September 13th, 2023 by specieschampionThe LINK Deer Group of environmental NGO landowning organisations today expressed its disappointment at the decision by the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee to block a key part of the Scottish Government’s move towards a modernised system of deer management.
Following a debate, the committee was split down the middle, with four MSPs supporting a motion from Edward Mountain MSP to annul a Scottish Government amendment that would end close seasons for male deer; and four MSPs opposing the blocking motion. We understand that the proposed reform to remove male deer seasons will now go to the full Scottish Parliament for a vote and where we firmly hope that it will be approved.
The Scottish Government’s amendment to existing legislation was one of a number of measures proposed by the independent expert Deer Working Group to address the growing ecological, economic and social impacts of Scotland’s high deer population. Most of these recommendations were accepted by Scottish Government.
“As the Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity made clear to the committee, Scotland’s deer population has quadrupled in the sixty years since male close seasons were first introduced,” said Duncan Orr-Ewing, the Convener of the Scottish Environment LINK Deer Task Force.
“At a time when we face a climate and nature emergency, we need urgent action to reduce Scotland’s one million strong deer population. We will not meet our targets for peatland restoration, woodland expansion, and biodiversity without taking the necessary action to reduce grazing pressures on our land. This is also firmly emphasised in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy”
Mike Daniels of the John Muir Trust said: “For decades, there has been a growing consensus that we need strong action to reduce deer numbers to protect our natural heritage, curb damage to crops and forestry, reduce road accidents.
“Four out of five political parties included in their 2021 Scottish election manifestos a commitment to implement the recommendations of the Deer Working Group. It is disappointing, therefore, that at the very first hurdle, a key recommendation of the Group has been voted down.
“This is essentially about private versus public interest. There is no biological or animal welfare reason for maintaining close seasons for male deer. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission and major animal welfare organisations have scrutinised the need for this change and have raised no objections to the proposal.”
The change would not oblige any landowner to cull male deer all year round. It would simply make it easier for land managers to choose the option of sustainable deer management for environmental, social and economic benefit to the nation.
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Image: Mae Mackay
A coalition of environmental charities has welcomed the publication of a major consultation outlining the next steps in the Scottish Government’s approach to reversing nature loss.
The consultation includes elements of the forthcoming Natural Environment Bill such as the introduction of legal targets for nature restoration as well as the details of the first delivery plan for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.
Scottish Environment LINK welcomes this opportunity to respond to the strategy, and will work to ensure the Scottish Government’s approach is ambitious enough to halt the loss of nature by 2030 and make significant progress to restoring nature by 2045.
Dr Deborah Long, Scottish Environment LINK’s Chief Officer, said:
“Scotland has suffered a high level of historic nature loss, and we face even greater threats today. We must protect and restore our precious natural environment for our benefit and for future generations.
“This new framework includes crucial steps to restoring nature, including the establishment of legal targets – putting nature restoration on the same standing as tackling climate change.
“The Scottish Biodiversity Framework must be ambitious, and must focus not just on nature protection, but, crucially, on restoration. Our battered ecosystems need to be rebuilt if they are to function properly.
“The overall Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and subsequent delivery plans must drive a step change to accelerate the pace and scale of our efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity. Business as usual will not be enough.
“This transition will require a whole of society approach. As stewards of our lands and seas, communities and industry have an important role as we work together to restore nature and create a greener, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for all.”
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Image: Sandra Graham
Responding to the Programme for Government, Dr Deborah Long – Chief Officer at Scottish Environment LINK – said:
“We welcome the First Minister’s commitment to display leadership on the climate and nature crises, and will work productively with all parties as we face these enormous challenges.
“The Natural Environment Bill and Agriculture Bill are two key pieces of legislation that will be central to delivering progress for nature and climate in this parliament.
“It is disappointing that the timescale for the Natural Environment Bill’s introduction appears to have slipped since the Bute House Agreement. It is essential that the Scottish Government takes forward these pieces of legislation with the level of ambition that the environmental crises require.
