October 1st, 2025 by Miriam Ross
A Scottish parliamentary committee has backed proposals to introduce statutory targets to restore nature.
Legally binding nature recovery targets are the central demand of the Scotland Loves Nature campaign, launched by Scottish Environment LINK and backed by more than 40 organisations.
The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has published its Stage 1 Report on the Natural Environment Bill, summarising the evidence heard and making recommendations to ministers ahead of the Bill being debated by the whole parliament.
The committee report describes the rate of nature loss as ‘deeply concerning’ and says that efforts to date have not halted biodiversity decline. The report says that committee members support the introduction of targets ‘as a mechanism to galvanise and increase action’, adding that targets must be accompanied by ‘meaningful actions, and reinforced by sufficient public resources’.
The report also explores in depth concerns around Part 2 of the Bill, which would give the Scottish Government wide-ranging powers to modify crucial pieces of environmental protection. A summary of Part 2 is available in an earlier LINK Thinks blog.
The report agrees that the Bill ‘would allow for a very wide scope for these regimes [habitats regulations and EIA legislation] to be amended using secondary legislation’ and calls for additional safeguards. Some MSPs on the committee support the removal of Part 2 in its entirety.
What’s next for the Bill?
The Stage 1 debate, where all MSPs will discuss and then vote on the general principles of the Bill, will take place on 30 October.
At Stage 2 the committee will consider amendments to the Bill, which can be proposed by the Scottish Government or by MSPs.
LINK members support the Scottish Government in its approach to introducing nature targets, but will be pushing MSPs to strengthen the Bill even further to ensure the targets are as robust as possible.
With the committee report echoing the significant concerns raised by stakeholders around Part 2 of the Bill, the Cabinet Secretary must show willingness to listen. It is likely that government amendments will need to be substantial to reassure MSPs that the new powers are necessary, proportionate, and do not undermine critical protections for nature.
September 29th, 2025 by Miriam Ross
The next Scottish Government must take action to protect and restore the natural environment in the face of climate change and threats to biodiversity.
Ahead of the Holyrood election next year, Scottish Environment LINK has published a manifesto for nature supported by 34 of our member organisations.
The manifesto calls for:
- Increased investment in nature restoration
- Action to protect and restore habitats and species, including reaching the international target to protect 30% of land and seas by the end of this decade
- Reform to forestry funding to support new ambitions for native woodlands and sustainable deer management
- A national mission to restore Scotland’s peatlands
- Action to restore and clean up our rivers and freshwater environment
- Community focused marine planning to protect Scotland’s seas
- Increased support to help farmers and crofters deliver for nature
Dan Paris, Director of Policy and Engagement at Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“Scotland’s natural environment is an incredible asset and a central part of who we are as a country. It is home to globally important wildlife, rare habitats, and an amazing diversity of species.
“But nature is in trouble and we need the next Scottish Government to act and to invest in its recovery.
“Our manifesto is an optimistic one – with concrete solutions to the environmental crisis that can deliver for people and for the planet.
“It is time for all political parties to show the leadership on nature and climate that the public demand and expect.”
Photo: Colin Hattersley
September 11th, 2025 by Miriam Ross
The Scottish government announced new fisheries management measures for offshore marine protected areas (MPAs) on 1 September, marking an important step in fulfilling its obligations to protect marine wildlife across a large area of Scotland’s seas.
Scotland’s offshore MPAs – those beyond 12 nautical miles from the shore – were designated more than 10 years ago to conserve and recover the most vulnerable marine habitats and species in our deep and continental shelf seas. The Scottish government is required by law to secure the long-term integrity of these areas by putting in place fisheries management measures that prevent damaging activities, such as bottom-towed fishing, from undermining conservation objectives.
Scottish Environment LINK welcomes the Scottish government’s progress in strengthening fisheries management measures across offshore MPAs. We are encouraged by the thorough approach taken, particularly in cases such as the Central Fladen MPA where burrowed mud habitats have received strengthened protection. Since burrowed mud and other seabed habitats are important blue carbon stores, it is also encouraging to see some areas of the seabed closed to bottom towed gear. We also welcome the inclusion of restrictions on floating longlines and bottom set gillnets in part of the network, given their high risk of bycatch for species like seabirds.
However, given the scale of biodiversity decline, both globally and Scotland-wide, we believe a more consistently precautionary approach is needed. While it is encouraging to see some closures that support species and habitats, full-site prohibitions on bottom-towed fishing should have been applied more widely to safeguard ecosystem integrity and support recovery of more blue carbon habitats. While zonal restrictions are preferable to inaction, they risk leaving important habitats exposed and compromise the wider resilience of marine ecosystems.
