Biodiversity PAG External Engagement minutes: 23 October 2025

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Government

• Aisling Duncan, Team Leader Nature Targets  
• Jack Bloodworth, Principal Science Adviser  
• Rebecca-Katie Sinclair, Policy Officer 
• David O'Brien, NatureScot

External stakeholders – 33 attendees

• University of the Highlands and Islands
• Highland Council
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• Scottish Borders Council
• The James Hutton Institute
• Angus Council
• Scottish Fisherman’s Federation
• Welsh Government
• Aberdeen City Council
• South Ayrshire Council
• Green Action Trust
• Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park
• University of Strathclyde
• City of Edinburgh Council
• Crown Estate Scotland
• East Dunbartonshire Council
• Natural Resources Wales
• NatureScot
• Woodland Trust
• NatureFix 
• East Lothian Council
• Shetland Islands Council
• Lunar QMG LTD
• Historic Environment Scotland
• FEL Scotland
• University of Glasgow
• ScottishPower Renewables
• West Lothian Council

Items and actions

Meeting agenda 

The aim of this session is to: 

• Provide a recap on the 4-step selection process for targets 

• Inform on the process of selecting indicators using expert advice 
• Present the proposed PAG recommended indicators 
• Engage with externals on the proposed indicators 

Welcome and introductions
Purpose and aims and structure of session explained.   
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Presentation  
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Question and answer session

The targets are high level (i.e. National Scale). Will the targets be scaled to local level for reporting?

The main reason for having these targets is to drive action at all levels. The targets are part of a wider delivery framework for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS), and the Scottish Government is developing a linked process for monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes of the SBS, which link heavily to the targets and will filter down to a more granular scale. While the Scottish Government is not currently exploring explicit reporting at a local level within the target reporting process, reporting at a local level will factor within the reporting process for how the SBS is being implemented.

What is the value of assessing, at a national level, the datasets that are available and accessible to local areas for monitoring progress against Scotland’s nature targets and indicators?

Some indicators that the Scottish Government is using work best at a national level in terms of getting enough data to produce a meaningful trend out of it, or because they are designed to look at the quantity of species at a national level. NatureScot together with the Scottish Government and other stakeholders are producing specific tools that land managers can use which will be cost effective and be able to generate timely, evidence based insights.

There is also a project underway called the Better Biodiversity Data Project, funded by the Scottish Government and NatureScot to bring together a more consistent approach to how biodiversity data is collected and shared.

Within the delivery plan actions, the Scottish Government must review the reporting on the SBS, and all local authorities are required to produce a report on actions, progress and evidence, monitoring and outcomes where appropriate.  The Scottish Government will be looking at potential inefficiencies during this process, and will work with users to resolve these.
Will you be providing further information on methodologies behind the indicators? I am really interested to hear about the Scorecard of Genetic Diversity

The methods of all the indicators listed in this session are publicly available. NatureScot will publish the new method along with the new scorecards in December 2025. The Scorecard of Genetic Diversity takes a threat-based approach, for example: threats to genetic diversity, isolation and hybridisation. It also looks at the processes in place to safeguard those species, for example: genetic rescue project, improving network connectivity or establishment of reserves that focus on genetics.

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