Biodiversity Programme Advisory Group - external engagement session minutes: 1 July 2025

Attendees and apologies

Scottish Government

• Aisling Duncan, team leader nature targets
• Jack Bloodworth, principle science adviser
• Rebecca-Katie Sinclair, policy officer

External stakeholders - 69 attendees

• Aberdeen City Council
• Argaty Red Kites
• BASC Scotland
• Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
• City of Edinburgh Council
• Clyde Fishermen’s Association
• Crown Estate Scotland
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
• ECCAN (Edinburgh Communities Climate Action Network)
• Fisheries Management Scotland
• Green Action Trust
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• Highland Rewilding Ltd
• James Hutton Institute
• KG Language Solutions
• Lanarkshire Climate Action Hub
• Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
• Nature Scot
• Ramblers Scotland
• RSPB Scotland
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
• Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
• Scottish Forestry
• Scottish Land and Estates
• Scottish Renewables
• Scottish Wildlife Trust
• Scottish Government
• South of Scotland Enterprise
• Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)
• The James Hutton Institute
• Trees for Life
• University of Aberdeen

Items and actions

Welcome and introductions

Purpose and aims and structure of session explained

Actions 

N/A

Presentation

From slide 2

Actions

Share slide pack with attendees - closed

Change Curricular Economy to Circular Economy on chart slide - closed

Question and answer session

Measuring 'ecosystem health integrity' will require more than just monitoring 'biodiversity' as it depends on both living elements and the process that controls their functions. How will this be achieved?

There is no single one measurement of ‘biodiversity’, it is therefore important that Scottish Government (SG) also encompasses measurements of processes that impact on biodiversity as well, to help maintain functional and healthy ecosystems. The Scottish Government has taken time investigate health integrity indicators, as part of the process the Programme Advisory Group (PAG) has provided advice which said that it needs to include both those process and functional elements. Particularly around the flows of materials in and out ecosystems thinking of nutrients, carbon etc. are really making sure that ecosystems are healthy and functional. These considerations along with the Red List approach should allow the SG to be able take both those into account. RESAS are commissioning a project develop that methodology along with colleagues at NatureScot who are implementing the standard approach to the Ecosystem Red List.

How will the route map for healthy soil work that is being undertaken align with statutory nature restoration targets?

The Scottish Government are looking at what indicators are already in effect, as well as engaging with other policy colleagues to ensure that it's fitting into the wider aspects of the work which is currently being undertaken as well as help deliver biodiversity across multiple policy areas.

Will indicators be sensitive to regional change, not just national change? So, habitats or species that may be doing well nationally, may not be doing well in a particular part of Scotland, and whether that sensitivity will be picked up?

It will depend on the indicator selected. For example, the Ecosystems Red List is available and could be regionally viewed, whereas the Marine and Terrestrial Species Indicator is at a national scale and is difficult to view regionally. Other species indicators such as the Genetic Scorecard for Species, might allow some of that regional viewing, to help understand population distributions for individual species assesses. It will be important that the regional aspect is not lost in the noise of the national indicators. The Scottish Government is considering the how to make improvements at local scale and how these map to the national scale improvements.

Will external organisations have specific funding towards developing and implementing these reporting indicators? That has been a stumbling block previously.

The Scottish Government are trying to select indicators that are already in existence and more importantly that already have established monitoring and reporting in place.

How will these targets react to shifting baselines? I.e. warmer climate bringing new species and previous species moving on.

Shifting baselines in relation to climate change is an example of which there is a level of uncertainty about how the environment will relate to future changes. As Scotland is experiencing warmer climates and new species, the Scottish Government need to think about what will happen under a changing climate. What the Programme Advisory Group will consider as part of the setting quantifiable values is the baseline data that will be available for certain indicators.