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Action for Scotland's Biodiversity

1 INTRODUCTION

It is easy to take the natural world for granted but, in an age of accelerated changes, such complacency is dangerous. The world is losing biodiversity at an alarming rate; even once common species, such as the skylark¹, the water vole and the song thrush are now facing dramatic declines. Some species that were once common, such as the capercaillie and the sea eagle, became extinct and have had to be re-introduced.

Once common species like the song thrush have declined dramatically	Capercaillie: it is vital that action is targeted towards species and habitats most in need of help

Biodiversity, a combination of the words 'biological' and 'diversity', represents the total variety of life, including variation at genetic and species level, the way in which they all interact, and the environments which support that life. The concept has developed to include the need to ensure the survival of all species and habitats, and for this to be part of human planning and development.

To achieve sustainable development we need to integrate biodiversity conservation objectives into all of our policy formulation and decision-making. If embraced by the public, by industry, by people using land and water, and by the Government, sustainable development can help us all to live 'within our means' in a way that respects the environment and wildlife, and also to meet the nation's social and economic aims. In this publication, the Scottish Biodiversity Group celebrates some of Scotland's most vulnerable biodiversity. It sets out some of the actions required to ensure a future for Scotland's wildlife and natural habitats. It is vital that action is targeted towards those species and habitats most in need of help.

The UN² Convention on Biological Diversity emphasises that there are three aspects to biodiversity, namely

• the conservation of biological diversity;
• the sustainable use of its components; and
• the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources.

This publication focuses primarily on the first of these elements, but emphasises the value to the Scottish people of the habitats and species described in the text. Action to ensure the second and third elements requires a much wider commitment from all levels of government and civic society in Scotland, but it is also a responsibility of the Scottish Biodiversity Group to consider how to take this work forward.

This publication takes a strategic overview of those species and habitats identified for priority treatment by the UK Government. It outlines a number of the key achievements and it identifies some of the challenges and choices for the future. Biodiversity is a global issue, but the context in which it is worked out is at the European, British, Scottish and local levels, and we must all take responsibility to maintain and replenish the range of biodiversity wherever we live.

Biodiversity conservation is about addressing challenges together, honestly, and in ways that will lead to an increasingly sustainable use of our natural resources. This means engaging in an ongoing debate with all the stakeholders involved, a debate which takes account both of the needs for human development and of the concerns to protect the natural environment. The Scottish Parliament offers a new potential for having a say in the decision and policy making processes which will shape Scotland's future. It is a time of change, a time for planning, a time for understanding more clearly the value of our biodiversity, and a time for action.

In Scotland, the action plan process is one of the important strategies for taking forward the aims of biodiversity conservation. The costed action plans outlined in this publication reflect a pioneering approach in two ways. First, they provide clear objectives towards which partnerships can work. Secondly, an attempt has been made to indicate the cost of implementation. The plans set out the challenges ahead in meeting our own generation's biodiversity commitment for future generations. The breadth of the partnerships involved in implementing the action plans in Scotland is without precedent. Annexes 2 and 3 respectively list the 41 habitat action plans and 226 species action plans that relate to habitats and species occurring in Scotland and Annex 4 gives details of the bodies that are taking the lead in implementation.

Action for Scotland's Biodiversity is an invitation to find out more, and to take an active part in ensuring that Scotland's people enjoy for ever a wealth of wild species and the habitats in which they occur.

Biodiversity in Scotland

Scotland as we know it today is a product of many influences: climate, geology and geomorphological processes, soil types, water chemistry, marine influences, topography and the aspect of the land. Scotland's land and coastline have also been changed over the centuries by human communities, even in the most remote areas. It is this interaction between natural and human-induced processes that give us the landscape that we see at the start of the 21st century.

Despite being a small country, Scotland has an abundant variety of wildlife and many distinctive habitats. It is a complex mosaic of land, fresh water and sea, patterned by lochs, forests, mountains and moorland, farmland, reefs, mud flats, shingle beds, cliffs, rivers, peatlands and deeper waters. Approximately 90,000 species of animals, plants and microbes inhabit Scotland's land and sea. For many of these species little is known about their distribution and well-being, particularly those living in the marine environment. There is still a huge amount to find out, especially about single-celled organisms, fungi, mosses, liverworts, lichens, and invertebrate animals.

There is still a huge amount to find out about plants like Norwegian specklebelly	Approximately 90,000 species of animals, plants and microbes inhabit Scotland's land and sea; the photograph shows a wood ant

This rich profusion of living things serves us in many ways. It brings colour and beauty to our surroundings and gives a focus for leisure activities and tourism. It provides us with food, building materials and with resources for education, medicine and research. Crucially, it provides what have been termed 'the ecosystem services', the recycling of nutrients, the conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen, the purification of wastes, and so on. But the biodiversity resources are finite and some are now under threat. Economic activity, social welfare and a diverse environment are all linked and ultimately depend on each other; they underlie the quality of life to which we aspire. The loss of biodiversity matters and affects us all.

