Scottish Natural Heritage released a new report yesterday, assessing Scotland’s progress towards halting biodiversity loss. It describes the report as ‘showing cause for optimism but not complacency’.
The document assesses the state of Scotland’s wildlife on land, coasts and seas against the 25-year Scottish Biodiversity Strategy launched in 2004 – whichemphasises that a healthy, natural environment is the essential foundation for the protection of biodiversity.
SNH’s CEO, Ian Jardine highlighted a notable success in pointing out: ‘… we can see notable advances in many areas and for many species. For example, otters are now found in 92% of Scotland, compared to just 57% in 1979′.
He went on to outline the basic position: ‘Globally, biodiversity is being lost at an increasing rate and halting this loss
in Scotland will take a sustained effort over a longer period.
’2010 is International Year of Biodiversity and provides a great opportunity for everyone to build on the accomplishments so far and to work together to make sure that Scotland remains at least as wonderfully diverse and beautiful as it is today’.
Key findings include:
- Farmland, woodland, water and upland bird populations have mainly increased over recent years. Butterfly populations in Scotland are relatively stable.
- Environmental improvements have reduced air, land and water pollution, allowing wildlife to re-colonise parts of Scotland that had become degraded by industrialisation and dereliction. Otters are re-established in the central lowlands and fish diversity is being restored in the Forth and Clyde rivers and firths.
- We no longer see major losses of our more natural habitats, although botanical diversity dropped between 1998 and 2007. Woodland has taken on a more natural appearance, improving Scotland’s scenery and providing opportunities for wildlife to flourish.
Trends in some species and habitats give greater cause for concern, such as the continuing need to conserve commercial fish stocks at sea; and seabird abundance in Scotland has been in decline since 1991.
In setting a 25 year strategic plan in place, the Scottish Government recognised that there is no quick fix in stemming loss of biodiversity, in improving natural habitats and in protecting species.
This said, we expect our Environment Editor, Mark Carter, to have something to say on the Scottish Government’s failure in the Marine (Scotland) Bill to protect Scotland’s seal populations – and in particular, the Common Seal, from the entirely unncessary shootings that are quite widespread and severely depredate their populations.
The full 100-page report is available online in pdf format.
Absolutely, do I have something to say; but to be fair and accurate I will need time to study the 100 page report: A few comments do spring to mind in the interim however; once again Scotland is made to look good on paper, it’s fine to pick on a mammal in isolation, such as the otter but then why not pick on the common seal, probably because Scotland has lost one third of the common seal population in around two years!
By choosing seals or any other animal that is struggling with anthropogenic (people) pressures, it simply does not fit in with the government’s spin, and let’s face it that’s all this is about “spin”.
If this government was serious about the marine environment numerous Non Government Organisations (NGOs) would not have been running around ragged last week and probably next week trying hard to find MSPs that will actually stand up to the current wave of pressure from the influential commercial sectors that have forged the current weak version of the Marine (Scotland) Bill, which goes to debate in Parliament on Thursday the 4th of Feb.
The much needed “No-Take-Zones”, or “Fishery Production Areas” as they have also been referred to, as recommended by the Royal Commission’s Report; “Turning the Tide”, will not be possible in the current Marine Bill.
Despite advancements in non-lethal modern technology in keeping predators away from fish stocks; despite recommendations that “Responsible Planning” under the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (see the ForArgyll article, “Last Chance for Scotland’s Marine Environment”), that salmon farms should not be placed next to vulnerable wildlife; the processes continue as if nothing has changed, and for the seals and some birds they continue to be shot.
The status quo remains: SNH and government failed to comment on the large seal colony just 400m from the Inchmarnock fish farm application; SNH and government have failed to act regarding the Lismore Special Area of Conservation for seals, they have done nothing to stop the large Norwegian owned fish farm company dumping equipment on the seals haul-out; SNH and government have done nothing to stop floating structures to be placed just 20 metres from the protected haul-out.
This lack of government and government agency action continues; even this week in the Sound of Harris, an application for a 1500 tonne fin fish farm, just a few hundred metres from many seal pupping grounds, close to the centre of a large common and grey seal population and the second largest cormorant colony in the Western Isles; has attracted SNH “concern”; no objection, simply concern.
If only people could help by signing the online links within the above mentioned article; if only our MSPs could grasp the “real” problems that our marine environment and future use of the seas resources face; only then will we start to see some real and actual changes protecting our very special Scottish biodiversity.
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I agree wholeheartedly with you, and am currently helping to fight against the Harris fish farm. Absolutely ridiculous! It just goes to show you that all these establishments are only as good as and as moral as those who work at the top!
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