April 1st, 2026 by olivia
Focused leadership, expert staffing and an ‘early warning system’ will be key to meeting Scotland’s targets to restore nature, according to a new report released today by Scottish Environment LINK.
The coalition of more than 50 environment charities calls on the Scottish government to set ambitious but achievable targets, and makes a series of recommendations on how to ensure these are met in its report, ‘Hitting the targets: Delivering Scotland’s nature ambitions’.
Nature is in crisis globally, and in Scotland one in nine species is threatened with extinction. The Natural Environment Act, which became law this year, requires Scottish government ministers to set legally binding targets to restore Scotland’s wildlife and habitats.
Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet, ranking 212th out of 240 countries and territories for how much of its biodiversity remains. Yet it is home to habitats and species of global ecological significance, including peatlands, temperate rainforest and seabirds.
The new report calls on the Scottish government to set targets without delay. Restoring nature, say the report’s authors, will require, ‘a step change in how government operates, with the natural environment recognised as a core outcome across portfolios.’ They call for clear leadership from the responsible government minister, and funding that reflects the scale of the task.
The report also recommends the Scottish government makes greater use of experts in its nature restoration work. And since goals such as the recovery of native woodlands can take decades to achieve, the report calls for an early warning system that would measure actions like reducing deer densities and tackling invasive Rhododendron ponticum to assess whether its wider goals are on track.
The report emphasises the need for rapid action and sets out priority actions for the 2026-2031 Scottish Parliament, including early introduction of fisheries restrictions in inshore marine protected areas, reform of agricultural funding to help farmers and crofters restore nature and reduce climate emissions, and reform of forestry funding to support the natural regeneration of biodiverse woodlands.
Photo by Danny Carden
Read the report in full here.
March 30th, 2026 by julietcaldwell
Scottish Environment LINK notes the publication of the new Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Action Plan 2026–2032 by NatureScot.
The Plan is a step forward. It sets out the scale of the problem, the impacts on nature and the economy and the need for action at a landscape and catchment scale. We recognise the inclusion of the need for increased investment, including the potential role of private finance.
It is encouraging that the Scottish Government has signalled it is exploring key issues raised during the passage of the Natural Environment Bill, including the impacts of non-native gamebird releases and the spread of species such as Sitka spruce. These are important and complex challenges which will require further evidence and action.
However, to be effective, the Plan now needs to move from high-level ambition to clear delivery. There is a risk that, without further detail, the Plan will not drive the scale of change required.
In particular, we think the next stage should:
- Set out specific, measurable actions and timelines
- Clearly identify priority species and threats
- Show who is responsible for delivery
- Build in lessons from past work to avoid repeating mistakes
- Strengthen monitoring and accountability
We also note the upcoming work of Environmental Standards Scotland and expect this to help inform and strengthen delivery over time.
LINK’s report Invasive Non-native Species in Scotland: A Plan for Effective Action sets out practical recommendations and principles to support effective action. We look forward to working with NatureScot, the Scottish Government and partners to help turn this Plan into effective action on the ground.
Image credit: John Anderson
March 24th, 2026 by olivia
Responding to the publication of the Scottish Government’s Rural Support Plan, environmental groups have warned that the plan represents a “lost decade” to support farmers and crofters to meet Scotland’s climate and nature targets.
After Brexit, Scotland and other UK nations were required to develop new farm funding systems to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. While England and Wales have moved at faster rates, Scotland has maintained the old system of direct payments with money disproportionately given to the largest landowners with few environmental conditions attached.
The new plan, published today, confirms that the Scottish Government intends to retain the status quo until 2030, when a modest proportion of the budget will be moved from the “Tier 1” direct payments into other funding envelopes. The plan does not specify how this money will be spent, though it could support increased investment in environmental measures.
The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 requires the Scottish Government to produce a plan every five years setting out how it will use farm support payments to deliver a range of outcomes which may include reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and improving the biodiversity of agricultural land. The first plan runs from 2026-2031.
