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Publication - Advice and guidance

Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group - target indicator: recommendations

Published
19 December 2025
From
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
Directorate
Environment and Forestry Directorate
Topic
Environment and climate change
ISBN
9781806435012

The Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group (PAG) has provided expert recommendations to inform statutory nature restoration targets under Scotland’s proposed Natural Environment Bill, a key component of the strategic framework for biodiversity in Scotland.

Part of

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Workshop

The workshop format adopted for selecting target topic recommendations was repeated for recommending associated indicators. The purpose of the workshop was the answer the following questions:

1. For each topic which of the proposed indicators would best represent the target topic and what key points (strengths and weaknesses) should be considered in relation to the proposed indicator(s)?

2. Are there any indicators (existing or new/to be developed) that you think would be useful to include for this target topic in addition to those proposed (and why)?

Prior to the workshop a ‘long list’ of indicators (see annex 2) were developed by officials from NatureScot with input from Scottish Government officials. In the week leading up to the workshop PAG members were sent a questionnaire asking them to select a maximum of three indicators per target topic with justifications, in addition to being asked to suggest additional indicators not in the long list.

The results of the pre-workshop questionnaire (see annex 3) were used to inform the order of indicators discussed in the workshops, so that indicators that scored highest were discussed first. For the workshop, the PAG were split into two groups and asked to discuss indicators for the first three target topics in the morning and the last four in the afternoon. At the end of each session the two groups were brought together and asked to form a consensus on the recommended indicators. At the end of the workshop a final recommended list of indicators was agreed upon.

Where the group felt that suggested indicators did not fulfil the requirements of a target topic suggestions for indicators development/further work were put forward.

Peer review by NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee

To add additional robustness to the process the recommendations from the PAG workshop were peer reviewed by a sub-group of the NatureScot Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC reviewed each recommendation in turn over the course of a half day workshop and provided a review of the PAGs recommendations.

Target indicators recommendations

Indicators are split by the target topics, with indicators that are suitable for a number of target topics highlighted within the tables in each section.

The summary at the top of each section provides:

  • an assessment of the readiness of the indicators for use to represent the target topic (colour coded red for no available indicators, orange for partial coverage with some development required and green for available indicators that are ready to use),
  • the PAG’s suggestions for addressing identified gaps and
  • any other considerations.

The justifications for the selections are provided in more detail below the summaries.

A note on marine indicators: Marine experts and policy officials attending the PAG workshop felt that while some marine indicators were included in the PAGs assessment there are potentially others available that would be of use to review within this process. Marine experts within the Scottish Government and NatureScot will provide further clarity on available indicators which may alter some of the recommended indicators at a later stage.

1. Ecosystem integrity and health

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Readiness depends on options outlined – No current ‘ecosystem health’ indicator exists across all required areas, however options have been outlined for how current indicators could be used to represent the target topic
  • Addressing gaps: Some indicators in development that will be able to represent parts of the target topic but not all of it. This depends on the options outlined.

Indicator selection and justification

The PAG agreed that no one indicator exists that is fully able to represent ecosystem integrity and health at the scale needed. The ‘Delivering Healthy Ecosystems’ indicator (listed below- ‘long list of recommendations for Ecosystem Health and Integrity’) shows good promise, but while it will look beyond protected areas to some extent it will not provide full coverage for all ecosystems as required. The ‘Services Provided By Ecosystems’ indicator in development at the global level will be useful for understand how well ecosystems are functioning (regulating services) with respect to the level of service provision to society. But it does not fully cover some of the functionality and integrity aspects needed.

The PAG’s discussion centred on different options for indicators ‘sets’ for this target topic, these are:

Developing and enhancing current and proposed specific ecosystem health indicators.

This would include expanding the Delivering Healthy Ecosystems indicator (listed below- ‘Long list of recommendations for Ecosystem Integrity and Health’) to be more comprehensive than just protected areas. This could be further supplemented by currently available meta-assessments aligned to ecosystem health such as the Good Environmental Status assessment in the marine environment and the Good Ecological Status assessment in the freshwater environment. Additional indicator development may also be needed that covers ecosystem functionality and integrity that is representative for the whole of Scotland. Using soil (terrestrial) and the sea bed (marine) as a basis for this was put forward as an option by the PAG. But as yet, we do not have an indicator that fully covers these.