We are nonetheless disappointed that only select offshore MPAs received a full-site ban on bottom-towed fishing. As noted in our October 2024 consultation response, while the zonal approach is preferable to inaction, it often fails to deliver ecosystem-wide protection or meet site integrity objectives, especially for fragile seabed habitats and deep-sea features. To deliver meaningful ecosystem recovery, we need holistic, whole-site management underpinned by Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to ensure compliance and build confidence in the protection of vulnerable habitats.
The condition of Scotland’s seabed remains a matter of concern, as documented by the government’s own assessments. Without a more consistently precautionary approach, we are not confident these measures will be sufficient to meet Scotland’s legal obligations to achieve Good Environmental Status. The government’s current proposals fall short of the holistic management that these critical habitats and species require. Where measures are partial, they risk leaving vulnerable features and blue carbon stores exposed to damage. While we welcome progress in a few instances, Scottish Environment LINK continues to advocate for wider and more precautionary whole-site protection.
Evidence shows that holistic, whole-site protection delivers long-term socio-economic benefits, including improved fisheries yields, greater ecosystem resilience, and enhanced blue carbon storage. Stronger measures would therefore not only protect biodiversity but also secure benefits for coastal communities and the wider Scottish economy.
We also note the strength of public feeling on this issue, with nearly 4,000 responses to the consultation. Scottish Environment LINK’s e-action alone on the consultation received responses from over 1,700 people, reflecting widespread support for more ambitious protection of Scotland’s seas.
We are pleased to see progress and look forward to the forthcoming consultation on inshore MPA measures as an opportunity to embed stronger, whole-site protection more widely across Scotland’s seas.
June 13th, 2025 by morag
Campaigners gathered at the Scottish parliament on Thursday afternoon to demand action to restore Scotland’s nature.
Supporters of the Scotland Loves Nature campaign gathered to urge leaders to act now to protect and restore nature, as MSPs prepare to debate the Natural Environment Bill later this year.
The Natural Environment Bill is a vital opportunity to set strong and meaningful targets for nature recovery in Scotland, and currently being considered by a parliamentary committee.
One in nine species in Scotland are at risk of extinction, with almost half of species decreasing in number since the 1970s. Scotland ranks in the lowest 15% of countries globally for the overall health of its biodiversity.
Amid this backdrop of worrying decline, campaigners have been calling on the Scottish Government to set strong, legally binding targets for nature recovery, as well as putting more funding in place to restore nature and helping communities to protect and restore their natural environment.
Thursday’s demonstration was organised by Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of environmental charities based in Scotland with over 40 members, including RSPB Scotland, Woodland Trust Scotland, WWF Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the Marine Conservation Society and many more.
Deborah Long, Chief Executive of Scottish Environment LINK said:
“It was incredible to stand up for nature with so many others outside the Scottish Parliament this week, at a time when our voices are needed more than ever.
“Scotland’s nature is vital to all of us. It brings us joy, it gives us food and clean water, and it is key to the fight against climate change. The Scotland Loves Nature campaign has consistently demonstrated just how much people all over the country deeply care about nature and their local environments.
“But nature is in crisis – the facts speak for themselves. We need the Scottish government to recognise this and act with the urgency required, through implementing strong and meaningful nature recovery targets, funding nature recovery and empowering communities to look after their local environments.”
Images: James Chapelard
May 6th, 2025 by morag
Responding to the Programme for Government, Scottish Environment LINK’s chief executive, Dr Deborah Long said:
“We welcome today’s news within the Programme for Government that the Scottish government will consider the development of local deer management projects pilots, a plan based on a proposal from LINK Deer Group members.
“Scotland’s oversized deer population is a direct threat to our environmental goals, preventing the recovery of our iconic native woodlands, and undermining Scotland’s climate action.
“Through overgrazing tree saplings, deer prevent the natural regeneration of ancient woodlands, which offer enormous hope for restoring biodiversity and creating healthy ecosystems. They also threaten our internationally important peatlands, which play a crucial role in storing carbon and act as natural flood defences, as well as being home to a diverse mosaic of species.
“Sustainable deer management, supported by funding measures and the incentivisation of venison as a sustainable and healthy food source will go a long way towards improving the outlook for our biodiversity and climate goals and we look forward to working with the Scottish government and partners on this.”
David Fleetwood, the John Muir Trust’s director of policy, said:
“We are delighted with this announcement. Our proposed National Deer Management Plan brings together environmental charities, private, public and community landowners alongside land workers so we can deliver a restored natural environment for the whole of Scotland.”
Alan McDonnell, head of nature restoration for Trees for Life, said:
“The importance of practical support for deer managers to restore nature at scale is recognised across the deer sector. This commitment from the Scottish Government is a much-welcomed step that helps explain how it will resource this policy in the long term.”