Pete Ritchie, Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Food and Farming Group, said:
“Farming is on the frontline of climate impacts, with extreme weather and rising temperatures making it harder to produce food. We urgently need to help the industry to reduce emissions, restore nature, and become more resilient to a changing climate.
“The Rural Support Plan should set out a clear path for how the Scottish Government will help our farmers and crofters become both ecologically and economically sustainable, starting now.
“Instead, the plan will see Scotland maintaining an ineffective and unfair system of payments for a decade after the chance for reform, and only modest changes even then.
“We welcome the fact that the Scottish Government has finally sent a clear signal that the balance of funding will shift to support sustainable farming. But this plan kicks that change towards the end of the next parliament and still does not go far enough to outlining the concrete changes industry will be asked to make.
“For years, we – and many others – have been pressing Ministers to make faster progress and introduce more substantive changes to help farmers and crofters produce food more sustainably. The plan represents a lost decade of potential to reform farming policy to ensure it delivers for nature and climate. It is not fit for purpose and must be revisited immediately after the election.”
February 25th, 2026 by olivia
Environment charities have called on the Scottish government to urgently change track following a warning from climate advisors that Scotland does not have a clear pathway to reduce emissions from farming.
Today’s [Wednesday] progress report by the Climate Change Committee shows that the independent advisors do not have confidence that any of the government’s policies for reducing farming emissions from 2031 onwards are credible.
Instead the climate watchdog says that there are ‘significant risks’ in the government’s approach and ‘insufficient plans’ to meet the targets to reduce emissions from agriculture. Over the two carbon budget periods from 2031-35 and 2036-40, the Climate Change Committee does not categorise any of the plans to reduce agricultural emissions as credible.
The significant intervention from the Climate Change Committee follows the decision in December by representatives of leading environmental organisations to walk away from the government’s farming policy process, citing its failure to help farmers and crofters tackle climate change and nature loss.
Deborah Long, Chief Executive of Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of more than 50 environment organisations, said today:
“Agriculture is a major driver of climate change and helping farmers and crofters to reduce their emissions is essential if Scotland is to hit our climate targets.
“Farmers and crofters are at the frontline of climate impacts, and the extreme weather of recent weeks is just the latest example of how a changing climate is making food production harder and more unpredictable.
“This significant intervention by the government’s own independent advisors adds to the chorus of voices urging a change in approach. Environmental groups have been clear that the government is failing to set out realistic plans for Scottish farming to get on the right track.
“Right now, just 5% of public funding for agriculture is spent directly on supporting nature and climate friendly farming. That’s not going to get us where we need to be to meet our climate targets. We need a funding system that enables farmers and crofters to make the shift to sustainable farming in the knowledge that the Scottish government has their backs.”
January 30th, 2026 by olivia
Environment charities have called Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill, passed into law by the Scottish parliament yesterday (29 January), a ‘game changer’ for nature.
The bill will require the Scottish government to set legally binding targets to restore Scotland’s nature, and to meet those targets.
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.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of 50 environment charities, launched the Scotland Loves Nature campaign in 2024 to call for legal nature targets through a Natural Environment Bill.
Deborah Long, chief executive of Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“Scotland’s people love Scotland’s nature, and the Natural Environment Bill is a victory for all of us. Nature can recover if we help it, and this new law shows that Scotland is ready to give our amazing nature the help it desperately needs.
“Legally binding targets will require our leaders to make nature a priority, putting action in place at every level of society. And crucially, we the public will be able to see whether the targets are being met, and hold government to account.
“Bringing our iconic wildlife and habitats back to health will need committed leadership, funding, and support for Scotland’s communities to restore their local environment. It’s hard to imagine a more vital task, and today gives me hope that together we can set that work in motion. This is a real game-changer.”
January 22nd, 2026 by olivia
A scheme that pairs politicians with threatened or iconic species or habitats will receive global attention at the World Economic Forum in Davos today – Thursday 22nd.
For over a decade, Nature Champions – pioneered in Scotland by environmental charity Scottish Environment LINK – has been encouraging parliamentarians to become a visible, accountable “champion” for their chosen species or habitat.
