Many parts of Scotland legally protected for nature are in a worse condition than 15 years ago, a worrying new report revealed. Around 18 per cent of Scottish land currently has legal nature protections - but a study by Scottish Environment LINK found some of these measures are not working.
There are more than 1,800 sites in Scotland protected by law, such as designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and European conservation and protection sites. But the report found a fifth of features in these areas - including habitats and species - to be in an “unfavourable condition”.
And the number assessed as in good health has fallen since 2007 from 67.5 per cent to 65 per cent. It comes as one in nine species in Scotland are at risk of national extinction due to climate change and human activities.
The Scottish Government has set a target of covering 30 per cent of Scotland’s land and seas with legal protections by 2030. But the Scottish Environment LINK report, called "Protecting 30 per cent of Scotland's land and sea for nature", warned: “Eighteen per cent of Scotland’s land is now legally protected for nature.
“However, not all of these places are working as well as they should for nature and progress to improve our protected areas has stalled. This means that the proportion of land effectively protected for nature is less than 18 per cent.”
The authors added: "There have been significant and persistent issues with management, monitoring and insufficient resourcing of protected areas." We told last week how more than 80 per cent of Scots are worried about the impact of climate change on Scotland’s nature - while many fear our natural environment is in decline.
Isobel Mercer of RSPB Scotland, and lead author of the report, commented: “Nature is in trouble. In Scotland, nearly 50 per cent of species have declined in abundance since 1994 and we need action now to reverse this trend before it is too late.
"Protected areas are the frontline of defence for nature against growing pressures from human activity and climate change. The evidence is clear that wildlife does better where protections are put in place.
“The global target to protect 30 per cent of land and sea by the end of this decade is a major opportunity for reversing nature loss. The focus must be maximising benefits for nature rather than drawing lines on a map.”
The report highlighted that a more strategic approach is needed to improving conditions in protected areas - such as tackling the spread of invasive plant species like rhododendrons. A variety of the plant called rhododendron ponticum - a pink shrub commonly seen in Scots woodland areas - can be deadly to native species by smothering the ground and reducing biodiversity.
Woodland Trust Scotland estimates 140,000 hectares of rainforest are affected by the species. The study also urges better deer management and for landowners to work to keep deer numbers down - as over-grazing is a major threat to nature in some protected areas.
And it calls for a renewed focus on protecting "irreplaceable habitats" in Scotland - like ancient woodland, such as the Ariundle Oakwoods in the Highlands, blanket bogs - a type of peatland - Saltmarsh, found in coastal areas, such as around the Solway Firth near Dumfries and Galloway. Types of features which have slipped into a bad condition in the last 15 years include woodlands, coasts, wetlands and birds - particularly seabirds.
It comes ahead of the crunch UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada, starting this week, where it’s hoped a global target of legally protecting 30 per cent of land and seas by the end of the decade will be set, known as “30 by 30”. Welcoming the report, the Scottish Government’s biodiversity minister Lorna Slater said: "We are already investing in our land and at seas through our £65 million Nature Restoration Fund, expanding nature networks, and the establishment of a new National Park.
"We will soon publish a new national strategy, setting out our plans to stop the decline in biodiversity by 2030 and to restore it by 2045." Commenting ahead of COP15, Slater also warned the summit could be the world’s “last chance” to save nature.
The Scottish Greens minister said that as well as a global climate emergency, it was clear the planet faced a “nature emergency”. But she also claimed Scotland had played a “leadership role” on the international stage after 300 governments, cities and local authorities signed the Scottish Government’s “Edinburgh Declaration” on protecting nature.
Slater said: "Tackling the nature emergency means protecting what we have left while doing more for nature. Together we must act at every level to restore vital biodiversity everywhere - from our gardens to our farms, our hillsides to our rivers and seas.”
She added: “Both domestically and internationally we have a way to go but I believe Scotland is at the forefront of tackling the nature and climate crises, and we have much to share with other nations. For my part I am determined to make sure that the nature emergency remains high on the global agenda, and is rightly recognised as part of the answer to many of the world’s challenges.
“COP15 may be the last chance for our countries’ leaders to stop nature loss once and for all – I truly hope they follow Scotland’s lead and seize that opportunity.”
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