Following COP30 recently held in Belém, Brazil (10–21 November), the global community once again faces a stark warning: we are running out of time. The UN Secretary-General reminded nations that The UN Secretary-General stated that global temperatures going above the crucial 1.5ºC limit is likely to happen by the early 2030s. He stressed that we need a paradigm shift to limit how high and for how long we go above that limit.
Against this urgent international backdrop, Scotland stands at a pivotal moment of its own. With elections scheduled for May 2026, the next Parliamentary term (2026–2031) will be the last before Scotland reaches its 2030 climate and nature targets, the final opportunity for government and parliament to deliver meaningful change.
On 6th October, Sea Scotland organised its first-ever Ocean Hustings (a pre-election event during which candidates or political parties debate policies and answer questions from the audience)a milestone event held at the midpoint of two significant United Nations initiatives: the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
The debate panel was chaired by Claudia Beamish, former Labour Party MSP and Spokesperson for Climate change, environment and land reform, and included representatives from:
Scottish Green Party representative – Ariane Burgess, MSP
Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate – Councillor Sanne Dijkstra-Downie
Scottish National Party candidate – Councillor Kate Campbell
Scottish Labour Party candidate – Councillor Conor Savage
Scottish Conservatives representative sent their apologies.
A youth Manifesto for Scotland’s Seas – calling for bold leadership
This year, the conference partnered with Young Sea Changers Scotland (YSCS), underscoring the importance of ensuring that youth voices are central to decision-making about the ocean’s future.
A major highlight of the event was the launch of the YSCS Youth Manifesto for Scotland’s Seas, a powerful statement shaped by young people from across the country. From coastal communities to inland towns, the manifesto captures the aspirations and urgency of a generation determined to safeguard our marine environment.
The Youth Manifesto calls on political leaders to:
Recognise the ocean as a foundation for climate stability, biodiversity, and community wellbeing.
Embed young people’s priorities into party manifestos ahead of the next parliamentary term. The message was clear: act now to protect our seas for future generations.
Hustings summary – party aspirations and commitments
Ahead of the hustings event, delegates were invited to submit questions, reflecting the wide range of interests and concerns across Scotland’s marine community — from biodiversity recovery and sustainable fisheries to ocean literacy and coastal resilience.
Sea Scotland Chair, Claudia Beamish, highlighted recurring themes in the questions that were put forward by delegates and shared these with the panel.
The full report and details of Scottish political parties’ responses are available here.
Here is a summary of the main commitments and aspirations shared by the political parties:
Climate, biodiversity and Just transition
All parties agreed on the need for marine spatial planning to better balance climate targets and expansion of renewable energies, fisheries and environment protection.
Liberal Democrats emphasised the importance of science-led spatial planning and meaningful community engagement.
Greens called for an end of bottom-towed gear and expanding well-designed no-take zones.
Labour called for rebuilding the marine science capacity and ensuring affected communities shape decisions
The SNP stressed the central role the National Marine Part 2 (NMP2) will play, the need for robust data and early stakeholder engagement.
2. Pollution
Speakers agreed that tackling such a multifaceted issue demanded an integrated approach.
Labour (Cllr Conor Savage) highlighted the importance of a source-to-sea approach and expanding nature-based solutions.
SNP (Cllr Kate Campbell) stressed reducing plastics and tackling lost fishing gear.
Lib Dems (Cllr Sanne Dijkstra- Downie) called for sewage reform, a Clean Water Act and circular-economy measures.
Greens highlighted bans on single-use plastics, regenerative farming and a national fishing-gear clean-up scheme.
3. Fisheries and Community Involvement
All parties supported meaningful involvement with young people. Proposals included Youth Advisory Panels (Labour), integrating youth with other stakeholders (Lib Dems), direct community-level engagement (Greens), and early equal-status involvement (SNP).
All parties also supported restricting damaging practices and rewarding sustainable fleets, with variations on enforcement, quota reform and just transition; as well as ocean literacy, clearer communication, and collaboration to accelerate marine recovery.
The Conversation is just beginning
While political parties’ intentions were encouraging, clarity on how these ambitions will be delivered remains essential. Scotland’s marine environment and coastal communities need not only pledges, but practical pathways to implementation.
The questions raised at the Sea Scotland Ocean Hustings capture the priorities, challenges, and aspirations of a diverse and passionate community. We now invite all participating parties and candidates to view these questions not just as a record of discussion, but as an invitation to engage further, to respond, and to build on the dialogue initiated at Sea Scotland 2025.
This conversation is only beginning. By continuing it, Scotland can stay on course to meet its national and international commitments, ensuring that our seas remain healthy, resilient, and thriving for generations to come.
John Mayhew was a very well known figure at LINK, having served as Chair of the LINK Board from 2006 to 2009. He was Head of Policy at National Trust for Scotland for two decades, until he became Director of APRS, a role he held until he retired in 2022.John was key to LINK members and the network, becoming President of the Scottish Campaign forNational Parks in 2023 and President at Scottish Countryside Rangers Association in 2017. At LINK, he didn’t just serve as an unflappableChair, see one test of his ability to remind calm under pressure, he also cheered us all upwhen we had to hold our festive reception on line in the Covid years.
John was particularly close to the APRS and LINK teams when we all shared an office space first at Gladstone Land and then in Dolphin House where John was always a cheery presence, full of optimism and laughter, and master of the biscuit tin, an integral part of office and meeting life.
He is remembered by all of us who were lucky enough to work closely with him, on LINK board, in the Edinburgh office and in the LINK Groups he was part of, especially Planning and Land Use and Land Reform Groups. He was generous, supportive and great fun. He will be very much missed.
Here are some memories from those who worked with him and remember him with love and affection.
I worked with John, in various capacities, over 2-3 decades. Both at NTS and APRS, he was always someone who valued working with other organisations, either bilaterally or via LINK. At RSPB Scotland and subsequently with LINK, I worked with him on planning cases (quarries, funiculars, renewables), planning policy, National Parks, etc. His passion for the Scottish environment and its protection, as well as the opportunities for its enjoyment, always shone through – but he was also fun to work with.
His support for LINK and co-operative working among eNGOs, while also respecting each organisation’s uniqueness and individual strengths, was a key part of his approach and one reason for his successes and widespread respect. For many years, we were fellow trustees of LINK and each took a turn as Chair of the Board. In my years as Chair, he was a tremendous support and critical friend; I hope I managed to be likewise during his turn.
In later years, he was one of the driving forces behind the “Have you got the bottle” campaign – which (nearly) resulted in the introduction of a proper deposit return scheme in Scotland. When it eventually does arrive, I hope his vision in pressing for this self-evidently good idea will be recognised.