In this role, politicians work alongside conservation experts to understand real threats, policy barriers and practical solutions.
The award-winning initiative has been a huge success since its launch in 2013, with 80% of Members of the Scottish Parliament becoming Nature Champions for Scotland’s native wildlife – representing everything from the blue whale and bilberry bumblebee to the ash tree and ancient woodlands. It has also inspired similar programmes in the Welsh Parliament (Senedd Cymru) and the UK Parliament.
Today in Davos, Scottish Environment LINK and the University of Exeter’s Nature & Climate Impact Team (NCIT) are unveiling Nature Champions Worldwide – a project that will share this successful model with governments and civic institutions around the world.
Dr Deborah Long, Chief Officer at Scottish Environment LINK said: “The Nature Champions initiative has seen parliamentarians 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 our extraordinary species and habitats. However, being a 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. For more than a decade, Nature Champions have been helping to give nature a voice in Parliament – a voice that is so greatly needed in the context of both the nature and climate emergencies.”
The project will be showcased at a high-profile temporary venue in Davos called MonkeyRock: A Species Corner for Nature – which features an eight-metre-high sculpture of a great ape standing on a rock-like pavilion, conceived by artist Joep van Lieshout and Professor Gail Whiteman, who leads NCIT.
Today’s event at MonkeyRock will feature Cora Taylor, Research Impact Fellow at NCIT, and James Byrne, Head of Business Development at Plantlife International.
Taylor said:
“I’ve seen how easily nature gets lost in policy debates when it’s treated as an abstract issue. Nature Champions works because it changes that – it asks leaders to take responsibility for something real and living. When that happens, decisions change. The task now is taking this approach to scale, quickly.”
Byrne said:
“I worked on Nature Champions for ten years in Wales. I’ve seen how linking a politician to a species can transform the conversation – the politician gets to know that species, its habitats, and why it is at risk. When a leader becomes the champion for a particular creature, they inevitably become the champion for the entire habitat it depends on. This model creates powerful, personal advocacy that drives action for our most vulnerable species and ecosystems. Scaling this through Nature Champions is a game-changer for global conservation.”
Scottish Environment LINK and NCIT are currently seeking funding to support the development of Nature Champions Worldwide.
To find out more, please email NCITeam@exeter.ac.uk
December 17th, 2025 by olivia
Representatives of leading environmental organisations including Scottish Environment LINK and RSPB Scotland have today resigned from the Scottish Government’s farming policy group, saying the urgent need to help farmers and crofters tackle climate change and nature loss is being ignored.
Representatives are standing down from both the Agriculture Reform Implementation Oversight Board (ARIOB) and the accompanying Policy Development Group. These bodies were established by Ministers in 2021 to advise on the development of Scottish farming policy following the UK’s departure from the European Union.
Writing to the First Minister, the charities cite the failure of the process to deliver meaningful reform and frustration at the policy decisions being taken, highlighting that the process is not genuine co-design, the group appears set up to fail, and the decisions made are unlikely to achieve the Government’s own sustainable farming goals. They say overwhelming evidence pointing to the need for a major overhaul of farm support payments is being overlooked.
Scottish Environment LINK, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and RSPB Scotland, together representing thousands of people across Scotland, have called consistently for a more ambitious approach to agriculture policy, and faster progress towards a just transition. They want the majority of farm funding to be allocated to helping farmers and crofters take action for nature and climate, supporting them to collaborate and build supply chains, and facilitating advice, training and knowledge transfer initiatives. At present, most farm funding is in the form of base support payments which disproportionately benefit larger farms with better quality land.
In the letter to the First Minister, Scottish Environment LINK, RSPB Scotland and Farming for 1.5 point to the need for the next government, post election, to draw a line under the failed policy development process and to start again.
Deborah Long, Chief Executive of Scottish Environment LINK said:
“Our representative, Pete Ritchie of Nourish Scotland, has contributed to ARIOB meetings since the start and engaged constructively. ARIOB is presented externally as an effective co-design process where views are taken into account and fed into the decision-making process. We see little evidence of this. We are no longer willing to participate in a process in which we do not have confidence. There is no clear sequencing of agendas and discussions, timelines remain uncertain and evidence seems to be being ignored in subsequent policy decisions taken.”