“We do welcome the commitment to tackle the environmental impact of single use vapes, as well as to consider new legislation to improve resilience in the water industry. This is an excellent opportunity to tackle issues surrounding spillages from the sewerage network and water scarcity – key issues for our water environments and the life that they support.
“Improving connectivity in the natural world is key to tackling the nature crisis. The commitment to new financial support for Nature Networks is an important step, and we look forward to seeing details.
“This summer, with extreme weather across the planet, has shown just how serious the environmental crises we face are. We have the answers but need our political leaders to show a ruthless focus on delivery.”
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The introduction of legal targets for nature recovery can serve as the turning point for threatened species and habitats, environmental charities have said.
The Scottish Government has committed to introducing statutory nature recovery targets in the upcoming Natural Environment Bill. A consultation is expected imminently.
This would put nature recovery on the same legal basis as climate change, where the government is already required to meet legal targets for emissions reductions.
A new report by the environmental coalition Scottish Environment LINK has outlined how these targets could function in practice.
The report argues that legal targets must set out to achieve both a reversal of current negative trends and an effective regeneration of biodiversity in relation to past and historic losses, with a clear date for achievement and milestones leading to that date.
As well as statutory targets, a new Natural Environment Bill will set out a framework for new legislation to support the delivery of Scottish Government’s commitments to conserve 30% of land for nature by 2030, strengthen the powers of Scotland’s national parks and drive a sustainable reduction in deer numbers.
The report proposes that targets cover key indicators of species abundance, distribution, and extinction risk, as well as targets to cover habitat quality and ecosystem resilience. LINK also proposes targets to tackle the drivers of biodiversity decline.
The twin crises of climate change and nature loss are linked and we must tackle them together. Restoring nature will reduce carbon emissions, and tackling the climate crisis is essential if we are to prevent extinctions.
Bruce Wilson, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Scottish Wildlife Trust, said:
“Our natural world is in trouble, and the challenges we face today – most notably climate change – come on top of high levels of historic nature loss.
“Legal targets can mark the turning point for Scotland’s threatened species and habitats. As we have seen with climate change, putting targets in law can help drive change across all parts of government and the economy.
“Getting those targets right is vital. There is not one simple metric that captures the complexity of the natural world, but fundamentally we do understand the problems we face – and how to fix them.
“This is an incredible opportunity to put Scotland on the path to nature recovery.”
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Read the summary report
Image: Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
A successful environmental initiative which has partnered MSPs with threatened and iconic Scottish species and habitats celebrates its ten-year anniversary this year with an exhibition outside the Scottish Parliament.
The Nature Champions initiative was developed by Scottish Environment LINK in 2013 to encourage MSPs to champion Scotland’s threatened species and habitats. Including iconic species like the red squirrel and golden eagle, to more obscure but equally as important species like the bilberry bumblebee, flapper skate and Manx shearwater.
Over the years, MSP Nature Champions have taken trips to visit their species and habitats all around Scotland. These have included boat trips to Scotland’s rainforest to see mature oak woodlands, snorkeling in sea lochs to discover important flame shell beds, or even night walks around Holyrood Park to search for native bat species.
The free public exhibition, titled ‘A Voice for Nature’, opens outside the Scottish Parliament on Monday the 28th August and will run until Friday the 22nd of September.
It will highlight how past and present MSPs have been working with local communities and conservation organisations through the initiative to be a voice for nature in the Scottish Parliament, raising awareness of everything from the smallest pond mud snail to the mighty blue whale. 91 current MSPs are Nature Champions in this Parliamentary session.
The exhibition will also raise awareness of some of the extraordinary species and habitats that Scotland is home to, including those represented by MSPs in the Nature Champions initiative. Images and facts about Scottish species and habitats will be displayed alongside case studies and QR codes within the displays will link to short audio clips narrated by the MSP Nature Champions themselves – thereby being a literal ‘voice for nature’ in the exhibition itself.
Through the exhibition, visitors can learn more about Scotland’s natural heritage, partnership working in conservation and the work that Members of the Scottish Parliament are undertaking as Nature Champions to protect and restore threatened and iconic species and habitats.
