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Green recovery


held back and then revisited through a Covid recovery lens. “It actually didn’t need much of a refresh,” recalls Bruce. “As well as covering quick wins for nature, the actions were equally relevant for economic recovery.” Rather than changing any of the actions, the authors instead highlighted those that fitted closely with a green recovery. “We focussed on the ones that would have high on-the-ground impact, tackle bottlenecks and unlock action underneath,” comments Isobel Mercer, Senior Policy Officer, RSPB Scotland. Distilling the list to just 11


interventions was challenging, but the plan provides a strong framework, believes Sheila George, Food and Environment Policy Manager, WWF Scotland. “We have identified the key interventions in the short-to-medium- term that, taken together, will help us meet the climate challenge, the biodiversity challenge and a green recovery,” she says.


Scale, ambition and connectivity are key themes – with each action closely interlinked. One intervention, the expansion of Scotland’s native woodlands, for example, is not possible without also reducing deer numbers (another intervention). Similarly, transforming land management subsidies to reward nature-friendly and climate-friendly farming connects with ambitions around changes to land management practices generally. And as part of a wider vision of a wellbeing economy, large-scale landscape restoration projects sit alongside nature-rich spaces in towns and cities. “Investing in nature in this way would have huge implications for health and wellbeing, as improving access to nature has lasting health benefits that help save money over the long term,” notes Isobel.


Native woodland reflected at dawn, Loch Vaa, Cairngorms National Park


nature has lasting health benefits that save money.


For the Trust, a commitment to developing a Scottish Nature Network as part of the National Planning Framework is perhaps the most pressing action. “We lack strategic planning in Scotland when it comes to nature,” says Bruce. “While there is public money for small-scale, one-off projects, there is little coherence.” Biodiversity, like everything else, benefits from being networked and connected. “Governments would never consider building traditional grey infrastructure in an ad hoc way, with a


Improving access to


road here and a roundabout there and just hoping that it all connects up. To build a road network you would apply strategic planning and green and blue infrastructure should be no different.” Importantly, the interventions add detail to some of the broad brushstrokes around natural capital. In many cases, nuance is everything. One example is the expansion of native woodland where there is a strong argument for meeting both the climate and nature challenges as it locks up carbon and improves wildlife habitats. The most recent Programme for Government included a commitment to expand tree planting to 80,000 hectares a year. That sounds encouraging, but planting in Scotland has historically focussed on non-native commercial species, which misses several tricks. “Our report focuses on a balanced, diverse approach to woodland expansion, calling for at least 50% of new plantings to be native species that bring biodiversity value,” explains Sheila. “If we don’t have biodiversity firmly at the centre of decision- making then we lose that nuance.” The devil is in the detail, adds Bruce. “In the case of woodland, the detail is in having natural capital that provides a range of benefits, not just economic value. We also need to tackle the climate crisis, but again just doggedly going after carbon means we miss opportunities to make lasting improvements to wellbeing and biodiversity as well. It’s all about the mix.”


People valued time spent outdoors even more during lockdown


20 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE NOVEMBER 2020


MOMENT OF RESET There is hope, too, that the experience of millions of people during lockdown will also feed into the conversation. Stories are myriad about how people found solace in nature during such a challenging time. Equally, there are


© Peter Cairns


© Mark Hamblin/2020VISION


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