPs have become Nature Champions for some of Scotland’s extraordinary species […]
04 Mar 2026
When independent government advisors have zero confidence in government policy, there’s something badly wrong. But zero confidence is what the Climate Change Committee says it has in the Scottish government’s policies for reducing farming emissions beyond 2030. The climate watchdog’s latest report examines Scotland’s progress in reducing emissions and analyses whether government policy will do what it needs to […]
09 Feb 2026
After over a decade of sustained pressure, Scotland will now have a Natural Environment Act on the statute book. Its passage marks a significant shift: nature recovery is no longer just a policy aspiration but a legal responsibility. The Act strengthens accountability, embeds nature across public decision-making, and provides new tools to tackle some of the most entrenched drivers of biodiversity loss.
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