Mike Robinson, Chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and ARIOB member as previous Chair of Farming for 1.5, said:
“We support the Scottish Government’s vision for sustainable and regenerative agriculture and its stated commitment to tackling climate change and nature loss through action to reform farming and land use. Sadly, the farming policy it is bringing forward is not fit for purpose and will not achieve what it needs to. The system is broken and needs a major overhaul. Climate change and nature loss are already affecting food production and farm businesses. Ensuring a just transition for farmers and crofters is essential in this process but this cannot be used as an excuse for such slow progress.”
Vicki Swales, Head of Land Use Policy at RSPB Scotland, is a member of the policy development group that works alongside ARIOB.
She said:
“The whole process has been one of constant frustration and shifting sands. The Scottish Government failed to establish some important baseline evidence at the start, for example the scale of the environmental and food production challenges, the type of solutions required, and the principles that should guide its expenditure of £650 million of public money annually. Without a clear sense of what it is trying to do and where it is trying to get to in policy terms, it is constantly losing its way and making unhelpful decisions.
“Farming has an essential role to play in responding to the nature and climate crisis. But currently, just 5% of public funding for agriculture is spent on nature and climate friendly farming. Many farmers and crofters want to do more to help nature, but they are being let down by the current system and the way decisions are being made.”
Letter to First Minister on resignation from ARIOB and PDG here
Briefing on E-NGO decision to withdraw from ARIOB and the PDG here
December 11th, 2025 by olivia
Environment charities have reacted with fury after the Scottish government announced yesterday that fisheries restrictions in marine protected areas, originally due to be implemented in 2016, are to be delayed for the fourth time.
Yesterday Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, said a promised consultation on fisheries management measures for inshore marine protected areas – those within 12 nautical miles from the shore – would not happen before the May 2026 Holyrood election.
The charities, members of Scottish Environment LINK, say repeated delays are allowing the destruction of marine life to continue, including vital seabed habitats like flame shell beds and maerl which are being torn up by bottom trawling and dredging.
Most of Scotland’s marine protected areas were designated in 2014. The Scottish government is required by law to design and implement fishing restrictions for each area, to protect the marine wildlife it contains. The original 2016 deadline for these measures was missed, as were subsequent deadlines of 2020 and 2024. Earlier this year the Scottish government said it would launch the inshore consultation in November.
Seabed habitats in Scotland’s coastal marine protected areas are vital spawning and nursery grounds for many of the fish and shellfish on which coastal communities depend for their livelihoods. They absorb carbon which can help combat climate change. Inshore marine protected areas are also intended to protect wildlife including seabirds, whales and basking sharks.
Fisheries restrictions for offshore marine protected areas between 12 and 200 nautical miles from the shore finally came into force in October.
Jessica Jones, living seas manager at the Scottish Wildlife Trust and acting convenor of Scottish Environment LINK’s marine group, said today:
“Without protection measures in place, marine protected areas are little more than lines on a map. Giving these areas the protections they need is a vital first step to bringing our amazing seas back to life. By repeatedly delaying these measures the Scottish government is failing not only marine wildlife, but coastal communities who have been waiting to have their voices heard and are fatigued by the repeated build up and subsequent disappointment when significant opportunities to protect our seas are yet again withheld.”
Calum Duncan, Head of of Policy and Advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society said:
“Scotland’s seas can’t afford further delay on this critical action to prevent damaging fishing activities happening in so-called marine protected areas. Delays will only make recovery harder and risk further damage to our seas.
“Following global acknowledgement at COP30 that a healthy ocean is key to fighting the climate emergency, the Scottish government must act decisively to deliver these long-awaited protections and live up to crucial legal and international commitments before it is too late.”
December 2nd, 2025 by olivia
Increasing efforts to restore the natural environment will be key to responding to the impacts of climate change, leading environmental groups have said.