Deborah Long, Chief Officer of the initiative’s host organisation, Scottish Environment LINK, said:
“Since its launch in 2013, the Nature Champions initiative has gone from strength to strength. As of July 2023, some 173 different MSPs have become Nature Champions over the past three Parliamentary sessions.
“We are really looking forward to this opportunity to showcase the many successful partnerships which the initiative has played host to over the last ten years, for the ultimate benefit of Scotland’s nature and biodiversity, and look forward to the next ten years!”
A coalition of leading nature conservation and environmental charities has called on Scotland’s political leaders to work together with increased ambition in the face of growing crises of climate and nature.
The call, directed at the leaders of all five political parties, was made in an open letter signed by the leaders of 26 organisations. The signatories to the letter have a combined supporter base of more than 500,000.
The charities have warned the party leaders against rolling back on their existing commitments or attempting to exploit the environmental crises for short-term electoral purposes.
The intervention comes following a summer extreme weather globally, heightening concerns over the immediate impact of the environmental crises.
The open letter warns that “the impacts of climate change and nature loss are increasingly visible in our lives” and says that “we are deeply concerned that our political leaders are not responding to the intertwined nature and climate crises with the urgency required”.
The charities have highlighted the need for ambitious legal targets for nature restoration and a well-resourced Biodiversity Strategy as crucial in reversing nature loss. Reforms to agriculture and forestry funding, marine protection, and reducing resource use are also key areas where progress must be made in this parliamentary term.
The letter states: “The status quo is not sustainable. Yet we have seen key environmental commitments shelved or delayed, and increasing signals that differing views on environmental policy will be exploited for electoral purposes or treated as disposable.
“All parties committed to strengthening environmental protection and restoration at the last Scottish election. Scotland – as a wealthy country, as an early industrialiser and as one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – has a moral obligation to show leadership.
“There are opportunities in this parliament to deliver meaningful progress. We call on you all to reaffirm your commitment to the health of our planet – our life support system – by working together to rapidly support measures to reduce emissions in line with statutory targets agreed by this parliament, and halt and reverse nature loss.”
Read the full letter
Image: Sandra Graham
A new report backed by experts from across Scotland’s environmental sector has welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporating the substantive and procedural elements of the right to a healthy environment in its upcoming Human Rights Bill. The report suggests Scotland could become ‘a global leader’ in protecting environmental rights, but only if new rights ‘have teeth’ and are enforceable against public bodies and polluters.
The report, compiled by the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) on behalf of Scottish Environment LINK, draws on guidance from the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment and international best practice to identify the definitions, standards and enforcement mechanisms to uphold the six interdependent features of the substantive right to a healthy environment: – clean air, safe climate, healthy and sustainable food, safe water and adequate sanitation, non-toxic environments, and healthy, biodiverse ecosystems.
The procedural element of the right to a healthy environment is already enshrined in the Aarhus Convention, but Scotland is in breach of the Convention’s access to justice requirements and has until October 2024 to ensure that court proceedings for environmental cases are ‘fair, equitable, timely, and not prohibitively expensive’.
Shivali Fifield, Chief Officer at the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, said:
‘We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to incorporate the substantive right to a healthy environment in a Scottish Human Rights Bill, and this should rightly be celebrated. However, the devil is in the detail. Our report provides a route map for the government to be bold in upholding the highest standards and effective enforcement mechanisms for clean air, safe climate, water, food, non-toxic environments and healthy biodiversity and ecosystems. Without this, the right has no teeth and will be meaningless. Equally, we need to see concrete reforms to legal expenses and a dedicated environment court to achieve full compliance with the Aarhus Convention and to make our procedural right to a healthy environment a reality.’
Juliet Caldwell, Advocacy Officer at Scottish Environment LINK, said:
‘Following the UN General Assembly declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal human right, the government must be bold in how it incorporates this right into Scots law. Scotland has the opportunity to become a global leader in protecting our environmental rights. However, the six features of the substantive right are interdependent and need standalone protection if we have any hope in tackling the climate and nature crisis.’
