National Islands Plan: annual report 2021

Environmental Wellbeing and Biosecurity

Strategic Objective 8 – To improve and promote environmental wellbeing and deal with biosecurity

We committed to protect island biodiversity.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

• Projects have been undertaken across our island communities to improve and promote environmental wellbeing and deal with biosecurity:
• The MarPAMM project aims to pilot a co-management approach to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Outer Hebrides marine region. We have completed Phase 1 of community engagement, identifying key issues and priorities for MPAs and their management, with project completion expected in March 2022.
• Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme (AECS) was open for applications in 2021, with a restricted round. 874 applications were approved on islands with a total sum of £6.63 million awarded to deliver benefits for protected areas management, corncrakes, waders and organics over 225,212 ha.
• Species on the Edge is a partnership of NatureScot and seven nature conservation charities remains, all dedicated to improving the fortunes of 40 priority species found along Scotland's coast and islands. It continues to progress through its four and a half year programme of work to tackle the impacts of environmental change on wildlife to benefit both nature and people. Work towards a Phase 2 NHLF bid has taken longer than expected, but submission is now planned for March 2022.
• Agreements remain in place to manage land in Islay, Uist, Coll, Tiree and South Walls for the benefit of Greenland barnacle geese and/or Greenland white-fronted geese, whilst supporting farmers whose land and crops are affected by the birds. Funding is in place to support the schemes to 2023.
• Agreements are in place to support land managers who are experiencing difficulties with white-tailed eagles. There is a national policy for white-tailed eagles, but there are concentrations on islands – particularly Mull, Skye and the Outer Hebrides.
• The Northern Isles Landscape Partnership Project continues to progress, with aims of improving and managing habitats for key native bird species on a number of non-connected Orkney Isles.
• The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is designed to remove the invasive non-native stoat from Orkney and prevent catastrophic decline in native wildlife (Orkney vole, Short-eared owl, Hen harrier and various wader and seabird species).
• Support remains in place to maintain a viable red-billed chough population on Islay, whilst a long-term approach to population management is developed and agreed. A decision on the long-term approach will be informed by the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, which is due in autumn 2022. The population is at risk of extinction without intervention. NatureScot have provided funding for supplementary feeding of chough at key nursery sites on Islay and Colonsay, and we are continuing to utilise AECS/NatureScot Management Agreements to support chough habitat management on the islands. Funding, through the NS Biodiversity scheme will be used to restore the largest chough roost site on Islay in March 2022. We continue to work very closely with our partners on the Islay Chough Study Group and the Scottish Chough Forum and further work, including analysing chough habitat variabilities and potential genetic reinforcement will be looked at over the coming months. A review of the biotic and abiotic factors affecting all British and Irish chough populations has been instigated and will be complete by February 2022. This study will provide a context of factors influencing all regional populations, which will inform NatureScots considerations.
• NatureScot commissioned three reports evaluating the impact and intervention options for mammalian invasive non-native species on island protected areas (Rum, Noss and Hermaness on Unst). Following the Rum report, we have installed a weather station to help us understand the impact of weather on impacts of rats on seabirds, and the impacts of weather on breeding success of seabirds. We are also trialling new rat tracking techniques (to improve efficiency and accuracy) and incorporating winter monitoring to our programme of monitoring.
• The project to remove non-native rhododendron from Kinloch Village on Rum remains ongoing, with significant removal of rhododendron this year. The final phase aims in 2022 will aim to tackle cotoneaster.

We committed to address biosecurity in a holistic and integrated manner as a means not only to contribute to environmental wellbeing, but also to contribute to sustainable economic development on Scottish islands.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project has biosecurity plans in place to prevent spread of stoats to the non-linked isles. Once the eradication is successful, this will include biosecurity to prevent re-invasion. These plans interlink with the Biosecurity for LIFE project.

We committed to establish an islands forum, through Zero Waste Scotland, as part of the implementation of the Deposit Return Scheme, to ensure that key considerations for islands (and rural communities more generally) are reflected. This Forum will support, not only, input into our legislative plans for the scheme but also ensure that key considerations for islands communities are integrated into the implementation planning process.

This commitment was fulfilled in 2020. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2020 for further details.

We committed to work with island communities to explore how they can contribute to the circular economy through small-scale pilots for example supporting local food production.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise entered into a partnership in February 2020. Through the appointment of a Regional Engagement Partner, this initiative is designed to support a more circular economy in the Highlands and Islands, adopting a place-based approach. A circular economy reduces waste to a minimum by recovering and reusing as many products and materials as possible, over and over again. It's a make, remake and reuse economy.

