Badgers (Meles meles) are deeply woven into Scotland’s cultural and working landscapes. The Gaelic word broc appears in place names such as Broxburn (“the broc’s burn”) and Brockencraig, reflecting centuries of coexistence between people and wildlife. Once heavily persecuted through baiting and trapping, badgers narrowly escaped extinction. Changing social attitudes in the early twentieth century reshaped their fortunes, mirrored in cultural works such as The Wind in the Willows, where the badger is portrayed as wise, secure and peaceable – qualities now echoed in our view of wildlife as part of Scotland’s living heritage.1
Ecologically, badgers are considered keystone species and ecosystem engineers. Through digging and foraging, they improve soil structure, disperse seeds and create microhabitats that support many other species.2 Yet Scotland’s most recent Badger Distribution Survey (2022–25) estimates that only 13% of Scotland’s land supports a main sett or social group, with no signs of badgers across 65% of the land mass.3 Around half of all cubs fail to survive their first year. Climate pressures—including rising drought frequency, declining soil health and reductions in earthworm and insect populations—add further strain.
Badgers also provide social value. Their presence in rural and urban areas connects communities with nature, supporting volunteering, citizen science and environmental education that enhance wellbeing, skills and confidence, particularly among young people and marginalised groups.
Photos © Aileen Louden
Sources:
1. Barkham, 2013. Badgerlands. Granta Publications, London.
2. Roper, T. J. 2010. Badger. The New Naturalist Library. Collins, London.
3. Rainey, E., Connolly, S., Vernon, T., Butler, A., Roberts, A.M.I. and Robertson, G. (2025) Scottish Badger Distribution Survey 2022 – 2025: estimating the density and distribution of badger main setts in Scotland and assessing changes over time. Report prepared by Scottish Badgers and Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland.
Action Needed
- Strengthen enforcement and raise public awareness of badger crime: Support sufficient resourcing of enforcement and scrutiny of licensing under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023, and the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 (including the ban on snaring); raise awareness of how to identify and report suspected wildlife crime – Police Scotland via telephoning 101 or report a crime on Police Scotland website, National Wildlife Crime Unit badger priority page, and also report to Scottish Badgers.
- Champion evidence-based policy: Help counter misinformation by promoting trusted scientific evidence on badgers’ ecological roles and Scotland’s bovine TB-free status – share infographics on Scottish Badgers’ website.
- Support habitat protection and restoration: Encourage policies and funding that protect setts and rebuild connected habitats that benefit badgers and wider biodiversity, include badgers as a nature-based solution in building climate change resilience (e.g. restoring soil health, creating habitat & boosting species richness.
- Celebrate nature recovery: Use your platform to highlight badgers as ecosystem engineers whose presence supports biodiversity, green places and community wellbeing – helping build public pride in Scotland’s living natural heritage.
Threats
Badgers are a UK National Wildlife Crime Unit priority species. Although protected under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, recovery from historic persecution has been modest, with ongoing crime and habitat loss limiting their return to natural ranges. Scottish Badgers’ helpline reports have risen from around 500 annually pre-COVID to 900 in 2024–25, including 61 confirmed crimes. Setts are deliberately blocked or destroyed by heavy machinery, and badgers are targeted through digging and baiting with dogs, often linked to organised crime.
Development, agricultural intensification and infrastructure fragment territories and destroy setts. Climate pressures—rising drought, declining soil health and collapsing earthworm and insect populations—further reduce survival.
Persistent misinformation fuels hostility. Scotland has been officially bovine TB-free since 2009, with no wildlife reservoir. Evidence shows badgers do not generally kill lambs and are not driving declines in ground-nesting birds or hedgehogs, which are primarily linked to habitat loss. Only 13% of Scotland’s land supports active badger groups, with no presence at all across 65%.
Enforcement of existing protections faces challenges, as offences are often remote and difficult to evidence.
MSP Nature Champion
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