Lloyd Austin, LINK Chair 2003 – 2006 and LINK Honorary Fellow
A favourite memory of mine is from 2007, when we held the LINK AGM at the Falkland Big Tent festival, followed by a ceilidh celebrating our 20th birthday, a midsummer’s event cut short by a deluge before midnight. To my horror (as organiser) an extremely loud drumming workshop began in the tent next door as the AGM started in the afternoon. Initially startled by the thunderous roar, John took it in his stride, shoehorning the AGM business at rapid pace into the intervals between drumming bouts. He saw the funny side of it of course, though he confessed it had been an unusual challenge. Total grace under pressure!
Alice Walsh, LINK’s Development Officer, 1991 – 2021
Difficult to single one thing out about John but I simply remember how warm and good natured he was, with a laugh and smile that was contagious. He was always such a helpful sounding board for me on work issues, and such a knowledgeable person to ask about any hillwalking route in Scotland.
It was clear how much he adored his family and it was great to hear his tales after being away with them on holiday, skiing or wherever else.
I used to smile at him sitting working away at his desk at Hunter Square, still wearing his cycling gear after commuting in by bike…with his smart trousers hanging up on the coat hanger behind him. Ready to go to an impromptu meeting with an MSP at Holyrood or give an interview if needed.
We also shared a great appreciation of having cake or nice biscuits in the office too!
It genuinely was a joy to have known John.
Lisa Webb, LINK’s Advocacy Office Administrator 2015 – 2021
During the last year of my PhD, (i think, it was a long time ago anyway) I asked Simon Pepper for some advice on career choices, what I should do next and so forth. As well as giving me his own thoughts he put me in touch with John. I remember a lovely, positive and encouraging phone call with John, who had no idea who I was. Back then he was with NTS and to my mind it sounded like he had the most incredible job as he spoke so positively about it and what it enabled him to do. It wasn’t a long phone call but at a time when I was looking for guidance and support he happily gave up his time, chatted to me and I have always been grateful for that – indeed I always try and do the same now if a student gets in touch.
Sam Gardner, LINK trustee 2014 – 2022 and LINK Honorary Fellow
John’s early death is a significant loss to the Scottish environment movement. He was forever a champion of landscapes both natural and cultural in his work for the NTS, for APRS and in advocating for more national parks in Scotland. He came from that rich tradition begun in the early post WWII period which saw landscape beauty and access to and enjoyment of it as a major force for good in society and one which had to be protected and stewarded. And what a champion he was.
His work at NTS, where we had many dealings when I had various governance roles, demonstrated his true character as thoughtful, diligent, committed, solid, reliable, straightforward and uncomplicated. He played effectively the role of guardian of the Trust’s key principles, born out of the Unna Rules enunciated by Percy Unna, a 1930s benefactor of land. He ensured that their stewardship was recognised and that the Conservation Principles and the practice emanating from them were uppermost in mind in decision making about properties and wider landscapes, and that they were carefully reassessed for their continuing relevance. It was nothing less than scandalous when he was forced out of the Trust, which lost not only a champion but also an important corporate memory.
He played a leading role in helping to revive APRS as a crucial voice for the rural environment. Most will remember him as a driving force behind the ongoing campaign for more national parks in Scotland. Here he demonstrated his customary committed and durable approach despite setbacks from governments, and opposition from those, including myself, who thought the case was not made. This opposition he faced with gentle robustness and dignity that did the case he espoused great merit. Whether you agreed with him or not, we, and that certainly included me, greatly admired his tenacity and determination and his ability to argue the case on ethical, aesthetic, and cultural grounds.
We will miss him as a colleague and friend, and we will remember him for his resoluteness, reliability, common sense and approachableness.
Roger Crofts, LINK Honorary Fellow
I remember John as Chair of Scottish Environment LINK when I was a Trustee. He was extremely well informed, no-nonsense and incredibly committed to making Scotland a better place for people and wildlife. He was great fun to spend time with and was a fantastic representative and advocate for SEL. John was a true force of nature and his untimely passing is a great loss to us all.
Andrew Fairbarin, LINK Trustee 2003 – 2011 and LINK Honorary Fellow
“From my time as LINK chair (and before), I remember John as one of the most affable, thoughtful and understanding of all the NGO representatives who helped to guide and direct the work of LINK. He was dedicated in his commitment to ensuring a sound future for rural Scotland, but recognised that this would be achieved best by working in partnership with all the other countryside and environmental bodies represented on LINK. He was always considerate to the LINK staff, and supportive to my role as chair, and I remember several occasions when he found a sensible route to compromise when other member bodies were arguing over the best approach to potentially divisive issues. And throughout, I was please to regard him as a friend.”
Michael Scott, LINK Chair, 1995 – 1999 and LINK Honorary Fellow
My memory of John is always as a very positive, encouraging and welcoming presence at LINK events, whether Congress, group meetings or strategic planning days. I always remember him as a generous host at LINK landscape and planning group meetings in Gladstone’s Land or Hunter Square. There were always copious pots of his excellent coffee and the APRS biscuit tin. Much appreciated when you’d travelled a distance to get there.
Helen Todd, Chair of LINK 2014 – 2017 and LINK Honorary Fellow
During his long career with Scotland’s environmental voluntary organisations John was always a welcome, authoritative contributor to any meeting. His cheery greeting for everyone, wise words and clear thinking were appreciated by all. No meeting concluded without John having made a positive contribution. Helping to secure a national park system for Scotland was a highlight while his subsequent production of “Unfinished Business” is the guiding star for national parks of the future. And when politicians finally get around to establishing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers we will all remember that it was John who laid the foundations with his leadership of the “Have You Got The Bottle” campaign.
Dave Morris, CEO at Ramblers Scotland to 2014 and LINK Honorary Fellow
One of my favourite things about John was how he greeted everyone. His desk was the first you saw when you walked into the LINK/APRS office, and he always looked up with a smile. He was truly one of the jolliest and kindest people I’ve known, and he always lit up over his favourite office biscuits – stem ginger cookies that Nina used to bring.
Our office in Dolphin House on the Royal Mile was notorious for buskers (bagpipes and questionable singers). One afternoon, it was just John and me when something unusual happened – an incredible jazz musician played outside. We deliberately kept the window open and spent the whole afternoon working with the music in the background, taking breaks to stand at the window and chat (and not get as much work done as we probably should have).
Juliet Caldwell, LINK Advocacy Officer, 2020 – present.
John clearly loved life, family and the outdoors, always brimming with ideas. He was much loved and admired, and I had the great pleasure and privilege of knowing and working with John for over two decades from his time at LINK, at NTS, and then of course with APRS and all the historic, and fun and pioneering, campaigns on DRS. John was a one of a kind, always cheery, convivial and full of sharp and friendly good humour. We were all the richer for knowing John and will miss him greatly, as will all who were lucky enough to know him.
