Increase the effectiveness of mainstreaming biodiversity on land and at sea through strategies and programmes that include but are not limited to: - National Planning Framework - Agricultural Reform Programme - Scotland’s National Adaptation Plan - Land Reform Programme - Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation - Climate Change Plan - National Marine Plan 2
Objective 6: Take action on the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss
Priority Action 30. Mainstream and integrate biodiversity policy across government.
Biodiversity is integrated across multiple national frameworks, including National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), Scotland’s National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3), the Climate Change Plan, the National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET), land reform policy etc.
However, biodiversity mainstreaming remains much stronger in policy than in delivery. Scotland continues to face major gaps between environmental commitments and implementation, including weak accountability, insufficient resourcing, fragmented delivery and failure to consistently prioritise biodiversity outcomes across government decision-making.
Overall, current evidence suggests biodiversity is increasingly referenced across government policy frameworks, but Scotland does not yet have a coordinated system demonstrating that mainstreaming is consistently changing decisions or delivering ecological recovery at national scale.
There is ongoing weaknesses in delivery, accountability, resourcing, and monitoring, limiting the effectiveness of mainstreaming. In planning, biodiversity enhancement policies exist, but LINK evidence highlights inconsistent implementation and lack of ecological capacity within local authorities. NatureScot guidance confirms there is no mandatory national biodiversity gain framework, limiting consistent measurement of ecological outcomes from development. Across agriculture, climate, and marine policy, there is limited evidence of measurable biodiversity recovery attributable to mainstreaming measures themselves.
Scottish Government – National Planning Framework 4
Scottish Environment LINK – NPF4 response (implementation gaps)
NatureScot – Biodiversity metrics guidance
Scottish Government – Agriculture
National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3)
Scottish Government – National Marine Plan
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