Undertake an evidence-based update of currently available information and advice on biodiversity management to farmers/land managers, to ensure it is up-to-date, clear and easily accessible.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry
Priority Action 14. Ensure increased uptake of high diversity, nature-rich, high-soil carbon, low-intensity farming methods while sustaining high-quality food production
The Farm Advisory Service (FAS), funded by the Scottish Government, remains the main national delivery channel for biodiversity and land management advice to farmers and crofters, providing updated guidance on habitats, peatlands, hedgerows, and biodiversity actions through online tools, publications, and events.
NatureScot has developed and is currently piloting a mandatory biodiversity audit system for Whole Farm Plans, including habitat mapping, condition scoring, and management guidance through the Farm Biodiversity Scotland tool, designed to standardise biodiversity information for land managers.
The Scottish Government Biodiversity Delivery Plan (2024–2030) includes actions to improve the clarity, accessibility, and consistency of biodiversity information for land managers as part of national delivery of the biodiversity strategy.
Environmental charities are actively contributing to biodiversity guidance and uptake:
– RSPB Scotland provides land management guidance for farmland biodiversity, focusing on habitat creation, species protection, and nature-friendly farming systems, including practical advisory resources for farmers.
– Scottish Wildlife Trust promotes landscape-scale habitat restoration and nature-friendly land management through its Living Landscapes approach, providing practical guidance on habitat connectivity and ecosystem restoration.
– Soil Association Scotland provides evidence-based guidance on nature-friendly and regenerative farming systems, focusing on soil health, biodiversity, and reduced chemical input systems as core mechanisms for improving farmland biodiversity outcomes.
Despite these advisory systems, there is no single integrated national platform that consolidates all biodiversity guidance for land managers across farming, forestry, and crofting into one unified, consistently updated system.
SEFARI research and NatureScot evidence identify farmland management as a key driver of biodiversity outcomes, particularly through habitat condition, landscape connectivity, and management intensity.
State of Nature Scotland reports continued long-term biodiversity decline across monitored species groups, indicating that improvements in land management guidance remain critical to reversing ecological loss.
RSPB Scotland and Soil Association Scotland evidence both show that uptake of biodiversity-positive farming practices is strongly linked to clarity, accessibility, and usability of guidance, with simpler, more practical tools improving adoption of nature-friendly management.
Scottish Wildlife Trust evidence on landscape-scale conservation highlights that habitat connectivity and coordinated land management are essential for species recovery, particularly through integrated approaches across farms and landscapes.
NatureScot farm biodiversity audit development shows that structured tools (mapping, condition scoring, and management options) can improve consistency of biodiversity action planning, but implementation is still in early rollout phases.
Taken together, this evidence shows that Scotland has a strong and expanding biodiversity advisory framework, supported by government agencies and environmental charities. However, implementation is still uneven across land managers, meaning ecological outcomes depend on uptake rather than availability of guidance alone.
Farm Advisory Service – Environment Resources
NatureScot – Farming and Crofting Advice
Scottish Government – IPM Guidance (2025)
NatureScot – Farm Biodiversity Project
State of Nature Scotland
RSPB Scotland’s farming activity
Scottish Wildlife Trust – Sustainable Argiculture
Increase the uptake of integrated pest management across Scottish agriculture to minimise risks and impacts of pesticides to the environment in line with the UK National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides.
Develop a routemap (end of 2025) for soil security in Scotland including a review and update of Scotland’s Soil Framework and action/implementation plan (2030).
Develop evidence-based Soil Health Indicators that can be considered for inclusion in Whole Farm Plans and Forest Management Plans.
Improve information for land managers on how to assess and interpret soil erosion risks and implement measures to avoid erosion (and other impacts on soil health related to climate change), including: i) the impacts of extreme rainfall drought events on soils; and ii) maps of soils that have been subject to anthropogenic degradation and are candidates for soil improvement programmes.
Develop and promote clear guidance for practitioners on soil compaction and farm and forestry machinery contractors are engaged in ensuring appropriate use of equipment, uptake of decisionmaking tools and training, to minimise and ultimately avoid compaction damage to soils.
Set up monitoring frameworks to assess change in soil health, based on evidence from the Natural Resources theme of the Strategic Research Programme (2022-2027).
Reduce inputs of nutrients to freshwaters that cause enrichment impacts on biodiversity, by controlling both diffuse and point source pollution through effective nutrient management through agricultural reform and SEPA’s Priority Catchment programme, ensuring compliance with the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (CAR) under River Basin Management Planning.
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