Biodiversity in Scotland. Page :4

INTRODUCTION

The word biodiversity is a relatively new one, encompassing the whole rich variety of life that surrounds and sustains us.

Biodiversity includes:

all kinds of animals, plants and microbes
the air, land- and water-scapes in which they live
their interactions with each other and with their surroundings
the differences between them, even at the level of their DNA.

The long record of geological history shows clearly that many forms of life have become extinct during the natural process of evolution. The balance between existing species and habitats also fluctuates over time, influenced both by natural forces such as climate and by man-made developments and changes in our use of land and sea. Some declines in particular species must therefore be expected. In recent years, however, concerns have been expressed internationally and in the UK that our natural environment is facing unprecedented threats.

Increasing international evidence points to an escalating rate of loss across a whole range of life forms on a scale never before experienced. In the UK, widespread declines in the number of farmland birds were noted over the period 1977-91, and between 1978 and 1990, scientists recorded a reduction in the plant species richness of many habitats.

At the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, governments from across the world pledged to take urgent action to secure the future of the earth's resources. In the UK this commitment led to the development of the Strategy for Sustainable Development and the UK Biodiversity Action Plan published in 1994. This stressed the need for all parts of the country and all sectors of society to recognise the dangers, and to play their part in conserving biodiversity as part of a more general strategy of sustainable development.

The Scottish Biodiversity Group was set up in 1996 to oversee action in Scotland as part of a co-ordinated UK strategy. It brings together not only Government, its agencies, the local authorities and voluntary environmental bodies, but also representatives of groups and organisations across a wide range of Scottish society, each with an important and distinctive role to play: farmers, fishermen, landowners, crofters, foresters, industrialists, researchers and scientists.

This publication covers the first year's work of the Scottish Biodiversity Group, in particular the Group's work in taking forward action plans for species and habitats of importance to Scotland, in preparing guidance to encourage local biodiversity action plans, and in raising public awareness about biodiversity as part of a wider strategy of education for sustainable development. It describes some current concerns as well as outlining recent developments and achievements regarding Scotland's biodiversity. It is intended as an invitation to everyone in Scotland to reflect on the importance of Scotland's biodiversity, and to become an active partner in shaping its future.

The Government is strongly committed to protecting and enhancing Scotland's biodiversity as part of a wider strategy of sustainable development, and recognises that this can only be achieved through widespread cooperation. There are many competing claims on the resources of land and sea. Only through awareness, communication and by working together can we ensure that the environment we hand on to the next generation will be at least as rich as the one we ourselves inherited.