Calum Duncan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Marine Conservation Society, LINK Marine Group Convenor to 2025
I first met John when our children attended the same RSPB group but really got to know him during the Dolphin House era. John was a key member of the truly supportive and fun colleagues in the shared APRS – LINK office in Dolphin House. Happy memories of coffee breaks with John’s homemade biscuits, John’s very tidy desk, his helpfulness, openness and modesty.
Phoebe Cochrane, LINK Sustainable Economics Officer, 2014 – 2024
John was Chair of LINK’s board when I became vice chair in 2006: he was so supportive to me as his vice chair and his calm and friendly approach helped build my confidence when I eventually took over as chair. Our paths crossed many times, both at LINK meetings and in the Edinburgh office where his jolly welcomes, his insistence on real coffee and facilitating the office composting made it feel like a home from home.
Deborah Long, LINK Chair 2006 – 2014, LINK CEO 2019 – present
Collage memory of John from Catherine Gemmell and the APRS Have you got the bottle team 2016
Straight off, let’s remember that the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2020 stated that “$44 trillion of economic value generation – over half the world’s total GDP – is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services and, as a result, exposed to risks from nature loss.”
The UK is currently deep in political debate about its economic performance so you might think the WEF analysis would be pertinent and politicians would focus, at least in part, on stabilising and rebuilding our national ecosystem services. But, no, we get the UK Chancellor, in January 2025, urging the CEOs of key regulators to ‘tear down regulatory barriers’ that hold back economic growth, while the Business & Trade Secretary says “We will make it simpler and faster for projects to agree environmental permits, in some cases removing them altogether ..”
Meanwhile, the front-runner Reform UK Party wants to scrap all retained EU environmental regulations and its 2024 manifesto claims that “the economy is being wrecked by … nanny state regulations” and “net zero is crippling our economy”.
Much of this rhetoric is influenced by the mood in the USA where, for example, President Trump has described ESG (environment, social & governance) investment as a way to attack American business.
Perhaps it’s time to ask the simple question; “What’s the evidence?”
Let’s start with the OECD Environmental Policy Stringency (EPS) Index , published annually for 40 countries including both large and small (eg USA & China through to Iceland & Estonia). It is based on an assessment of market and non-market policy instruments targeted on climate change and air quality (eg CO2 trading, NOx tax, fuel taxes, emission limits on particulates, sulphur controls, support for solar & wind energy). The index can’t assess other instruments, such as nature protection and waste minimisation, since there are no comparable international data and many of these controls are determined, and imposed, at sub-national level. The Index has a scale from 0 to 6, with most countries falling between 2 and 4.
Many of us don’t like it – but the traditional measure of economic performance remains GDP per capita. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per head is a measure of average economic output per person.
To test the current political rhetoric, it is instructive to look at the change in EPS for each of the 40 nations against that nation’s change in GDP per capita. If environmental regulation is tightened – you might expect economic growth to weaken. Conversely, as advocated by an increasing number of politicians, if environmental policy is weakened – then economic growth might accelerate. Let’s choose the 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, shortly after the 2008 financial crash and before the Covid crisis – both of which battered GDP worldwide.
Here’s the result:
There is no statistically significant difference between the mean GDP change, over those 10 years, for those countries with an EPS that declined and those countries with an EPS that increased. There is no evidence, from this analysis, that strengthening environmental controls undermines economic growth and, equally, there is no evidence that weakening environmental controls increases economic growth.
Just one example from the USA, the world’s largest economy at the time, which increased its EPS Index from 2.03 to 2.92 and also increased its GDP per capita by +16%. From 2010 to 2019 President Obama was in the White House, handing over to President Trump for the final two years.
So, that’s one pretty convincing answer to the question “What’s the evidence?”. As Aldous Huxley said “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored”.
What then is reckoned to improve national economies? Well, it’s often quoted to be business innovation. The Porter Hypothesis actually suggests that good environmental regulation stimulates business innovation and, ultimately, benefits the bottom line. There is certainly plenty of evidence that regulation stimulates innovation in clean technologies but there is mixed evidence of any significant impact on the overall national economy. The other big influences on economic performance are thought to be related to available financial investment, and the workforce skill set.
It’s instructive to learn that the Scottish Government itself recognises that Nature supports £40 Billion per year to the Scottish economy and 260,000 jobs; that’s 20% of GDP and 10% of jobs. Clearly it’s time that the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, and the enterprise agencies, as well as Skills Development Scotland, put priority on, and investment into, growing the environment.
So, the bottom line – environmental controls are blameless in the UK’s and Scotland’s economic challenges and, as the old Gershwin song might go: “You need ecology and I need economy. We need each other. Let’s call the whole feuding off”.
If Nature could speak, what would she say? On the eve of the Just Transistion summit 2025 and two days before the debate in Scottish Parliament about the Natural Environment Bill, I imagined what nature would want to say to us.
Biodiversity is declining across the world, and also in Scotland. IPBES’ global assessment of biodiversity and ecocystem services shows how fast key ecosystem services that support life on earth are declining and how much biodiversity is being lost. At home, 1 in 9 species in Scotland are at threat of extinction and Scotland languishes in the bottom 15% of countries for our biodiversity intactness index, which measures how resilient our ecosystems are to change (State of Nature Scotland 2023).
We need to transform how we live. The IPBES 2024 report, looking at the causes of biodiversity loss and the transformative changes required, reflects the systemic, persistent and pervasive challenges we face and underlines the need to act quickly given that delay is costly compared to the benefits of acting now.
In Scotland, the Natural Environment Bill is an opportunity to put nature, our life support system, at the centre of policy making. Nature targets help focus action and investment; Nature Networks and functioning protected areas build resilient ecosystems able to withstand climate change. Alongside existing policies on public subsidies for farming and forestry that deliver for nature, building biodiversity enhancement into the planning system and measuring our impact on the environment as part of Scotland’s well being, this bill is a key step forwards and one Nature would welcome.
A Just Transistion to a better future for everyone is possible if we need to act now, ensuring sectors that contribute most to biodiversity loss and climate change adopt more sustainable approaches and transforming today’s dominant economic and financial systems so that they prioritise nature and social justice over private interests. Our most powerful strategy for transformative change is to recognise that nature is our life support system and that our connections to nature both inspire and sustain us. Nature knows this, but we have forgotten.
This is what I think Nature would say to us if she could speak.
Dear Humanity
I’ve had enough. It’s all take, take, take with you. I’ve given you clean water, clean air. I provide you with food crops, timber and fibre but what thanks do I get? You take me for granted and assume that just because I’ve always given all this, I can just keep on doing that.
Well, I can’t for much longer. You’re making it too hard. I need space to manage rainfall, coming now in torrents, thanks to your insatiable thirst for fossil fuels, and prevent it flooding your homes and businesses. I need wet peats and peaty soils to stop wildfires spreading. I need scrub and hedgerows to deflect and defuse the wind to prevent it uprooting trees and blowing off roofs. I need kelp forests to break huge waves and storm surges. I need flowers to sustain my armies of pollinators and pest control units.
