Scottish biodiversity strategy: report to Parliament 2020 to 2024

Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045

The development of Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy

In 2004, Scotland published its first biodiversity strategy Scotland’s biodiversity: it’s in your hands. In 2013, the strategy was supplemented by the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity setting out the principles and approaches to be adopted by the Scottish Government and its partners. The ‘2020 Challenge’ updated parts of the original strategy and incorporated the 2010 international Aichi Biodiversity Targets and lessons from the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (2011) on the contribution nature makes to society and the economy.

Scotland's Biodiversity: a Route Map to 2020 was published in 2015 to provide greater focus for the ‘2020 Challenge’ and help coordinate large-scale collaborative working. Accounts of many of the actions can be found in the Biodiversity Route Map to 2020 - Final Report published in 2022.

In December 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Scottish Government published the Scottish biodiversity strategy post-2020: statement of intent confirming that the existing strategy would continue until replaced by a new biodiversity strategy and associated delivery plan and investment plan.

The 15^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity

Ratified at the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (CoP 15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal in 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) represents a significant milestone in global conservation efforts, emerging from extensive consultations and negotiations spanning four years. This landmark agreement aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and builds upon the foundations laid by previous strategic plans of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Its overarching aim is to chart a bold course towards achieving a world where human activities exist in harmony with nature by 2050. Central to the GBF's architecture are four Goals for 2050 and 23 Targets for 2030.

As part of the CoP, Scottish Government led on the ‘Edinburgh Process’ with representatives from local, regional and sub-national governments. This culminated in the Edinburgh Declaration for subnational governments, cities and local authorities on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which sets out their critical role in delivering biodiversity outcomes at the local level.

The structure of this report

This is the sixth and final report compiled by NatureScot on behalf of Scottish Government detailing progress on implementing the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity as required under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Previous progress reports include those laid before Parliament in 2017 and 2020.

This report focuses on the seven outcomes set out in the Strategy. Each section of the report discusses/ describes progress on the ‘Key steps’ associated with each Outcome, including the indicators developed to monitor progress.

Outcome 1: Scotland’s ecosystems are restored to good ecological health so that they provide robust ecosystem services and build our natural capital.

Outcome 2: Natural resources contribute to stronger sustainable economic growth in Scotland, and we increase our natural capital to pass on to the next generation.

Outcome 3: Improved health and quality of life for the people of Scotland, through investment in the care of green space, nature and landscapes.

Outcome 4: The special value and international importance of Scotland’s nature and geodiversity is assured, wildlife is faring well, and we have a highly effective network of protected places.

Outcome 5: Nature is faring well, and ecosystems are resilient as a result of sustainable land and water management.

Outcome 6: Scotland’s marine and coastal environments are clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse meeting the long-term needs of people and nature.

Outcome 7: A framework of indicators that we can use to track progress.

Following the discussion of the seven Outcomes, the report outlines the ongoing challenges for biodiversity in Scotland by presenting some key facts on the present state of nature in Scotland, what we can learn from previous successes in protecting nature, and what are the continuing pressures we must confront. The report concludes with a look forward to how these pressures are to be tackled through the Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity for post-2020 and the first Delivery Plan.