Publish a plan for marine and coastal ecosystem restoration, including identifying actions to help prioritise habitats and locations suitable for restoration.
Objective 1: Accelerate ecosystem restoration and regeneration
Priority Action 2. Introduce a Programme of Ecosystem Restoration
The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan was published on 12 December 2025, setting out priorities for marine and coastal ecosystem restoration and identifying key habitats and locations for action. The plan provides a framework for targeting restoration activity across marine and coastal environments, including approaches to prioritising habitats for recovery.
Marine and coastal ecosystems remain under pressure, so spatially targeting restoration is important for recovery. The Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan improves prioritisation of key habitats and locations, but it is still early in implementation with limited evidence of on-the-ground restoration outcomes to date.
Scottish Government – Marine and Coastal Restoration Plan (2025)
Collate, review and prioritise all the landscape scale nature restoration projects across Scotland. Using this spatial evidence, NatureScot will identify and help facilitate partnership projects for six exemplar large scale landscape restoration areas with significant woodland components by 2025. By the end of 2026 those projects will have engaged with communities; developed deliverable action…
Develop the new Register of Ancient Woodlands, to include locational data, a definition of the required ‘protected and restored’ condition of ancient woodlands, and a process for recording ancient woodlands that reach the required standard.
Ensure support mechanisms are in place for landowners to restore priority ancient woodlands by 2030, focusing initially on protected/designated woodlands in unfavourable condition.
Implement Scotland’s strategic approach for Scotland’s rainforest which aims to improve its condition and health so that it can regenerate and expand whilst providing benefits to communities.
Develop upland-specific, best practice guidance on measures for upland restoration to regenerate peatlands, increase nature woodland cover, manage grazing, protect certain target species and priority habitats and increase habitat heterogeneity.
Develop a national peatland monitoring framework that incorporates on-site and remotely sensed assessments of biodiversity indicators, climate resilience and associated functions within the wider landscape, hydrological and ecological network contexts.
Transition 4 of the pilot RLUPs (Cairngorms National Park, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, and South of Scotland (Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders Councils, NorthWest 2045 Region (Highlands Council)) to formal initiatives as we seek to continue to develop our understanding of how partnership work can help to optimise land use in a fair and inclusive way meeting local and…
Following consultation in 2023, continue ongoing work towards implementing a ban on the sale of horticultural peat in Scotland.
Deliver additional protection for spawning and juvenile congregation areas where needed, and for species with are integral components of the marine food web.
Develop new approaches to marine biodiversity monitoring, covering both state and pressure assessment and aligned with the UK Marine Strategy.
Develop a Blue Carbon Action Plan to identify where the Scottish Government can most effectively address evidence gaps and progress actions to support the protection, restoration, and enhancement of blue carbon habitats.
The RBMPs aims and objectives for the 2021-27 period, and the associated programme of measures aim to ensure that 81% of all Scotland’s waterbodies (rivers, lochs, groundwater, transitional (estuary/ firth) and coastal waters) achieve a ‘good’ or better classification by 2027 and continue to improve as natural conditions recover beyond that date.
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