We need to reset our one sided relationship. If I keep giving to you, you need to start giving back. Otherwise we’re done. It makes no difference to me really: I’ll survive in one form or another. But I’ll give up on you. And you won’t survive without me.
Mend your ways. Let my uplands and river banks regenerate with trees. Stop insisting my grasslands and heathlands must be home to single species – let the edges and spaces between grow frilly with flowers. Let the trees grow in Scotland’s ‘Deer forests’ where today there are a straggly few. Release your obsession with single tree species forests – find better ways to incorporate different trees and let woodlands become shaggy with lichens and filled with bird songs and animal snuffles. Stop filling my rivers with litter, chemicals and sewage.
By Esther Brooker, senior marine advocacy officer, Scottish Environment LINK
If you’re reading this blog, you probably have an interest in the sea. You’ve probably heard of marine protected areas (MPAs) – patches of the sea set aside and protected by law to safeguard wildlife and habitats. You may even have heard of global nature conservation goals, such as “30 by 30”, which aims to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030. But what about the other 70%? What happens to the wildlife and habitats in the rest of Scotland’s seas that are still important? That’s where the Scottish Government’s new proposals for protecting priority marine features (PMFs) outside MPAs may help.
These proposals will restrict certain types of seabed-contacting fishing gear from damaging small areas where vulnerable PMFs are still found in good condition.
To understand why this matters we need to go back to Loch Carron in 2017, where a scallop dredger accidentally damaged flame shell beds – a rare and ecologically rich habitat, of which most of the UK population occurs on the west coast of Scotland. The Scottish Government’s response was swift, designating Loch Carron as an emergency MPA to prevent further damage. The event was a wake-up call, showing how quickly sensitive seabed habitats can be damaged or destroyed, and how urgently Scotland needed mechanisms beyond MPAs to protect these critically important but fragile places. It also helped to sharpen the concept of PMFs – a list of 81 threatened and declining species and habitats such as maerl beds, seagrass meadows and native oyster reefs that underpin healthy marine ecosystems, but remain highly vulnerable to certain fishing gears, especially trawls and dredges.
(photo credits: Paul Naylor marinephoto.co.uk)
Until 2017, PMFs had only been protected inside existing MPAs, and even then it was only the few MPAs where fisheries restrictions had been put in place. Outside those boundaries, management has been patchy, and many of these features have been preserved either because they are not accessible to the fishing gears that damage them, or they have benefitted from indirect interventions such as fish stock management or marine infrastructure. The newly published proposals, which are expected to open for formal public consultation in November along with proposals for fisheries restrictions for inshore MPAs, are designed to help close the gap in protection. They identify areas in Scotland’s inshore waters where specific PMFs are known or likely to occur, and set out management options to reduce the impact of bottom-contacting mobile fishing gear. In plain terms, this means new measures that limit the use of dredges and trawls in the most sensitive areas – a targeted approach, rather than a blanket ban.
A small number of critics have already compared these PMF proposals to Scotland’s “highly protected marine areas” (HPMA) process, which sought to designate at least 10% of Scotland’s seas as highly protected by excluding almost all activities that extract resources from the sea. These proposals, published to consultation in 2022, were shelved by the Scottish Government following strong opposition by industry and some community groups. The recently-published PMF measures, by contrast, have emerged from a slower, more deliberate process rooted in existing legislation and scientific evidence. NatureScot’s surveys, citizen science efforts, stakeholder engagement and fisheries data have guided the identification of proposed management zones. Instead of sweeping designations, the proposals focus on protecting 11 PMFs where they are most at risk. That means a flame shell bed in one sea loch might warrant gear restrictions, while other areas with no sensitive features may see little change. It’s a finer-grained, more adaptive approach, and one which aims to protect habitats without unnecessarily constraining sustainable fishing.
The HPMA concept was about setting aside entire areas for full ecosystem recovery, effectively as marine sanctuaries. The PMF measures, on the other hand, are about risk management, ensuring that fishing practices do not damage the most vulnerable parts of the seabed that still remain. They are not new MPAs, nor do they bring sweeping prohibitions. Instead, they build on existing policy commitments in Scotland’s National Marine Plan to protect the most vulnerable seabed PMFs “wherever they occur”. In other words, this is the Scottish Government doing what it already promised to do 8 years ago, but with more transparency, data and stakeholder input.
It would be wrong to see this as a purely technical exercise. Beneath the maps and management details lies a deeper shift in how Scotland addresses conservation and sustainable use of its seas. The lesson from the HPMA process was not that protection of nature is unpopular, but that it must be co-designed and inclusive. This PMF process has sought to recognise that fishers, scientists, environmental groups and coastal communities all have knowledge that can contribute. By targeting management to where it is most ecologically justified, the hope is that conservation can proceed without alienating those who depend on the sea for their livelihoods. Indeed, the Scottish fishers recognise more keenly than most that safeguarding the habitats on which fish and shellfish depend is not just good for nature, it’s essential for the long-term sustainability of their own livelihoods.
These new measures also complement the fisheries management already in place within some of Scotland’s inshore MPAs – and must also complement those still to be put in place – helping to build a more coherent, joined-up approach to protecting habitats that sustain both biodiversity and coastal economies. Still, caution is warranted. The success of these measures will depend on how they are implemented. Enforcement and monitoring must be adequately resourced, measures should be refined with new data or local insight, and coastal communities and businesses in particular should be supported to ensure they can adjust to the new restrictions. Protecting PMFs in isolation won’t solve the pressures on Scotland’s seas – water quality, climate change and the effects of multiple human activities and developments must still be tackled. These proposals are therefore a necessary step but not the destination. If Scotland is to achieve true ecosystem recovery and resilience, future measures will need to extend more widely and account for the cumulative pressures that affect the marine environment as a whole.
In the longer view, the PMF proposals signal a maturing of Scotland’s marine policy. After years of debate over where to draw lines on maps, attention is turning to how to manage what lies within and beyond them. This approach to protecting PMFs may lack the boldness of the HPMA proposals, but it carries a recognition that healthy seas require both protection and participation, and that conservation doesn’t stop with MPAs. The new PMF measures will complement the fisheries management measures already in place within Scotland’s network of inshore MPAs, and those that are still to be implemented, helping to create a more coherent and connected system of protection across the wider sea. If Loch Carron taught us the cost of inaction, perhaps this process can show us what more careful, collaborative action looks like in practice, and why it must continue to grow in ambition over time.
