DOZENS of environmental organisations have backed a new campaign calling on the Scottish Government to introduce new legislation which would improve the legal protection of nature.
A total of 38 organisations including RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and WWF Scotland have put their weight behind the Scotland Loves Nature campaign.
They are calling on the Government to introduce a Natural Environment Bill to the Scottish Parliament which, if passed, would bring new legal targets on restoring nature.
The targets would commit the Scottish Government to preventing the extinction of wildlife and halting the decline of nature by 2030, with the view making significant progress in restoring lost or damaged habitats by 2045.
The latest report into the health of Scotland’s environment found that the country was continuing to suffer from a long-term decline in biodiversity.
The State of Nature report found that one in nine species in Scotland were threatened with extinction and that, on average, the abundance of the 407 species monitored had declined by 15% since 1994.
John Swinney is being urged by the groups to include the bill in his upcoming Programme for Government, which is expected in September.
“People in Scotland truly love nature, and they expect our government to take care of it,” said Deborah Long, chief officer of Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of dozens of environmental organisations in Scotland.
“Nature makes an enormous difference to our wellbeing and quality of life, and a healthy natural environment is our first line of defence against climate change.
“Sadly our environment faces enormous challenges, and we risk losing some of our iconic species altogether. But we also know that nature can recover.
“The overwhelming majority of Scots back our call for legal targets for nature recovery.
“We are calling on the Scottish Government to bring forward a Natural Environment Bill and get nature back on track.”
It comes as a poll commissioned by Scottish Environment LINK and conducted by Diffley Partnership found that 74% of Scots supported legal targets to improve the natural environment (with only 11% opposed).
Earlier this year, TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham called for action to save Scotland’s great skuas, whose populations have been devastated by avian flu.