In recent decades, particularly since the 1970s and 1980s, concerns have been expressed over the unprecedented rates of decline and the threats to a number of species and habitats in Scotland. For example, the native Caledonian forests, with their Scots pine trees, one of Scotland's most distinctive contributions to world biodiversity, once covered much of the country. By the 1970s, partly as a result of changing climate but primarily as a result of human activities, they only covered 1 per cent of their previous extent, with very little regeneration of trees taking place in any of the scattered remnants. Similarly, Scotland's once extensive lowland raised bogs have been reduced to less than 11 per cent of their former extent.

Over 89% of Scotland's raised bogs have been destroyed; Flanders Moss is the largest remaining	By the 1970s, some 99% of Scotland's native pinewoods had been lost, and many of the remnants were not re-growing; the photograph shows an important remnant at Glen Falloch

By the 1970s and 1980s, there were widespread declines among farmland birds, a quarter of Scottish wild flowering plants were found to be in decline (or were severely restricted in their range), and about a third of the moss species found in Scotland were listed as threatened. Of the 300 or so bird species recorded in Scotland, roughly a third were found to be in need of special conservation action. Since then, work on the re-introduction of species that had become extinct, such as the red kite and the white tailed (sea) eagle, or for species in decline, such as the water vole and the corncrake, shows what can be done when good action plans are prepared and implemented. However, some additions to our natural heritage are less welcome. A wide range of alien species has been introduced into Scotland, from American mink to giant hogweed, and these have often competed with and excluded native species - a case where an increase in species diversity has led to a net loss of biodiversity.

During the latter half of the twentieth century, the rate of change in the natural world has caused concern, both in Scotland and internationally. Some impacts are slow to become apparent and cumulative in their effects. Changes in air quality, for example, can take a long time to remedy, if indeed they can be remedied at all. Accelerated changes in land use, such as the introduction of new techniques for growing food, and new technologies which allow us to gain access to the deep sea bed, have all impacted on the natural environment.

Biodiversity action stresses the need to conserve the world's depleted natural resources while recognising that there are developments required to meet various human needs and aspirations. Biodiversity conservation is about taking responsibility for the future effects of the changes that we make. Both nature conservation and human development can be compatible, when viewed in the context of sustainable development. Losses in biodiversity can act as a barometer, warning us that our activities are not sustainable.

The concerns for vulnerable species and threatened habitats throughout Europe led to the introduction of European and UK legislation in the 1980s and 1990s to protect rare and threatened species and rapidly deteriorating natural habitats. Whilst providing a powerful tool for protecting some of our most important wildlife, this legislation alone is insufficient to protect biodiversity.

Broader international recognition of the need to take urgent practical actions to secure the future of the world's natural resources led to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference endorsed a wide range of conventions and agreements (Box 1.3). Biodiversity was placed firmly on the agenda as representatives from the governments of 159 countries and nations met to share their findings about dwindling natural resources throughout the world. Concern was expressed about the escalating rate of unsustainable human developments. There was a formal commitment to work together with the aim of securing the future of the earth's resources. The Prime Minister of the day pledged, on behalf of the people of the United Kingdom, to participate in various agreements. These included the Convention on Biological Diversity (known as the CBD or the Biodiversity Convention) and Agenda 21, an action plan for the next century with a key theme of sustainable development focused at a local level, i.e. real communities of people.

Two particular principles were underlined at the Earth Summit. One was the importance of working in partnerships, of building strong cross-sectoral alliances, which would bring complementary strengths and distinctive perspectives to questions on how to manage natural resources. The second was the need to involve local communities and individuals in the planning and decision making processes and to recognise their rights and responsibilities in shaping the future of their environment and in benefiting from the sustainable use of biodiversity resources. The ongoing work on biodiversity in Scotland maintains these two guiding principles.

The Benefits of Biodiversity

Much of the Scottish economy, especially in rural areas, depends either directly or indirectly on work that utilises natural resources. Farming, forestry and fishing clearly depend on a healthy environment, as does tourism. For other sectors the link is less obvious, but no less vital. From crafts to cosmetics, medical research to alternative means of waste disposal, whisky distilling to glass blowing, nature provides the inspiration and solutions to many of society's problems.

