On June 4th we joined our members and supporters outside the Scottish parliament to demand urgent action to restore Scotland’s nature.
Following our Scotland Loves Nature campaign the Natural Environment Act was passed into law this year, requiring the Scottish government to set legally binding nature recovery targets. This could be a game changer – but the new targets will be just the start. Helping nature recover will require political commitment, funding and sustained action. And communities across Scotland will need government support to restore their local environments.
Every MSP can make a difference, and with a new set of MSPs just elected, now is the time to show them how much nature matters to Scotland’s people. It was great to see MSPs from all of Scotland’s six political parties joining us outside parliament and pledging to stand up for nature.
RSPB Scotland’s puppets symbolised some of Scotland’s threatened bird species – swift, puffin and curlew. Speaking to the crowd, Paul Walton from RSPB reminded us that every living thing on earth has a common ancestor – and that the continued diversity of natural life is key to our own future on the planet.
The rain didn’t bother Lorna Farquhar, who spends much of her time in the sea restoring seagrass and native oysters to Loch Craignish in her work with Seawilding. A member of Young Sea Changers Scotland, Lorna urged Scotland’s leaders to protect Scotland’s seas for future generations.
Pictures of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s bumblebee and Bright Green Nature’s red squirrel made sure the demo got some press coverage.
Ross Paton, organic dairy farmer and member of the Soil Association Scotland’s organic producer board, talked about the vital role farming has to play in restoring nature, and the need for much better government support to help farmers and crofters to farm sustainably.
Our trio of fantastic musicians helped keep energy high despite the changeable weather.
Zach Billot, a young leader with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, told us his generation will need to ‘fix, redesign, reimagine what our future looks like’. He called on us all ‘to stand up for one another, to stand up for your neighbours and friends, animal or human. To Stand up for Nature!’
All photos by Colin Hattersley