Graeme recently spoke in Parliament about how biodiversity will continue to be woven through the work of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee which he convenes.
You can view his contribution to the debate below (at 21m38s)
Alternatively you can read the text of Graeme’s speech below:
In November last year, the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee hosted a round-table discussion with stakeholders about where Scotland stands in relation to progress on biodiversity, which is a hugely important topic. It was sparked by differences in the tone and the picture painted by the RSPB’s “State of Nature 2016—Scotland” report and SNH’s first review of progress, and covered a wide variety of marine and land-based subjects.
On the back of that discussion, the committee entered into detailed correspondence with the cabinet secretary. Among other things, her expansive response to the letter from the committee confirms for me that, in some areas, there is a disconnect between what normally well-informed stakeholders understand is or is not happening and the reality. I say that not as a criticism of anyone but as a reflection of where we seem to be.
The concerns that the committee noted were all clearly articulated by, and widely supported among, the people who gave evidence. Those concerns included progress on completing the habitat map of Scotland and the fact that the high-level biodiversity strategy group had not met for more than a year. It turns out that the former is on course for completion in 2019, which I understand is the requirement. On the latter point, a governance review that was completed before last year’s election but which has not yet been implemented appears to have placed the high-level biodiversity strategy group in stasis, albeit that other consultative bodies continue to operate. However, witnesses seemed to have an expectation that the group ought still to be operational.
It was also suggested to the committee that multilayered reporting structures on biodiversity, along with the number of strategies that relate to that hugely important subject, create an unnecessarily congested policy landscape. That may be required by the need to report at a Scottish, United Kingdom and international level, but might it be possible, if not to streamline the strategic purposes, at least to provide greater clarity on them and to review whether the various strands are sufficiently joined up? A rhododendron strategy is about to be added to the mix. However welcome that may be on one level, when the committee took evidence in November, it was indicated that even people who have a firm understanding of biodiversity would welcome some simplification.
I hope that the stakeholder meetings on land use and biodiversity that are planned for this year, which the cabinet secretary noted in her response to the committee, will provide clarity where it is seemingly needed, as well as progress on some of the points that have been raised, not least because the cabinet secretary, stakeholders and MSPs across the parties have the same ambitions.
As it should be, biodiversity will continue to be woven through the work of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee. We await with interest publication of the three-yearly update on progress and anticipate that it will be more encompassing in its reach than the six big steps for nature report was and will offer us a real insight into where we are in responding to the challenges that climate change, among other things, poses to our natural environment.
Having started by highlighting concerns that stakeholders are identifying, I will finish by considering some of the undoubted progress that has been made. There are often two ways of looking at a situation. A perfect case in point is protected areas management. We could point out that, as the RSPB has highlighted, one fifth of our best sites for nature are in an unfavourable condition. On the other hand, between 2007 and 2016, the number of features reported as being in favourable condition rose from 76 per cent to 80.4 per cent. Therefore, we are on the right track, even if we all wish that the pace of improvement were greater. The introduction of marine protected areas is another positive. Personally, I am also very heartened by developments for peatlands and forestry.
On the subject of good news, was it not great to hear in the past few days that the Scottish Wildlife Trust has secured almost £2.5 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the saving Scotland’s red squirrels project?
There is still some way to go and we will shortly see what the three-yearly Scottish biodiversity strategy tells us. We will also see the potential challenges that are to be faced around Brexit. However, progress is being made and, with regard to building on that, there are some encouraging signs of people reaching out to find common ground and agreement. The newly produced SWT land stewardship policy document is just one good example of that.