Headline photo: Flame shell in maerl, Paul Naylor marinephoto.co.uk
Across Scotland, communities are increasingly calling for a more active role in the caring for their local seas, whether through co-managing local marine areas, leading conservation projects, or shaping the decisions that affect their coasts. These ambitions reflect a wider global movement toward more inclusive, locally grounded approaches to nature restoration and environmental governance.
Scotland’s policy landscape echoes these ambitions. The National Performance Framework seeks “inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe” communities, while the Scottish Blue Economy Vision sets out an ambition for Scotland to become an “ocean literate and aware nation” where people feel part of a coastal country and are empowered to participate in decision-making.
Community engagement is not just a democratic ideal. Done properly, it leads to more trusted, adaptive, and context-specific outcomes. Empowered communities can strengthen both social and ecological resilience, making national biodiversity and sustainability more achievable.
Recognising this, Scottish Environment LINK, with support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, commissioned Howell Marine Consulting (HMC) to explore how Scotland can better support community leadership in marine management through policy.
Where are we now?
Scotland already has legislation and policies that establish participation as a principle of governance, such as:
The Scotland Act 1998 embedded power-sharing and openness as core to devolved decision-making.
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 aimed to give communities greater influence over decisions and local assets.
Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MACAA) requires a Statement of Public Participation (SPP) for marine plans.
The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 provides powers to develop a National Marine Plan (NMP) and Regional Marine Plans (RMPs), with Marine Planning Partnerships (MPPs) intended as spaces for communities to shape how local seas are managed.
Supporting this legislative framework are practical tools such as the Participation Handbook, the National Standards for Community Engagement (NSCE), and guidance on effective engagement in Local Development Planning. Collectively, these offer pathways for communities to be more involved in marine stewardship, and the report highlights a range of case studies showing what this can look like in practice.
Key gaps between ambition and reality
Despite the strong framework, meaningful community participation remains patchy in practice. Too often it is:
Optional – dependent on the goodwill or priorities of individual leaders rather than a guaranteed right.
Under-resourced – with limited funding, staffing, or institutional support to make participation feasible or sustainable.
Unmeasured – with little evaluation of whether participation is happening or how effective it is.
Leadership across sectors and government portfolios has not consistently embraced or implemented the mechanisms already available to support community involvement. Even the government’s own Participation Handbook concedes that meaningful participation can be too resource-intensive for officials to lead leaving communities initiate processes themselves, often without the resources they need.
Marine Planning: A key opportunity
Marine planning is an approach for balancing the multiple uses of the marine space, including human activities and environmental needs. Marine planning in Scotland offers a particularly important pathway for improving marine and coastal issues. Scotland’s first National Marine Plan (NMP), 2015, includes principles for stakeholder engagement. In parallel, 11 legally recognised marine regions for which Regional Marine plans (RMPs) could be developed and should be undertaken by Marine Planning Partnerships (MPP) were established. These partnerships have the potential to bring local voices directly into marine decision-making.
The draft National Marine Plan 2 (NMP2) is supported by a stakeholder engagement strategy and Statement of Public Participation (SPP). However, much of the engagement outlined is limited to informing or consulting, rather than enabling meaningful collaboration. Meanwhile, progress on RMPs has stalled: there is no legal duty to produce them, and the Scottish Government has paused development until NMP2 is finalised – which has already been significantly delayed – leaving many regions in limbo.
LINK Recommendations.
Key concerns remain related to the resources available within government and the rapid pace of decision-making. This disconnect between ambition and implementation underscores the need for clearer accountability, better resourcing, and stronger leadership to realise the full potential of community involvement in managing Scotland’s marine environment. To address these gaps, LINK thinks the Scottish Government should:
Get Regional Marine plans up and running across Scotland – By 2030, all 11 marine regions should have properly resourced Regional Marine Planning Partnerships. While the National Marine Plan can set high-level objectives for stakeholder and community engagement, RMPs offer a clear route to give communities a real say in decisions, make restoration funding more strategic and ensure that benefits for people and nature go hand in hand.
Create a national fund for community-led management – A dedicated pot of money would allow communities to step up their role in shaping the future of their seas, through training, capacity building and turning local knowledge into policy influence.
Expand successful co-management pilots – The Crown Estate Scotland pilot in Orkney showed how trust and transparency can grow when local people share responsibility for managing their seas. This model should be rolled out more widely, potentially including new approaches.
Build ocean literacy and process literacy – Ocean literacy is the understanding of the ocean’s influence on people, and people’s influence on the ocean. Scotland needs an Ocean Literacy Strategy to ensure people understand not only why the sea matters, but how decisions about it are made and how to get involved. This could mean school programmes, community training, accessible tools and strong links to regional marine planning.
Strengthen and align frameworks for co-management – Community engagement tends to be fragmented and tokenistic. Scotland needs clearer, more consistent rules that set real standards for participation and co-management, aligned with existing land reform and empowerment processes, and fully recognising coastal and island communities.
In July 2025, Scottish Environment LINK reached an amazing milestone! Our membership reached 50 member organisations. Deborah Long, LINK’s current CEO, has been talking to early supporters, early drivers of change and some of LINK’s newer members about this milestone…
LINK has come a long way since its start in 1987, with 14 member organisations signing up as what was Scottish Wildlife and Countryside Link (SWCL) at its inaugural meeting on 3 February.
Reaching this milestone is happening at a time when action for nature and the environment needs to be stronger and faster than ever. LINK’s growing network helps us all build momentum and be a stronger voice for Scotland’s environment, together. We’re so grateful to our members for all they contribute towards our network. Between them, they are supported by an estimated 0.5 million supporters: this gives weight to LINK as the coordinated voice for Scotland’s environment: politicians and Government should listen to the people of Scotland, represented through LINK, because environment obviously matters to them.
LINK’s first twenty years is the subject of A strong, coherent voice, written by Honorary Fellow Michael Scott, Chair of LINK between 1995 – 1999. LINK then marked thirty years with a short film, Scottish Environment LINK at 30. The film heard from those actively engaged in LINK in 2017 and about how it helps coordinate a strong voice for the environment and the importance of a support network for those working in the sector, giving often difficult messages, watching what is happening in the natural world and looking forward. It’s not an easy or comfortable place to be. Plans are afoot for marking 40 years in a couple of years’ time.
Drennan Watson, one of LINK’s earliest Chairs, was an early driving force at LINK and was vital in revolutionising ideas about what was possible for the environment voluntary sector. He recalled LINK’s early days:
“Early days of what was then SWCL, and then LINK, saw discussions among us on things like ‘how can we penetrate this apparently impregnable institution called the Scottish Office and influence policy’. We certainly managed to get meetings with Scottish Ministers of the Environment but these were not particularly useful. I recall one meeting with Lord James Douglas Hamilton when, looking around me at the delegation we had got together at expense of their time, I got so annoyed that I sort of fell out onto their civil service adviser after Lord James had left the meeting, who was also upset. “What’s the matter?” I asked. His face rather crumpled and he said, “Drennan, If we advised him to jump out the 8th floor window of the Scottish Office and the leader of the opposition would catch him – He’d do it!”. Lord James was succeeded by Lord Sanderson, who was the ultimate in right wing hunting and shooting chap. He sat in front of us, thumped his fists on the table, and said, “The sporting estate is the backbone of the Highland economy!” The tourist industry had apparently escaped his attention.