Read the report
Notes to Editors
[1] The Scottish Government has committed to incorporating the Human Right to a Healthy Environment as part of the Human Rights (Scotland) Bill by May 2026. This follows recommendation 2 of the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership Report: ‘to include the right to a healthy environment with substantive and procedural elements into the statutory framework.’ A public consultation on the Bill opened on 15 June 2023, with the right to a healthy environment addressed in Part 5. The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/human-rights-bill-scotland-consultation/
[2] The Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland (ERCS) assist the public and civil society to understand and exercise their rights in environmental law and to protect the environment. We carry out advocacy in policy and law reform to improve environmental rights, and full compliance with the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice on environmental matters. www.ercs.scot
[3] Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 40 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society. We are a Scottish Charity (SC000296) and a Scottish Company Limited by guarantee (SC250899), core funded by Membership subscriptions and by grants from NatureScot, Scottish Government and Charitable Trusts. https://www.scotlink.org/
[4] The report addresses only the six standalone features of the substantive element of the right. The procedural element is covered under the Aarhus Convention on access to environmental information, participation in environmental decision-making, and access to justice. The full report, ‘Substantive features of the right to a healthy environment: a review of definitions, standards, and enforcement mechanisms’, The report urges the Government to follow international best practice, following recommendations made by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment, and standards set by International agencies such as the World Health Organisation and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. https://www.ercs.scot/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/The-Substantive-Right-to-a-Healthy-Environment_June-23_online.pdf
[5] The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment was recognised in resolution A/76/L.75 at UN General Assembly in July 2022. https://sdg.iisd.org/news/unga-recognizes-human-right-to-clean-healthy-and-sustainable-environment/#:~:text=The%20UN%20General%20Assembly%20(UNGA,and%20sustainable%20environment%20for%20all.
Read the report
Rising deer numbers are one of the biggest threats to the survival and expansion of Scotland’s globally important temperate rainforest, according to a new report.
Saving Scotland’s rainforest: managing the impact of deer highlights that although deer are a natural part of the rainforest’s ecosystem, they also represent a significant barrier to its restoration if not managed properly.
The report has been published by Scottish Environment LINK, the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community on behalf of its Deer Working Group, and commissioned by the Woodland Trust Scotland.
Scotland’s rainforest is found along the west coast of Scotland and is a globally rare habitat, part of sites classed as temperate rainforest. Woodland once covered large areas of the west coast, but much of this has been lost over the last two millennia – now covering just 4.8%. Factors that have contributed to rainforest decline and fragmentation include mismanagement, overgrazing by both sheep and deer and suppression of woodland by invasive non-native species
Deer numbers are at historic highs in Scotland – and while the Scottish government has devoted funding for deer management, much of this has been for deer fencing, an approach that is both expensive and often ultimately ineffective in the current way that fencing is implemented on the ground.
The report lays out the challenge at hand: to reduce deer’s negative impact on the rainforest while also retaining their key role as a natural part of its ecosystem. In order to do this, it recommends a number of measures are taken as a matter of urgency, which include:
- Long-term support for deer management to be rolled out across the landscape, along with the eradication of Rhododendron ponticum, the other main threat to the survival of Scotland’s rainforest.
- Developing a community approach to deer stalking and management, including the establishment of more community larders, the training of community members to participate in deer culling and venison handling and much more focus placed on the management of roe and sika deer. Traditionally, deer stalking has mostly focused on red deer. The report also encourages the promotion of rainforest employment opportunities to schoolchildren and the marketing of rainforest venison to restaurants and hospitality businesses.
- Support for new technologies such as drone and thermal surveying in order to better estimate current deer numbers.
- New funding streams, including a Scotland’s Rainforest Restoration Fund.