The claim is made in a new report, Climate change and the natural environment: How Scotland should adapt, published by Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of 50 environmental organisations.
The report outlines that Scotland is experiencing a range of climate-driven threats which will increase as global warming continues. The impacts include wildfires, droughts, marine heatwaves, and a growing threat of invasive species.
Food production is particularly vulnerable to the changing climate, with farmers facing a “deluge and drought” scenario of dry summers followed by waterlogged fields in winter. Over 80% of UK farmers are concerned that climate change is affecting their ability to make a living, and climate impacts are already adding hundreds of pounds to average food bills.
The new report argues that nature can act as the first line of defence against these climate impacts and that investment in nature restoration can build resilience against extreme weather and rising temperatures.
The report finds that:
- Restoring habitats on farmland can support food production, including by improving soil quality and providing shelter to crops and livestock;
- Restoring peatlands and riparian woodlands (trees near rivers) can prevent flooding;
- Greater species and habitat diversity can increase the capacity of marine ecosystems to buffer against shocks, such as warming seas;
- Increasing tree cover in urban areas can lower street temperatures and reduce overheating.
Climate adaptation is the process through which society can build resilience to the range of impacts caused by rising global temperatures.
Commenting on the report, Dan Paris, director of policy and engagement at Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“We are already living through climate change, and everybody in Scotland is experiencing warmer temperatures alongside more extreme weather. The impact of this on our natural environment is profound – and climate change poses particular risks to food production, which hurts farmers and drives up food prices. It is vital that we tackle the causes of climate change. But we also need to adapt to its impacts today and in coming decades. Nature can be our first line of defence against climate change. By rewetting peatlands, allowing our native woodlands to naturally regenerate, and protecting our native species we can create an environment that will be much more resilient and safer for everyone despite rising temperatures. We need the Scottish Government to lead with increased investment and ambition.”
November 3rd, 2025 by olivia
Scottish Environment LINK has today launched a new report, Restoring Scotland’s Waters, calling on the Scottish government to take urgent action to protect and restore Scotland’s rivers, lochs, wetlands and coastal waters ahead of its next River Basin Management Plan due in December 2027.
Scotland’s rivers and lochs are under threat from sewage spills, pollution and climate change. The country’s sewers are known to have spilled more than 21,000 times in 2023, but the actual number of spills is likely to be much higher. Scotland’s waters are seeing a rise in the types of chemical pollutants being detected, including pharmaceuticals. 284,000 of Scotland’s properties, businesses and services are currently estimated to be at risk from flooding.
The Restoring Scotland’s Waters report reviews progress under the current River Basin Plan and finds that Scotland risks missing its 2027 target of achieving good ecological status for all water bodies. It sets out ten key priorities to steer the next plan and deliver healthier water environments for nature and people.
A blueprint for action
Restoring Scotland’s Waters identifies practical, evidence-based actions, including:
- Managing water from source to sea to reflect the natural connectivity of catchments;
- Reducing sewage spills and urban pollution from Scotland’s ageing sewer network;
- Building climate resilience through river restoration, wetlands and natural flood management;
- Tackling invasive non-native species and chemical pollution;
- Expanding monitoring to include small waterbodies and baseline data collection.
Craig Macadam, author of the report and member of Scottish Environment LINK’s Freshwater Group, said:
“Scotland’s rivers and lochs are vital to our economy, wildlife and wellbeing yet many remain degraded and at risk. The next River Basin Plan must be more ambitious, investing in nature-based solutions that work with water, not against it. We need a genuine step change in how Scotland manages its freshwater.”
A call for leadership
The report urges the Scottish Government, Scotland Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Water to embed restoration and nature-based solutions across policy and investment programmes, ensuring the next River Basin Plan delivers for both climate and biodiversity goals.
Dr Deborah Long, Chief Executive of Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“Restoring Scotland’s waters is about more than ecology, it’s about resilience, health and the future of our communities. With the climate and nature crises accelerating, the next River Basin Plan must deliver transformative action, not slow incremental progress.”
Read the report ‘Restoring Scotland’s Waters’