Systems based indicators to represent integrity and health.

This option would use indicators that align with the enhancing environmental condition for nature target topic such as river water quality, the Scottish Nitrogen Balance Sheet, contaminant levels in coastal water, the emissions inventory (not included in the long list) and soil erosion to provide an assessment of the balance of flows (nutrients, carbon, sediment etc) in and out of ecosystems as an indicator of their overall integrity and health.

A meta-indicator of all indicators for target topics 2,3 and 6

An addition to the systems type indicator is to also include the indicators set out for the habitats and species target topic. This would mean that no separate indicator is used or developed for this target topic but instead ecosystem integrity and health is determined by habitats, species and environmental condition indicators.

Long list of recommendations for Ecosystem Heath and Integriy.

Indicator 1: Delivering Healthy Ecosystems

  • Source: NatureScot Official statistics for protected sites (Marine/Terrestrial).
  • Description: This is a redevelopment of the current protected area condition indicator. It will provide greater capability to assess out with protected areas with more of an ecosystem health outcome focus. At the moment it is not set up to provide coverage for all ecosystems nationally.
  • Readiness: Currently in development.
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: Habitat extent and condition.

Indicator 2: Services provided by ecosystems (B.1)

Note – It was also identified that indicators outlined under the enhancing environmental conditions for nature indicator could also be included within this target topic

2. Habitat Condition and Extent

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Ready with adaptation - An indicator set exists that can be improved with future developments in progress
  • Addressing gaps: When new data (e.g. LiDAR, eDNA) become available these will need to be considered and incorporated

Indicator selection and justification

There was broad agreement from the PAG that existing indicators are available to adequately represent habitat condition and extent (listed below- ‘long list of recommendations for Habitat condition and Extent’). The main identified issue is making sure that available indicators effectively cover all habitats and at the right temporal resolution, with habitats directive reporting skewed towards protected habitats and the ecosystems red list only updated every ten years. There would also need to be an outputs assessment from the use of the different indicators to make sure that outputs from one indicator do not contradict outputs from another indicator. The PAG reiterated the need for habitat extent and condition indicators to adequately capture impacts from overgrazing which is seen as a key driver of terrestrial biodiversity loss in Scotland.

The PAG highlighted that the proposed national LiDAR data should be used to explore whether it is possible to develop methods of assessing habitat extent and condition in the future.

Long list of recommendations for Habitat Condition and Extent.

Indicator 1: Ecosystem Red List (A.1)

Indicators for the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Marine/Terrestrial
  • Description: International indicator that assesses the status of ecosystems using IUCN-defined criteria. Would constitute a broad-level assessment of an ecosystem at the national scale.
  • Readiness: Currently being trialled for three habitats in Scotland.
  • Other target topics: Ecosystem integrity and health.

Indicator 2: Habitats Directive (Article 17) Reporting

  • Source: Article 17 Habitats Directive Report 2019 - JNCC
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Terrestrial
  • Description: Conservation status of habitats and species listed in Annexes I, II, IV, and V of the Directive. It is skewed towards protected areas but does include all land. This is statutory reporting that will continue.
  • Readiness: Already established and available for use.
  • Other target topics: Not specified

Indicator 3: Coverage of Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (3.1)

3. Threatened Species Status

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Ready with adaptation – The three outlined and available indicators provide good coverage for what is needed for the threatened species target topic with some commitment to updates going forward
  • Addressing gaps: Updates to the marine and terrestrial species indicator have been suggested to include a wider range of species
  • Other considerations: Unavoidable impact of climate change on species indicators will need to be considered

Indicator selection and justification

There was general consensus that the three main indicators identified (listed below- ‘long list of recommendations for Threatened Species Status’) capture much of what needs to be assessed with broad agreement that in general these work well.

The marine and terrestrial species abundance indicator may need review to include greater species coverage when new data are available. It is also expected that capability will be greatly increased when eDNA methods are more widely adopted.