“But devolution had come and oversight on protected areas like SSSIs was passing to a devolved government along with broader oversight over land use. But of course the whole structure of protected areas was based on a UK assessment – not just Scotland. We could foresee problems and asked for a meeting with Malcolm Rifkind, then Secretary of State for Scotland and therefore chief Scottish minister. He replied, saying – you had best see my minister of environment about this. However, we were not wasting our time on another cheerfully useless meeting so I sent another letter saying this was more widely significant and we needed a meeting with him, as chief minister for Scotland – code for ‘We deal with organ grinders, not monkeys!’ We immediately got a meeting! We found out later from his advisers that we were pushing at an open door. Rifkind took one look at the breadth and size of the diverse NGOs behind the request and thought he had to meet with us. A very significant moment for LINK!
“The meeting was very different from those before with Lord James and others. I did a brief explanation of the issue. He then looked thoughtful for a moment and said, “I need to know more about this!” Michael Scott (Plantlife) led off with a clear explanation of the issue followed on by Lloyd (RSPB) clarifying it further. Rifkind listened attentively. Then came the follow up: I still have a copy of a lengthy letter from him asking our opinion on which of diverse arrangements would work – like setting up an overseeing committee. WE HAD ARRIVED!”
Michael Scott says:
“For as long as I can remember, Scottish Environment LINK has been very considerably more than the sum of its parts. But when the sum of the parts reaches 50, then LINK really does become a significant force of nature.”
Alice Walsh was LINK’s long standing Development Officer, from 1991 until 2021 and said:
“It is immensely encouraging to see the numbers of member bodies grow, each of them contributes time, expertise and, not least, a sizeable membership subscription. This helps ensure LINK’s independent voice, speaking loud and clear for the essential public good of having a thriving natural environment as the basis for humans to flourish.”
Jen Anderson was LINK’s first member of staff and its Chief Officer until 2019. She too is pleased to see LINK’s membership still growing, from its base of 14 founding organisations in 1987; and still a strong partnership of small and large, national and local, all bringing something different to the collective knowledge and experience.
One of LINK’s current members, Archaeology Scotland, was represented at LINK meetings by Jonathan Wordsworth, who was their Rural Land Use Adviser:
“As a member of a small organisation (Archaeology Scotland) interested in protecting and enhancing Scotland’s past, I have always been impressed at how inclusive Scottish Environment LINK has been, caring for both Scotland’s cultural as well as natural heritage, for its valued landscapes as well as protecting its biodiversity.”
Today, LINK is chaired by Professor James Curran. He notes the power of LINK as the collaboration between, now, 50 environmental charities with, between them, around half a million, subscription-paying and dedicated individual members. For comparison, ALL the political parties in Scotland, combined, probably have around 150,000 paying members. He thinks it is certainly beyond time that mainstream politics took serious note of the environmental concerns of the people of Scotland:
“It’s never too late, as they say. But, genuinely, it nearly is …”
Even from outside the sector, the power and impact of working together has been noted:
Richard Lochhead, MSP, former Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Climate Change and the Environment (2007-2016) noted that LINK as a collective voice for the environment shaped public debate and worked with politicians to make sure Scotland addressed some of the urgent pressures and issues facing the environment. Even though he was seriously challenged, he found the voice and the input very valuable (Scottish Environment LINK at 30). Bill Wilson, MSP (2007 – 2011) commented on the value of one of LINK’s early campaigns, Don’t Take the P:
“LINK ensured that there was a coordinated effort rather than a piecemeal approach to the campaign. If an MSP had a question it was possible to approach a single body to obtain an overview…., making it easier for them to manage their time and avoid contradictory messages.”
(SCVO: Charities, Scotland and Holyrood: twenty years delivering change. 2019.)
Roger Crofts, former CEO of Scottish Natural Heritage and now a LINK Honorary Fellow says:
“This is brilliant news. It demonstrates the strength of Scottish Environment LINK as an environmental advocacy body which others wish to join to strengthen our collective voice.”
Two of our most recent members are happy to be part of the network: a small new charity, Bright Green nature, based in the Scottish Borders is one of them. Their CEO Karen Blackport says:
“As a grassroots organisation working on community-led nature restoration in the Scottish Borders, we joined LINK to connect with like-minded groups, share learning, and strengthen our voice within national policy and advocacy conversations. We’re particularly interested in contributing to discussions on biodiversity, land use, and youth engagement, and in learning from others doing impactful work across Scotland.”
The second very recent member is Association of Environmental Clerks of Works. Their Chair, Rebecca Passmore says:
“AEnvCoW is excited to have become part of a network that has similar aims and objectives, which will enable us to augment our work and make it more impactful in protecting Scotland’s environment. We are looking forward to identifying like-minded champions and groups through LINK to achieve this, and in turn, supporting other organisations in doing so.”
Another recent member is the Atlantic Salmon Trust. Alison Baker, their Restoration Director says:
“The Atlantic Salmon Trust is a proud member of Scottish Environment LINK, ensuring that the endangered wild Atlantic salmon is represented at the highest levels. Wild salmon don’t swim alone. As a keystone and indicator species they support, and rely on, the wider biodiversity of our rivers, coasts and seas. By aligning efforts with partners working to conserve and restore other species, we are stronger together as we work towards a thriving, resilient future for Scotland’s nature.”
LINK’s strength is its members and the dedicated staff team who support them. The environment and the planet has never needed champions more, ready to voice the uncomfortable and point out the awkward while always looking into the long-term future.
At twenty years, Simon Pepper, a key driving force for LINK in its early years, said:
“It is time to encourage environmental bodies to think and act out of the box, be exciting, take risks, attract attention, challenge shibboleths, expose the bogged down for being bogged down, loosen up the white-knuckle grip on precious old issues, and think of ways of generating new alliances for fresh, new, creative approaches.” (A strong, coherent voice 2007).
I hope we’ve managed to do that and will continue to do that as we all look forward to a very different world in 2050.
By Dr Deborah Long, Chief Executive at Scottish Environment LINK
We live on a small island on the edge of the Atlantic ocean. Our landscape is highly diverse. There are very few other places in the world where you can physically walk from rainforest to alpine meadows in one day. But in Scotland you can.