To protect our biodiversity, we need to understand it better. Some early successes have already been achieved in Scotland. The decline in the corncrake population has now been reversed through changes in farming practices. There are also signs of recovery in other species such as the peregrine falcon and the sticky catchfly. Biodiversity has been called the natural capital which supports our lives, a living library of options available for adapting to local and global change. Careful management of this natural capital is our responsibility, and something that we hold in trust for future generations of Scotland's people. If we succeed, we shall achieve two aims: the economic and social developments to which we aspire and the quality of the natural environment in which we wish to live.

UK Structures and Action

The 1992 Earth Summit called on each nation to take primary responsibility for its own territory. In 1994 the UK Government published Biodiversity: the UK Action Plan and convened the UK Biodiversity Steering Group. The latter published its recommendations on implementation of the UK Action Plan in 1995. Amongst many other recommendations, the Steering Group published action plans to conserve 116 species and 14 habitats listed as being under immediate threat in the UK, and recommended further action plans for other endangered species and habitats. In 1996 the Government endorsed the Steering Group's report, and action plans for a further 275 priority species or groups of species and 31 priority habitats, as well as statements for 94 species, were subsequently published. Around two-thirds of these UK priority species and habitats occur in Scotland; further information is given in Annexes 2 and 3.

The action plan process has many advantages. It quantifies the extent and nature of the problems which are actually facing a species or habitat and offers a planned approach for tackling these problems. It provides baseline and biological objectives and targets against which the level of success can be gauged. The process of monitoring gives an informed basis for revising policies and strategies and for setting new targets if these are required. The plans also bring together a wide spectrum of interests with shared objectives to benefit the targeted species or habitat.

Designated conservation sites have an important role in protecting biodiversity. There are strong links, in particular, to Special Areas of Conservation designated under the European Union's Habitats Directive. This is based around a list of habitats and species for priority action, which, not surprisingly, overlap significantly with the national and international priorities identified in the Biodiversity Action Plan. However, the main reservoir for biodiversity often is the 'wider countryside', outwith these protected sites, and it is here that biodiversity action is likely to produce the greatest gains.

Biodiversity: Action in Scotland

The recognition that some species and habitats are found wholly or mainly in certain countries, and that different approaches are appropriate in various parts of the UK, led to the decision to set up Biodiversity Groups in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. In Scotland, the biodiversity process is supported by the Scottish Biodiversity Group (SBG), a partnership of statutory and non-statutory organisations from a wide range of sectors (membership is listed in Annex 4). Its remit is to consider how best to take forward the UK Biodiversity Action Plans in a Scottish context. The SBG is concerned with the preparation and implementation of those action plans that have particular relevance in Scotland. Attention is being given to monitoring progress towards the species and habitat objectives as set out in the action plans and to addressing the overarching issues such as public awareness, business involvement, the responsibilities of agriculture and fisheries, and local biodiversity action plans.

Private sector participation is an essential part of the process and 'champions' are being recruited for particular species and habitats. Champions are likely to be commercial organisations who sponsor work to conserve threatened wildlife and habitats. Their financial support and involvement helps to ensure that beneficial activities are undertaken. This is a practical way for all organisations to help to achieve the overall aims of the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan, especially within Scotland.

Species can be given particular importance in Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs), as bluebells (wild hyacinths) are in the Fife LBAP

The involvement of local communities is crucial to the success of the biodiversity process. The UK Action Plan must be backed by action, commitment and enthusiasm at the local level if it is to succeed. Such work is carried out through partnerships who work to produce a Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP). The process of developing LBAPs mirrors that of the national process, so as to harness a wide variety of local interests and views. LBAPs are being actively developed throughout Scotland, with a number of plans already in existence or in draft. Whereas these LBAPs provide an excellent means of implementing actions to achieve the objectives of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, they also include a perspective on what is important locally. Not all species that are deemed to be threatened in the UK are threatened in all parts of Scotland; equally, there may be local concern for a species that is judged, at the level of the UK, not to be so vulnerable. For example, the LBAP for Fife names the bluebell or wild hyacinth as a species of concern locally, but it is not included in the UK list. The LBAP process therefore allows for the UK and Scottish core of species and habitats to be included, as well as for local variations in the priorities to be highlighted.

The aim of this publication, however, is to focus on the national core of species and habitats for which action plans have been prepared. The Action Plan Sub-group of the SBG has examined all of the species and habitat action plans for the UK, determining which of these species and habitats occur wholly or partly in Scotland. The chapters that follow include information on the Scottish set of all of the UK species and habitat action plans. The publication is therefore a review of priorities for action and not a report on progress to date. It is the hope of the SBG that this publication will be useful both for providing an overall perspective of the species and habitats in Scotland most urgently in need of action, and for contributing to the Local Biodiversity Action Plan process.

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