The partnership provides a direct referral service for specific projects where ZWS can support local communities or businesses.

The Islands Green Recovery Programme (IGRP) delivered for Scottish Government by Inspiring Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Energy Savings Trust and Highlands and Islands Enterprise delivered investment last year that supported projects including: energy performance improvements of community-owned housing on Shapinsay in Orkney; decarbonisation of a community facility (former school) on Bressay, Shetland; the main community building by the pier on Eigg, and the Armadale Store on Skye run by the Sleat Community Trust.

IGRP also funded a significant horticulture study for seven of the Orkney islands, looking at the potential for enhanced horticulture methods at the community scale, including aspects of vertical farming and hydroponics.

See case studies of these and other projects on the HIE website.

More information on IGRP investment and outcomes is available on the Inspiring Scotland site.

We committed to continue and refresh the Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund, which has benefited island communities through provision of infrastructure to mitigate the impact of increased tourism benefiting islands' communities and environment.

This commitment was fulfilled in 2020. Please see the National Islands Plan Annual Report 2020 for further details.

We committed to develop work with the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy's Non-Native Species Action Group to increase public information around minimising particularly highrisk invasive species movements on islands.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

The ongoing island eradication projects listed below are run by NatureScot or RSPB. All of these projects engage with island communities to raise awareness of invasive predators and, in particular, to help prevent them from spreading onto adjacent islands:

• The Hebridean Mink Project is now in its biosecurity phase, having virtually completed the task of eradication. Trapping effort has been maintained at a low level throughout the Outer Hebrides during COVID-19 restrictions, with only a small number (14) of mink trapped. Work will continue, focused on tracking and removing the last remaining individuals. Benefits to biodiversity – particularly ground nesting birds – are not quantified but are significant.
• Work to assess the feasibility of removing hedgehogs from the Uists in order to protect internationally important bird populations is in progress in partnership with RSPB Scotland. Work on the feasibility studies has made good progress, and will be complete by March 2022. Next steps will be to decide how to move forwards taking account of the feasibility study recommendations.
• Work is ongoing to secure access permission in Orkney to allow the work to remove non-native stoats to proceed as planned. A schools programme is currently in place. Due to COVID-19, community outreach has been restricted to social media and radio interviews. However, the first island biosecurity plan is being finalised, and the project has secured a year's additional funding, meaning that COVID-19 delays have been significantly mitigated. Additionally, the eradication operation is on track, whilst the volunteering programme has been altered to be more 1:1 rather than group outings. Finally, a biosecurity officer is now in post.

We committed to work with island partners to design solutions that address climate change through nature based solutions with multiple benefits including, for example the protection and restoration of peatlands and salt marshes.

Work is ongoing in relation to this commitment.

Scottish Government continues to support collaboration with island partners to ensure nature based solutions are used to tackle to continued threat of climate change. Several key updates are noted below:

• The Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership's (CCP) Climate Change Group is developing plans and actions to integrate into the Local Outcome Improvement Plan.
• Adaptation Planning work continues to make good progress, with community engagement work in North Uist now completed. This will inform a wider community engagement strategy – with 'lived experience' being factored into adaptation planning. Additionally, the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership's Climate Change is also scoping out how to approach net-zero by 2045.
• The Highland Community Planning Partnership delivers biodiversity and climate change action on the ground through the Highland Environment Forum. The Highland Adapts Partnership is a new regional initiative that will focus on enabling the Highlands to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
• The Orkney Partnership has mainstreamed climate mitigation and adaptation as part of its Sustainable Recovery Delivery Group which will co-ordinate action to help Orkney move to a NetZero future ahead of 2045 and implement an Adaptation Strategy.
• On Rum, the restoration of habitats continues with further reductions of red deer and feral goats. Extractions routes across peat bogs are now protected through use of bog mats following successful a successful trial.
• Since 2013, Peatland Action was an invested almost £2 million in peatland restoration. The breakdown of this across our island communities is provided below:
  • Islay £41,625.50 restored 81.55 ha.
  • Isle of Arran £168,518.05 restored 430.4 ha.
  • Isle of Lewis/Eilean Leodhais and Harris/Na Hea £62,434.76 restored 32.03 ha.
  • Isle of Mull £69,472.77 restored 54.5 ha.
  • Isle of Skye £398,876.60 restored 146.8 ha.
  • Mainland of Shetland £1,061,456.29 restored 323.73 ha.