Top image: Calum McLennan
April 10th, 2025 by morag
Scottish Environment LINK’s Deer Group welcomes the historic move by NatureScot to enforce a compulsory control scheme at Loch Choire Estate in Sutherland. Deer densities on the estate have been identified as being at an unsustainable level, risking damage to important habitats, including four Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). NatureScot has intervened on this estate before, having used Section 10 emergency measures to enter land to carry out a deer cull in 2023. Since then they have failed to secure a voluntary agreement by the estate to bring deer numbers down.
This will be the first time that Section 8 of the Deer Act (Scotland) has been used since its introduction in 1996. Overgrazing by deer is one of the main barriers to tackling climate change and restoring nature in Scotland. It is clear to the Deer Group that the voluntary approach to deer management employed until now has not worked in bringing deer densities down to ecologically sustainable levels, and we have long called for NatureScot to use their powers to intervene more frequently.
With the draft Natural Environment Bill currently making its way through Parliament, containing proposed amendments to the Deer Act which would see nature restoration being included as a reason for NatureScot’s intervention powers to be used, the Deer Group are very encouraged by this historic move at Loch Choire. We hope it is a sign that NatureScot plan to use their powers more readily with nature restoration as the objective if and when the proposed amendments to the Deer Act come into force.
– Hazel Forrest, Vice Convener, Scottish Environment LINK’s Deer Group
Image: Simon Jones
March 28th, 2025 by morag
In a briefing event for journalists and policymakers on Wednesday, environmental and community groups jointly criticised the Scottish government’s slow progress on marine protection.
The event was hosted by Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of over 40 environmental groups, and Coastal Communities Network, a coalition of over 30 community-led groups that support action to restore Scotland’s marine environment.
Scotland’s seas are in poor and declining health. High-impact forms of fishing, including trawling, have been very damaging to marine ecosystems, with many species in long-term steep decline. In 2024 alone, five species of seabird were added to the UK Red List of Conservation Concern.
Healthy seas are crucial to coastal communities who rely on industries like fishing and wildlife tourism. And they’re key to tackling climate change, as marine ecosystems can store vast amounts of carbon.
Esther Brooker, Marine Policy and Engagement Officer at Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“Scotland’s seas are suffering under the weight of government inaction. The sustained degradation to our marine environment is taking place amidst a backdrop of continued government delays on promised and long expected marine protection measures.
“Scotland’s existing network of marine protected areas have been lacking the necessary detailed protection measures promised by the Scottish government for over ten years, and we are increasingly concerned that these measures will not be delivered within the current parliamentary session.
“Delivering proper protections for Scotland’s marine protected area network is a crucial first step that must now be taken before it’s too late. This should be followed by a transition to a new approach to fishing and other marine industries, in which the use of all of Scotland’s seas is planned and managed in a way that enables marine ecosystems to recover and supports sustainable fishing opportunities and coastal communities.”
Sarah Doherty, Coordinator of the Coastal Communities Network said:
“Scotland’s seas are in dire straits, and we need urgent and radical action to protect and restore our marine ecosystems. This action needs to place coastal communities at its core.
“The Scottish Government have committed to supporting community leadership in marine management, and we need to see them act on this. There is huge potential and appetite for communities to have increased leadership in how their local marine areas are managed, but this also needs to be met and supported at a government level.
“All along the coasts of Scotland, communities are stepping up to restore and protect their local marine environments. Done properly, sustainable marine management can protect our seas and support livelihoods, ensuring that coastal communities are resilient and sustained in the long term.”
February 20th, 2025 by morag
Environment charities have welcomed the publication this week of Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill, a crucial step in fighting the nature and climate crises.
The publication of this Bill, with its provision for legally binding nature recovery targets, has been a key ask of the Scotland Loves Nature campaign, launched in 2024. Alongside legal targets, the campaign also calls for more funding to restore nature, and support for communities to protect and restore their local environments.
The charities hope that legally binding targets for nature recovery will help increase wildlife populations across Scotland on land and sea, end the threat of species going extinct from Scotland and increase the extent and quality of Scotland’s habitats – such as peatlands, native woodlands and seagrass meadows.
Scotland ranks in the lowest 15% of countries globally for the overall health of its biodiversity, and since the 1970s almost half of its species have decreased in number. One in nine species are at risk of extinction in Scotland today.
Deborah Long, chief executive of Scottish Environment LINK who have been running the campaign, said today:
“From our local parks to our stunning beaches, glens and lochs, Scotland’s nature gives us so much. It’s central to our health and wellbeing and to tackling climate change.
“This week’s publication of the long-awaited Natural Environment Bill gives us hope that nature in Scotland can recover. The introduction of legal targets for nature recovery will encourage long-term planning and strategic thinking, which is sorely needed. But perhaps most importantly, these targets will make the government accountable to all of us.”
“But targets alone will not be enough to halt nature loss. We need action across society – and crucially, funding to hit these nature recovery targets. Scotland’s people love Scotland’s nature, and we need the government to support all of us to work to restore it.”