But we live in times of change: climate change is bringing much more unpredictable weather, increased storminess and greater fluctuations in temperatures and precipitation. One in nine of Scotland’s species are at risk of extinction – driven by habitat fragmentation, climate change, the impact of non-native invasive species and pollution. As a result, we live in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, despite our reputation for wildlife and landscapes. We will all have noticed the loss of biodiversity within our own lifetimes.
However, the clue to our future is in this diversity of landscape, topography and geology. Diversity makes us stronger, and a key part of our future depends on this diversity. But we need to defend that diversity. It’s time to change the trajectory of both climate change and biodiversity loss by acting together in solidarity, and acting now.
We can’t become net zero without nature. We know that acting to reconnect and restore our ecosystems is one of the most effective ways of addressing climate change, both in the carbon it stores and in the ways it helps us all adapt to an increasingly unpredictable climate. Tackling the nature crisis and working towards net zero in Scotland’s land use sector means better land use planning and food system change. Tackling both equals a resilient and more enjoyable future for all.
The thing is that achieving net zero is not just about emissions. We talk as if that is all it is. It’s only half of the issue and less than half of the response needed. We have developed a kind of tunnel vision, focussed on technological fixes. They are not enough and they won’t impact quickly enough either. If we take a systems approach – which is what farming is all about – moving to sustainable production in grass fed livestock for example and expanding nature rich habitats, including but not limited to woodlands and peatlands, these bring multiple benefits. It’s better for nature, it means better food and healthier animals and it brings a healthier, more resilient environment.
Talk about trade-offs is divisive and, I think, unproductive. It creates winners and losers and pits them against each other. Essentially, we are talking about trading the future’s environment to support our own unsustainable use of our environment today. The trade-off is ultimately that future generations are paying for our current choices. Instead, we should focus on what we all want – a healthy fully functioning environment able to support healthy individuals, businesses and communities into the future. Then we can talk about the opportunities and benefits we still have, with these conversations happening with space and time to plan changes and implement them effectively, fairly and to maximum effect. However, the longer we leave doing this the bigger the trade-offs, both in terms of how we use land now and what the future looks like for future generations.
So what are these opportunities and the trade-offs they bring or avoid?
The trade-off between meeting today’s needs without compromising the needs of future generations is a choice. The choice is: continue down the path we are on. We continue to tinker with a system that benefits very few in the short term, continues to contribute to climate change (when the land use sector is actually very well placed to mitigate and adapt to change) and that continues to contribute to nature loss and fragmentation.
This benefits no one in the long term: farmers and crofters are left unsupported to change, the climate becomes increasingly unpredictable, ecosystems teeter, and ecosystem services, like pollination and healthy soils disappear.
Or, we change: introduce well planned, well supported change, where farmers, crofters and land managers are supported for the services they produce – be that food, nature rich habitats, or rare orchids. Where the market pays a fair price for healthy food, where it pays dividends for nature friendly goods and where public funding is left to provide the support for those farmers able and best placed to deliver carbon storage and nature rich habitats.
Do we support a transition from where we are, with an unequal, unfair system that brings short term benefits to the few, does not do enough for nature or climate and is penalising future generations, to one that supports economically viable farms and crofts, farming for climate and nature and healthy food and leaving a legacy for the future? Or not?
We could do this: the Scottish Government already have their vision for sustainable and regenerative agriculture. If delivered, this takes us a long way to achieving net zero and improving biodiversity.
But there is a gap between the ambition and the action so far. The structures we currently use have so far failed and there is too little ambition to make the changes required. Trade-offs are holding us up. These are short term and preventing those in the best position to do more for nature and climate.
Instead, providing sufficient support for nature friendly farming, organic, extensive grazing and regenerative practices is much more likely to bring the changes we need. These deliver net zero gains through soil carbon sequestration, improving soil health, pollination and in turn restoring ecosystems,reconnecting nature and producing food.
Ecosystems are changing and becoming much less resilient. Acting now to address nature loss as well as climate change is less of a trade-off and more of a necessity, especially for future generations.
By Rebecca Crawford, Marine Policy Officer at the Scottish Wildlife Trust
Introduction
As a maritime nation with over 900 islands and one of the longest coastlines in Europe, the marine cultural heritage of Scotland is deeply ingrained. However, there is a disconnect between people and the ocean, with many people now calling for a better understanding of their coastal areas.
This was one of the key findings of the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Oceans of Value workshops, which discussed barriers people experienced when trying to participate in marine decision-making conversations. Attendees to our workshops told us that “If people had access to the right information and were supported more in becoming more knowledgeable, they could feel more empowered to take part and have their say”.
They also highlighted the need for more awareness of how to be involved in decision making, “We do lots of practical stuff, but how do we influence? What are the processes?”
One way of mending this disconnect is through ocean literacy. This blog will look at what ocean literacy is, why it is important and what is happening both globally and here in Scotland.
What is ocean literacy?
The term “ocean literacy” was first coined in the USA in 2002 by a group of educators and has been defined by UNESCO as “the process of understanding the ocean’s influence on you and of your influence on the ocean”.
Let’s de-mystify (or de-haar if you will) the term further!
Despite how it might sound, ocean literacy isn’t about reading and writing about the ocean. It’s a process of thinking about and experiencing the coasts and seas in new or different ways, as well as deepening your connection to and knowledge of the marine environment.
Ocean literacy is centred around seven main principles:
The earth has one large ocean
The ocean and life within it shape Earth’s features
The ocean greatly affects weather and climate
The ocean makes earth suitable for life
The ocean supports a wide variety of life and ecosystems
Ocean literacy is essential to achieving the goal of a sustainable marine environment in the face of the twin nature and climate crises, as our seas underpin life on earth. It is also an important tool for building a future where people are deeply connected to their coasts and seas, and are confident and passionate about acting to protect them. To move towards sustainable marine management, ocean literacy approaches must be holistic, bringing together social and cultural themes as well as diverse perspectives.
Ocean literacy around the world
In 2018, Canada formed an Ocean Literacy Coalition with the aim of “empowering people in Canada to better understand, value, and care for the ocean”. Following this a strategy was published in 2021 entitledLand, Water, Ocean, Us: A Canadian Ocean Literacy Strategy.
Continuing to look internationally, the United Nations Ocean Decade launched in 2020 withambitious aspirations for our seas, which included transforming the relationship between society and the ocean. Ocean literacy was seen as a key aspect to achieving this as a mechanism for change. As we are now over halfway to 2030, this is an excellent opportunity to look at our progress towards achieving the UN Ocean Decade goals, and what more needs to be done.
Ocean literacy in Wales
Wales is storming ahead of the rest of the UK on ocean literacy. In January this year, Wales published theirOcean Literacy Strategy, Y Môr a Ni (The Sea and Us). It includes six key action areas including access and experience; knowledge and skills; and communities and culture.
Key work towards implementing the actions in the strategy include undertaking reviews of the barriers to accessing the marine environment, developing resources aligned to the Curriculum for Wales and supporting meaningful local engagement in planning and decision-making.