Long list of recommendations for Threatened Species Status.

Indicator 1: Species Red List Index (A3)

  • Source: Indicators for the Kunming – Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Marine/Terrestrial
  • Description: International indicator that assesses the status of certain species using IUCN defined criteria (on a scale of least concern to extinct). Update frequency for the lists is variable, with some only updated every 10 years. Coverage is patchy, with some taxa covered comprehensively and others poorly.
  • Readiness: Already established and available for use
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: Not specified

Indicator 2: Marine & Terrestrial Species

  • Source: NatureScot - Official Statistics - Marine and Terrestrial Species Indicators: Experimental Statistic
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Marine/Terrestrial
  • Description: Occurrence trends for terrestrial taxa and abundance trends for other terrestrial and marine taxa. Note: Includes a limited number of taxa with bias in representation on some species over others due to data availability. Readiness: Already established and available for use Other target topics indicator can represent: Not specified

Indicator 3: Scorecard of Genetic Diversity

4. Civil Society Understanding, Benefitting From And Contributing to Nature.

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Partly ready – only a proportion of this target topic is covered by available indicators
  • Addressing gaps: New indicators will need to be developed or considered from other policy areas for civil society understanding (education) and contributing to nature.

Indicator selection and justification

There was a strong feeling amongst the PAG that the two indicators available from the long list (listed below- ‘long list of recommendations for Civil Society Understanding and Befitting from and Conributing to Nature) only covered one of the three (benefitting from nature) components of this target topic. There were no identified indicators from the pre-workshop longlist that cover the understanding and contributing to nature aspects of the target topic.

The PAG suggested that indicators relating to education should be explored to cover the civil society understanding nature aspect of the target topic. Suggestions for developing indicators to represent the contributing to nature part of the target topic included the number of people engaged in citizen science projects/conservation practices/nature advocacy.

Long list of recommendations for Civil Society understanding, benefitting from and contributing to nature.

Indicator 1: Access to blue and green space

  • Source: Scottish Government - National Performance Framework
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Terrestrial
  • Description: Proportion of adults who live within a 5 minute walk of their local green or blue space. This has been developed as a national performance indicator.
  • Readiness: Already established and available for use
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: None

Indicator 2: Visits to the outdoors

  • Source: Scottish Government - National Performance Framework
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Unknown
  • Description: Adults (%) estimated to have visited the outdoors at least once a week. Broken down by age, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, and urban/rural classification. This has been developed as a national performance indicator.
  • Readiness: Already established and available for use
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: None

5. Investment In Nature

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Partly ready – Half of the target topic is covered by current indicators
  • Addressing gaps: There is a global indicator in development on private investment but this is not yet ready. A new Scottish specific indicator would need to be developed or wait until the global indicator is ready.

Indicator selection and justification

The PAG agreed that we have an indicator currently available to highlight the amount of domestic public funding in nature but there is currently a gap for an indicator on private investment (see below- ‘Long list of recommendations for Investment in Nature’). There is no clear timetable on the private investment indicator being developed for the GBF. The PAG suggested that a new indicator could be developed specifically for Scotland, suggestions for this were the number of Scottish companies signed up for nature based accreditation schemes, although this would need further scrutiny to make sure schemes included in any metric do not include activities that may be less beneficial to biodiversity. There was also a suggestion that the area under active nature restoration metric that is currently being developed could be used as an output focussed indicator to highlight amount of investment. In April 2024, Scottish Government consulted on new legislative provisions that would capture the necessary information on restoration projects in the marine environment (see Facilitating marine nature restoration through legislation)

Long list of recommendations for Investment in Nature

Indicator 1: Domestic public funding on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems (D.2)

Indicator 2: Private funding (domestic and international) on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems (D.3)

6. Enhancing Environmental Status for Nature

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Mostly ready – A good range of indicators already exist, particularly around both freshwater and marine pollution pressures, the key gaps are on INNS and grazing impacts.
  • Addressing the gaps: The indicator in development at the global level in INNS will only partly what is needed (introduction and extent rather than control). Suggestion for further development on an established INNS control indicator based on a list of ‘top INNS’ for Scotland. Grazing pressures may be considered under habitat condition and extent but could still be a gap when considering assessment beyond protected areas.