Image: Colin Hattersley
January 22nd, 2025 by morag
A new report published today by Scottish Environment LINK calls for urgent changes to the UK Internal Market Act, passed in 2020 as a replacement for the EU Single Market rules. The legislation prevents the devolved institutions from acting independently on a wide range of issues, including environmental and public health policy, and was instrumental in the collapse of the Scottish deposit return system for drinks containers.
The intervention by environmental campaigners comes after the UK government announced a fast-track review of the Internal Market Act would launch this month.
Policy measures which affect goods at the point of sale in one nation now require support from UK Ministers to come into effect, under what the Act calls the principle of “mutual recognition”. This issue has arisen with regard to policy areas as diverse as bans on horticultural peat, minimum unit pricing for alcohol, and the sale of XL Bully dogs. Measures in all these areas and many more would currently require Westminster’s approval to come into force.
The report examines the consequences of this far-reaching change for policy-making and for devolution itself, and recommends a series of changes. Most importantly, as was the case within the EU Single Market, devolved legislation which is a proportionate way to achieve public policy objectives should be automatically exempted from this process. This would restore the bulk of the powers devolved to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland while ensuring clarity for business, NGOs, and Parliaments alike.
Deborah Long, Chief Executive of Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“One of the key ideas behind devolution was to make space for each of the four nations to innovate, to develop local solutions to shared problems, and to learn from each other’s experiences. Over the years, this has been particularly true of environmental and public health policy, with measures like the carrier bag charge being adopted by the devolved institutions first.
“This approach – part democracy, part testbed – has come to a grinding halt under the Internal Market Act. Devolved governments and parliaments are now wary of prolonged tussles over measures which had been well within their power for two decades. If the changes proposed in our report today are not adopted, we face years of inertia, delay and uncertainty, just as all the indicators show we should be acting more urgently than ever before.”
James Mackenzie, author of the report, said:
“Devolution came to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with great fanfare and on the back of three democratic mandates. More than twenty years later, through the Internal Market Act, those devolved institutions were radically undermined in a way many people are still not aware of.
“Many have called for the Act’s abolition, or its complete replacement with something which fully respects the devolution settlement. A comprehensive replacement might indeed be better in the long term, but the relatively modest measures set out today would restore a level playing field along the lines of the EU single market. This kind of legislative “keyhole surgery” could also be done very quickly, if UK Ministers have the desire to see the devolved institutions flourish again.”
Kat Jones, Director of Action to Protect Rural Scotland, said:
“We campaigned for ten years for a simple deposit return system for Scotland, something Scottish Ministers could have brought in at any point since 1999, thanks to the devolution of environmental policy. Right at the last minute the plug got pulled by UK Ministers, wasting years of work and vast sums of money, and ensuring millions of cans and bottles end up in landfill or littered in our towns and countryside.
“The Internal Market Act is entirely unfit for purpose. It works directly against the principles of devolution, which had been operating happily for nearly two decades before the Internal Market Act. I would urge UK Ministers to consider these proposed changes for the benefit of both democracy and the environment.”
November 27th, 2024 by morag
A coalition of environmental charities has welcomed the publication of Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity that outlines the Scottish government’s action plan to halt and reverse nature loss.
This strategy and accompanying delivery plan, alongside the Natural Environment Bill and legal targets for nature recovery, sets the stage for urgent action to address Scotland’s biodiversity crisis.
Scotland has suffered a high historic level of nature loss and faces even greater threats to the environment today. Urgent, transformative action is needed to restore nature and to ensure Scotland is resilient in the face of climate change.
Key measures included in the plan include a programme of ecosystem restoration, action to protect threatened species, and ambitious deer management measures.
Members of Scottish Environment LINK are committed to supporting the implementation of the strategy, but they stress that success will depend on strong leadership, effective collaboration, clear targets and dedicated funding.
Alistair Whyte, Head of Plantlife Scotland and Convener of LINK’s Wildlife Group, said:
“Scotland has endured significant historic nature loss, and the threats to our environment are greater than ever today. It is vital that we act now to protect and restore our precious natural environment, not only for ourselves but for future generations.
“This framework outlines ambitious steps to restoring nature and, by introducing statutory targets, Scotland will acknowledge that nature restoration is as urgent and vital as other climate action.
“However, reaching these ambitions will require increased investment and clear leadership from right across government, such as through agricultural reform.**
“To succeed, we need a whole-of-society approach. Communities, landowners, businesses, and industries must come together as stewards of our land and seas. By working collectively, we can restore nature and create a greener, fairer, and more prosperous Scotland for everyone.”
ENDS
** This Delivery Plan outlines what Scottish Government will do between now and 2030, but to reach the 2030 milestone, whole society buy in and delivery will be needed. Enabling this to happen will be a litmus test for this strategy.
Image: Sandra Graham
