Note: this page refers to activities specific to the implementation of the CBD in Scotland. Information on activities relevant to the implementation of the CBD across the UK, including those of relevance to Scotland, can be found here.
Relevant Government Bodies
Environmental issues, including biodiversity conservation issues, have broadly been devolved from the UK Government to the Scottish Government. Within the Scottish Government the Environment and Forestry Directorate is the lead directorate for the implementation of the CBD in Scotland. However, the following directorates also make a significant contribution:
The following Scottish Government Arms-Length Public Bodies also contribute to the implementation of the CBD in Scotland:
- Cairngorms National Park, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (national park management).
- Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (advice, research and in-situ conservation of plants).
- Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (regulation of environmental pollutants and management of freshwater environment).
- Nature.Scot (biodiversity conservation regulator with wider responsibilities to promote, care for and improve Scotland’s biodiversity and landscapes).
- Scottish Forestry (forestry regulator with wider responsibilities to promote sustainable forestry)
- Forestry and Land Scotland (management of the public forest estate and limited wider public lands)
Relevant Government Policies
In 2013 the Scottish Government published ‘2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity – a strategy for the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity in Scotland’. This document set out the Scottish Government’s desired outcomes for biodiversity in 2020 and demonstrates how the Scottish Government will meet the Aichi Targets. Prior to this, in 2004, the Scottish Government published ‘Scotland’s Biodiversity: It’s in Your Hands’ which sets out a vision to 2030 of how the Scottish Government will conserve Scotland’s biodiversity. Combined, the Scottish Government considers the two documents as representing Scotland’s national biodiversity strategy. The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Coordination Group oversees reporting and delivery of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.
In 2015 the Scottish Government further published 'Scotland’s biodiversity: a route map to 2020'. It sets out the priority work required to meet the Aichi Targets.
In addition to the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, the Scottish Government has also published a Pollinator Strategy (with an associated Implementation Plan) in 2017 and a Land Use Strategy in 2016. Both of which contribute to the implementation of the CBD in Scotland.
Reporting
- The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 requires the Scottish Government to report every three years on progress towards the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The latest report (2017) can be found here.
- The Scottish Biodiversity Indicators provide further information on the progress of the Scottish Government in achieving its biodiversity strategy.
- In 2017, the Scottish Government also produced an interim report on its progress towards the Aichi Targets.
Additional information about biodiversity in Scotland is also available from the Scottish Biodiversity website.
Photo credits: MireLoch Scotland Matthew Hartley CCLicense, Saltmarsh Alex Berger CCLicense