Indicator selection and justification

There was broad agreement that there are a number of indicators already in place (see below- ‘long list of recommendations for Enhancing conditions for nature’) that have been developed to fulfil other reporting requirements e.g. Water Framework Directive and OSPAR reporting. The key identified gap was around an indicator for INNS. There is an indicator in development but it is unclear if this will just cover establishment rather than control of already established INNS. The PAG suggested that a new indicator is developed that assesses the management and control of already established INNS using the DEFRA INNS list. Grazing pressures were also highlighted as another gap with no distinct indicator currently available. However, there is an opportunity for grazing pressure to be implicitly included in habitat extent and condition indicators.

Long list of recommendations for Enhancing conditions for nature.

Indicator 1: Rate of invasive alien species establishment (6.1)

  • Source: Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework - Target 6
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Marine/Terrestrial
  • Description: Methodology not yet defined by CBD but may include rate of establishment, spread and impacts. No timescale.
  • Readiness: In development
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: Ecosystem integrity and health.

Indicator 2: Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels (5.1)

Indicator 3: Water Framework Directive Aquatic Classification – Ecological Status

  • Source: Aquatic Classification | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Terrestrial
  • Description: The annual classification of the ecological status of Scotland’s waterbodies (rivers, lochs and coastal).
  • Readiness: Ready and available to use
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: Ecosystem integrity and health.

Indicator 4: Clean seas

  • Source: Scottish Government - National Performance Framework
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Marine
  • Description: Proportion of contaminant assessments in Scottish marine waters showing concentrations that are unlikely to harm marine organisms. Has been developed as a national performance indicator.
  • Readiness: Ready and available to use
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: Ecosystem integrity and health.

7. Positive outcomes for biodiversity in public sector and government policy

Summary

  • Readiness assessment: Partly Ready – The biodiversity duty reporting process was deemed a potentially suitable mechanism but would need updating to be an indicator for the target topic.
  • Addressing the gaps: An update to the biodiversity duty reporting process to make it more meaningful with respect to positive outcomes for nature.

Indicator selection and justification

There were limited options for indicators to assess the positive outcomes in policy target topic. There was agreement however that the current biodiversity duty reporting presents an established mechanism for an indicator (see below - long list of recommendations for biodiversity in public sector and government policy). The PAG suggested this process needs to be updated to make it more meaningful. The indicator itself could be that all public bodies produce a biodiversity duty report to a pre-determined standard.

Another suggestion was the use of the JNCC produced Monitoring Effectiveness of Protected and Conserved Areas (MEPCA) indicator. MEPCA facilitates an assessment of the effectiveness conservation management of actions in an area of land/sea. This could be used as more of an output/outcome focused indicator for the positive outcomes target topic.

Long list of recommendations for biodiversity in public sector and government policy.

Indicator 1: Biodiversity Duty Reporting

  • Source: Biodiversity duty reporting: guidance - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
  • Marine/Terrestrial (M/T): Marine/Terrestrial
  • Description: Not an indicator as such, but public bodies have a statutory duty to further the conservation of biodiversity. They do this through a reporting process
  • Readiness: Already established and available for use (but would need to be updated)
  • Other target topics indicator can represent: None.

Consolidated options

The PAG has established that only two of the seven identified target topics (habitat condition and extent, and threatened species) have indicators that cover what is required and are ready to be used with some adaptation. For the remaining target topics, those on civil society, investment, enhancing conditions for nature and positive outcomes in policy have indicators that are able to represent part of the target topic and/or have indicators that need further refinement.

From the long list of indicators identified, the ecosystem integrity and health target topic has the least available ‘off the shelf’ options. However, the PAG has identified a number of approaches for how indicators can either be developed or used from other target topics to represent ecosystem integrity and health.

In total the PAG have shortlisted 17 possible indicators from the long list with scope to narrow these down further depending on the options taken for Ecosystem Integrity and Health.

It was also recognised that as better indicators and assessment methods develop over time there should be scope to update indicators and their targets.

Contact

Email: biodiversity@gov.scot

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