In the north of Wales, the Hiraeth Yn Y Môr (HYYM) project ran from 2023-2025 and was a community-led project delivered by the Marine Conservation Society. It supported local coastal communities to connect with their coast and sea by promoting ocean literacy. It aimed to improve sustainable management of local marine heritage, as well as community health and wellbeing.
Scotland needs to catch up
While Scotland can often be said to be ahead of the curve, we are currently lagging behind on ocean literacy. It has been almost two years since theOcean literacy survey was undertaken in Scotland. One of the key findings of the survey was that “enhancing Ocean Literacy across society will be crucial to achieving the behaviour change needed to address the challenges facing our coasts and seas and manage them sustainably”.
The survey also found that:
Respondents appreciated the wellbeing effects of the sea with 83% reporting that visits to the marine environment are good for their mental health.
The overriding emotional response to the marine environment was one of concern (51%) followed by awe/wonder (41%).
Most respondents (85%) felt that it is important to protect the marine environment.
On marine activism 35% of people said they had made lifestyle changes related to protecting the marine environment and 23% said they signed petitions. However, when it comes to direct action such as involvement in citizen science or contacting elected representatives this fell to 3% and 2% respectively. Furthermore 38% of respondents had undertaken none of the actions listed.
Given the findings of the survey and the government’s commitment to become an “ocean literate and aware nation”, we must do more to facilitate ocean literacy in Scotland and enhance people’s connection with the sea.
Sea the connection: an ocean literacy project for Scotland
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is excited to be deliveringSea the Connection, an innovative project that will benefit both coastal communities and the marine environment, by removing barriers to participation in marine policy conversations. We have several different streams of work, one of which is the establishment of a Scottish Ocean Literacy Coalition.
The outcomes of the coalition are open to discussion at the first meeting where we will run a scene setting exercise for what we can do to improve ocean literacy in Scotland. This will likely include creating a strategy similar to those in Canada and Wales. It may also look at embedding marine topics in the Curriculum for Excellence to improve ocean literacy at an early age. For example, Brazil recently became the first country to commit to integrating Ocean Literacy into its national curriculum, calling it the “Blue Curriculum”. This embodies the vision of the UN Ocean Decade which looks to achieve “The ocean we need for the future we want”, which clearly education is a huge part of the puzzle as well as involving young people. This objective is being led in Scotland by LINK members such as Young Sea Changers Scotland.
Find out more
To find out more about the work of the Sea the Connection project you can join the Living Seas newsletter byvisiting our page.
The success of Scottish Environment LINK’s award-winning Nature Champions initiative reflects the energy and commitment that MSPs have for ‘their’ Scottish species and habitats.
The current session has seen MSPs climb mountains in search of bees, wade across rivers for endangered mussels, attend night-time bat surveys and even abseil from trees in support of Scotland’s extraordinary species and habitats!
Of course, little of this would be possible without the Scottish Environment LINK members who host and support MSP Nature Champions to get to know more about Scotland’s natural environment.
However, being an MSP Nature Champion isn’t just about experiencing the treasures of our natural environment, it’s also about helping to raise awareness and promote action in Parliament. From debates to motions, Nature Champions have been helping to give nature a voice in this Parliament – a voice that is so greatly needed in the context of both the nature and climate emergencies.
On Wednesday 4th June, LINK took the opportunity to spotlight some of the achievements of MSP Nature Champions through a special ‘Celebrating Nature Champions’ reception at the Scottish Parliament.
This event was sponsored by Alexander Burnett MSP (Red Squirrel) and recognised the fantastic efforts of the 100+ MSPs who are currently signed up as Nature Champions and celebrate the different ways in which they have championed Scotland’s iconic and threatened species and habitats over the current Parliament. The event also offered attendees the opportunity to hear more from Scottish Environment LINK members about their work protecting and restoring Scotland’s natural environment.
As part of this event, Scottish Environment LINK presented four awards to celebrate MSP Nature Champions who have gone the extra mile in their roles over this Parliamentary session. You can discover the winners from the evening as well as the very worthy short-listed nominees below.
We want to share our thanks to all MSPs who have become Nature Champions over the course of this Parliament.
The first of the evening’s awards – the Turning Tide Award – was jointly presented to Christine Grahame MSP and Willie Rennie MSP. This award acknowledged an MSP ‘who has championed a species or habitat that has seen a significant positive change in circumstances over the last Parliament’ – where an MSP’s support in Parliament has bolstered a positive trend in the fortunes of a Scottish species or habitat. These two MSPs have championed their species brilliantly, and we felt that they both deserved the accolade:
Christine GrahameMSP is the Nature Champion for the Golden Eagle, a species that has seen a significant boost in the South of Scotland over this Parliament. Christine has vocally supported the South of Scotland Golden Eagle project’s reintroduction efforts in Parliament and has pushed for tougher legislation to tackle raptor persecution.
Willie Rennie MSP, meanwhile, has been a staunch advocate for Sandeels – a vital prey food for marine species and seabirds like puffins. Within this Parliament, industrial sandeel fishing was closed in Scottish waters, and this marks a significant moment in marine ecosystem recovery efforts.
Our next award was the Muddy Boots Award – recognising an MSP who has been especially enthusiastic to get out in the field and engage with their species or habitat’s needs first-hand. These are the MSPs who don’t shy away from a surgery with their wilder constituents!
This event was won by Graham Simpson MSP, for climbing not one but two Munros on a visit to see the Bilberry Bumblebee, as well as travelling to Scotland’s rainforest to both see, and hug, his other species, the Ash Tree.
The Natterjack Award was designed to celebrate our most vocal Nature Champions – those MSPs who are not afraid of making some noise in support of Scotland’s natural environment. (For those who aren’t familiar, Natterjack toads are among our noisiest and rarest amphibians and their calls can in fact be heard several kilometres away!)
This award recognised an MSP who has been especially active in raising awareness of their species or habitat among the public and in the Scottish Parliament: Ariane Burgess MSP.
Ariane has steadfastly supported the protection of Scotland’s Eurasian Beaver populations and Aspen woodlands, through a significant number of motions and parliamentary questions, as well as championing their interests through local news and social media.
Last but not least, our final award – the Beastie’s Bestie Award – celebrates an MSP who has developed a personal connection with a species or habitat through their Nature Champions role. This may not be known among their colleagues or indeed the public, but they’ve done something a bit unusual and creative in the way that they’ve approached being a champion.
The winner of this award was Monica Lennon MSP, Nature Champion for the Oak, whose consistent championing of native woodland planting targets and ancient woodlands, including the 800-year old Cadzow Oak in her constituency, has expanded into personal tree-planting efforts and efforts to encourage local schools and communities to participate in native tree planting initiatives.
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