Scottish biodiversity strategy: report to Parliament 2020 to 2024

7. Outcome 7: Measuring progress

A framework of indicators that we can use to track progress.

7.1 Put in place a programme of work to measure progress towards the 2020 outcome, so that we can track progress and deal with problems

As outlined above in the Summary, a suite of indicators was developed to report on the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. They were subsequently adopted for reporting against the updated 2020 Challenge for Scotland's Biodiversity published in 2013. As noted above in the Summary some of the original indicators have now been archived, discontinued, superseded, or have not been updated during this reporting period.

Lessons learned in measuring progress

Many of the outcomes set out in the 2020 Challenge were addressed through large-scale collaborative actions set out in Scotland's Biodiversity: a Route Map to 2020. Regular reports have been issued providing details on progress with these actions, with a Biodiversity Route Map to 2020 - Final Report published in 2022.

Measuring progress needs a sound scientific evidence base: in Scotland we have benefitted from the talents and dedication of many citizen scientists across the nation to provide that evidence. Land cover mapping provides a strong foundation for measuring ecosystem health, with restoration projects requiring up-to-date spatial data at a scale that facilitates the tracking of actions on the ground. Value can be added to indicators such as by presenting them in the wider context of spatial data such as held on Scotland’s Environment Web (SEWeb).

Scotland’s Natural Capital Asset Index (NCAI) relies on 38 habitat indicators gathered by a range of public organisations and citizen science schemes. Work is underway to improve the data underpinning the NCAI.

New opportunities are arising from technological developments such as satellite imaging, Lidar, sensors, eDNA, baseline mapping, and mobile devices. Habitat maps have been produced from satellite data that can be used to track land use change (as discussed in s7.4 below). Most of these new approaches have been coupled with citizen science to enhance their reach and to help communities take ownership and make informed decisions about nature in their neighbourhoods.

As well as managing and using data provided by citizens, public bodies are committed to making as much information publicly available as possible without putting rare species or habitats at risk. Access to new data is improving, such as the first-ever nationwide high-resolution Scotland 2022 Landcover Map.

7.2 Work more closely with the growing number of volunteers to develop our understanding of the changing state of nature

Volunteers make an invaluable contribution to our understanding of the state of nature, with records from volunteers underpinning much biodiversity monitoring and reporting. The State of Nature Scotland Report (see s8.1 below) relies on millions of records collected by citizen scientists, as does NatureScot’s suite of indicators including National Performance Indicators such as the Natural Capital Asset Index. Many biodiversity indicators depend on data submitted by volunteer recorders.

7.3 Develop and support the Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum to bolster the collection and wider use of the biodiversity data in Scotland

The Better Biodiversity Data project is a response to the recommendations from the Scottish Biodiversity Information Forum (SBIF). It is a partnership project supported by NatureScot and the Scottish Government and led by the NBN Trust to develop:

• A nationwide partnership providing biodiversity data services on behalf of Scotland.
• A Data Management and Digital Services System, providing financially sustainable value-added services to users.
• A connected functional biodiversity data community and infrastructure, following FAIR and Open Data principles, across all sectors.

7.4 Publish a terrestrial habitat map for Scotland

Work started in 2019 with land cover and biomass mapping experts Space Intelligence to use satellite data to generate the first complete and repeatable EUNIS level 2 habitat and land cover maps of Scotland. Mapping was repeated in 2020 and 2022 with the new maps incorporating additional coastal and forestry habitat types. These data are available as Open Data on SpatialData.gov.scot and to view at the Space Intelligence website. This work is outlined above at ‘s1.2 Land-Mapping and the Habitat Map of Scotland’.

7.5 Next steps in measuring progress

International / European indicators

Biodiversity and the pressures it faces are international, with public bodies having well-established links with partners in Europe and internationally. NatureScot and Scottish Government have been key partners in the development of the UK’s negotiating position at the Conferences of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This position is well-aligned with other members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, including the EU.

The Global Biodiversity Framework has helped to shape reporting and indicator development here in Scotland including by addressing the indirect drivers, as it recognises that biodiversity can only be safeguarded if it is valued and if conservation actions are part of wider societal efforts. The new draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy recognises this and is also well-aligned with the recently adopted EU Nature Restoration Law.

Genetic diversity is one of the three main levels of biodiversity recognised in the original Convention on Biodiversity Diversity. Fundamental for species adaptation to environmental change, genetic diversity is nonetheless under‐reported within global and national indicators. When it is reported, the focus is often narrow and confined to domesticated or other commercial species. A team supported by the SEFARI Gateway, a knowledge exchange hub for Scotland's environment, food, and agriculture research institutes, created a genetic diversity scorecard to assess conservation of wild species in Scotland, as part of reporting under the CBD. The scorecard evaluates the risks that target species face, including loss of diversity and hybridisation with non-native species, and assesses conservation actions both in the wild and in zoos, seedbanks and collections.

UK and Scottish marine assessments

Scotland’s Marine Assessment 2020 provided the most comprehensive assessment to date on the state of Scotland’s seas and the main activities and pressures. It highlights where progress has been made, the importance of the marine economy, the increasing evidence around climate change, the main pressures and how measures to address them are being implemented. Many of the indicators used in this assessment are linked to those used to report on progress towards Good Environmental Status under the UK Marine Strategy Directive. These are presented in the Marine Online Assessment Tool.

A new experimental biodiversity statistic

NatureScot worked with Scottish Government and a consortium of NGOs and research bodies to produce a new Marine and Terrestrial Species Indicator that includes a wider variety of species than had previously been possible. This ‘experimental statistic’ is designed to meet international best practice standards and is based almost entirely on data from citizen scientists. It shows changes in marine and terrestrial biodiversity in Scotland and so helps to track progress towards our biodiversity commitments. The statistic contributes to monitor the planetary health that underpins a wellbeing economy by its inclusion in the Wellbeing Economy Monitor.