- Leadership from Scottish Government agencies in ensuring that rainforest deer do not hinder the delivery of the ecosystem services that a healthy rainforest can deliver. Landowning environmental NGOs are also encouraged to demonstrate best practice in deer management, and ultimately reduce the impacts of climate change, restore biodiversity and ensure a future for fragile human communities in the rainforest.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK’s Deer Group said:
“Scotland’s Rainforest has been rightly identified by the Scottish Government as one of the priority geographical areas of Scotland where deer numbers need to be reduced to sustainable population levels.
“In the coming years we need to see clear evidence of Rainforest regeneration and expansion, thereby also helping to tackle the nature and climate emergency.”
Deborah Long, Scottish Environment LINK’s Chief Officer said:
“Sustainable deer management is one of the most impactful actions Scotland can take to tackle the nature and climate emergency. Scottish Environment LINK members have been working together for years to promote sustainable deer management and to illustrate the natural, social and economic benefits of reducing Scotland’s large deer population.
“This report on the management of deer in Scotland’s rainforest shows the way forward in effective deer management and, if the proposed recommendations are heeded, has the potential to make a very positive impact on the restoration and survival of one of Scotland’s most important ecosystems, as well as acting as a template for actions in other Scottish habitats.”
Read the report
Image: James Rainey
Responding to the Cabinet Secretary’s statement on the future of HPMAs, Scottish Environment LINK has welcomed the commitment to build greater consensus while stressing the need to deliver on ecological outcomes.
Calum Duncan, Head of Conservation Scotland at the Marine Conservation Society and Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Marine Group, said:
“Scotland’s seas are in trouble. There is a globally recognised ocean emergency and an urgent need to restore marine life in the face of climate change.
“The evidence is absolutely clear that full protection of areas of our seas, like HPMAs, is a very effective conservation tool, which in turn can benefit the fishing industry. This approach is well established globally, and in line with the EU’s target of 10% strict protection by 2030. It must be matched if we’re to have hope of reversing the ocean emergency.
“While the scientific case for better marine management is inarguable, it’s also essential that the implementation is well managed and community voices are heard.
“The Cabinet Secretary’s commitment to build greater consensus across all stakeholders is welcome. There must be renewed commitment following the full analysis of all consultations. Our ocean needs action not words.
“What matters most is delivering ecological outcomes – and we must make progress urgently. It’s important that Scotland does not fall behind international standards.
“Scottish Environment LINK looks forward to continuing to engage constructively with these proposals to deliver marine protection that works for our communities and our planet.”
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Notes:
Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment community, with over 40 member bodies representing a broad spectrum of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society. We are a Scottish Charity (SC000296) and a Scottish Company Limited by guarantee (SC250899).
The Scottish Government must commit to a radical new system of farm funding to deal with climate change, environmental campaigners have said.
The call comes after new figures, published last week, show that climate emissions from agriculture have risen to become the second largest source of Scottish emissions.
The 2021 Scottish emissions statistics show that farming now emits more than the business sector, with only transport making a larger contribution to climate change.
The worrying figures come as Scotland missed its climate targets following a rebound in emissions after the pandemic.
The Scottish Government is introducing an Agriculture Bill which will create a new system of farm funding to replace the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy.
The Farm for Scotland’s Future campaign, launched by a coalition of environmental and farmers’ groups, says that the new system must support farmers and crofters to produce food in ways that are better for nature and climate.
This can include reducing chemical fertilisers and pesticides, increasing the proportion of land farmed organically, and integrating trees onto productive farmland.
The latest figures follow a stark warning from the Climate Change Committee (Dec 2022) that progress on reducing emissions from agriculture was far too slow.
Pete Ritchie, Director of the food charity Nourish Scotland and Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Food and Farming Group, said:
“The way we farm is a significant driver of nature loss and a major source of climate emissions. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
“Many farmers and crofters want to produce food in ways that are better for the planet. But the current funding system doesn’t do enough to reward that.
“With agriculture now the second largest source of emissions in Scotland, it’s obvious that business as usual cannot be an option.
“We have a once in a generation opportunity to create a better system. It is essential that the Agriculture Bill delivers change – and quickly.”
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