Biodiversity PAG External Engagement minutes: 5 November 2025

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Government

• Aisling Duncan, Team Leader Nature Targets
• Rebecca-Katie Sinclair, Policy Officer
• David O'Brien, NatureScot
  

External stakeholders - 33 attendees

• Green Action Trust
• East Renfrewshire Council
• JNCC
• SRUC
• Environmental Standards Scotland
• Argyll and Bute Council
• Dundee City Council
• University of Edinburgh
• Highlands Rewilding Ltd
• Aberdeen City Council
• East Lothian Council
• The James Hutton Institute
• FEL Scotland
• North Lanarkshire Council
• Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust
• Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority
• The Highland Council
• SEPA
• Dumfries and Galloway Council
• West Lothian Council
• Historic Environment Scotland
• CIEEM
• Scottish Renewables

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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

I am wondering how the genetic diversity indicator would be measured? Are there data sets available? 

NatureScot have produced a report on genetic diversity. NatureScot will publish an updated version in December 2025 which will also include data on marine.

The Red List of Indicators might be useful. However, what about the Scottish Biodiversity List which includes habitats and species, do we end up with two lists?

A criticism that the Scottish Government have received is that there are species and habitats that aren’t listed on the Scottish Biodiversity List (SBL). Whilst the SBL will be important for public bodies’ statutory biodiversity duty, it is also important to capture information on all the other species and habitats too. By having a layered, complementary system that combines priority lists like the SBL and risk based indicators like the Red List of Indicators, with much wider surveillance and monitoring, the Scottish Government together with NatureScot are keen to capture the full picture of biodiversity in Scotland.

Regarding the citizens and society understanding, contributing and benefiting from nature indicator, do you have social scientists on the PAG advisory group to provide a level of expertise on this?
There are social scientists in the Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group (PAG) and working within the Scottish Government in RESAS (Rural & Environmental Science and Analytical Services). 

Can you say anything about reporting requirements in terms of timeframes?
Currently within the provisions of the bill, in terms of reporting on targets, there are three reporting requirements. These are
•    at least once in every three years to report on the progress to meet the targets
•    at least once in every ten years to review the targets themselves
•    an ad-hoc process for anything that may crop up which requires changing within the legislation
Working with an unknown climate and biodiversity, it is important the Scottish Government does all it can to be able to respond to environmental conditions and changes. The ad-hoc process may be usedi if an indicator is no longer monitored, online, or if improved scientific data becomes available. The Scottish Government will be able respond to these unprecedented changes using the ad-hoc review process.

Who has responsibility for carrying out the assessments and monitoring for these targets?
Progress against Scotland’s nature targets is monitored through a shared system, with NatureScot leading assessment and evidence analysis, other public bodies providing sectoral and local monitoring, and the Scottish Government retaining overall accountability and statutory reporting responsibility.

Why has ecosystem health and integrity been used and not ecosystem condition and extent? How do we differentiate between condition and extent of habitats and condition and extent of ecosystems?

Habitat can mean different things for different people, particularly the different habitat classification systems. For the Red list of Ecosystems, NatureScot have used the global ecosystems typology (GET). This allows international comparability and NatureScot feel it is clear and understandable for example, in terms of being able to show someone a picture of an oceanic temperate rainforest and say this is what it looks like, this is where it is and these are the threats it faces. NatureScot are also mapping and measuring the extent of each of the ecosystems in the GET within Scotland. This is difficult in terms of the marine ecosystems but is something NatureScot are working on in partnership with JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee).

NatureScot recognises it needs to have more information on where some of the flows and fluxes happen. For example, with the oceanic temperate rainforest, there is a distinction between a healthy rainforest that is slowing water flows, trapping water within it etc and one that has been heavily degraded through fragmentation or invasive non-native species such as Rhododendron. This is something NatureScot want to get a better understanding of as there is a distinction between a fully functioning ecosystem and one that has been severely compromised.

The policy memorandum for the Natural Environment Bill also sets out the high level intention behind each of the target topics. The Scottish Government is live to the evidence that is being presented as well as part of the Committee sessions on the Bill and are looking to make some potential changes to wording of some target topics. Please do feedback any other thoughts you have as these will be considered further.

How will these indicators influence decision making processes on the ground, and making sure they work?

The Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group (PAG) has placed strong emphasis on how the indicators and associated targets will operate in practice, including how progress will be measured and how we will know when targets have been achieved. The clarity and precision of the target wording will be critical in driving delivery and ensuring accountability on the Scottish Government.

There is a clear need for ongoing oversight to ensure that action at local and national levels remains aligned with Scotland’s international biodiversity commitments. This includes maintaining consistency between locally informed decision making and wider global objectives, and ensuring that neither perspective is overlooked as policies are implemented and reviewed.

Ultimately, the duty to meet nature restoration targets is placed upon Scottish Ministers. While there has been progress to date, the Scottish Government has recognised that more needs to be done to halt biodiversity loss in Scotland. By placing nature restoration targets on a statutory footing, it is hoped that this will drive action rather than dictate change. The targets will be further complimented by the delivery plans where the actions required to improve biodiversity will be set out. This will ensure the Scottish Government are on the right trajectory to meeting the targets.

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