‘Nature is in freefall’ – Greens put pressure on Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament has been urged to vote to declare a nature emergency in response to a decline in species.

The Scottish Greens will lead a debate on the issue in Holyrood this week.

Pa r t y environment spokesman Mark Ruskell said action is needed, as “everyone from the UN to David Attenborough and nature organisations here in Scotland are warning that our nature is in freefall”.

A WWF report in September revealed global numbers of mammals, birds, fish and insects have fallen by two- thirds since 1970, including a drastic decline in numbers of the Arctic skua in Orkney.

The Greens also cited research by the Mammal Society after it placed Scottish species including the wildcat, mountain hare, beaver and red squirrel on its “red list”, meaning they are at risk of extinction.

A motion to be debated at Holyrood on Wednesday calls on the Scottish Government to set a target to halt all species declines by 2030 and further demands that 30% of Scotland’s land and sea should be set aside for a “nature recovery”.

Mr Ruskell said: “Here in Scotland, one in nine species already faces extinction and instead of taking the bold action needed, we’ve had years of neglect.

“To make ma t t e r s worse , s imp le opportunities to improve the situation are being missed, particularly when it comes to planning laws and targeting farming subsidies.

“If we are going to reverse this alarming decline in Scotland’s nature, then parliament must declare a nature emergency this week, and commit to devote 30% of S c o t l a n d ’s land and sea to restoring nature by 2030.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scotland was the first country in the UK to declare a climate emergency and because we recognise that biodiversity loss is a key driver of climate change, we have made tackling it one of our most important objectives.

“We are already making significant strides.

“Fo r example, our network of Ma r i n e Protected Areas (MPAs) covers more than 30% of our seas – already exceeding international targets being developed for other countries.

“Our Biodiversity Strategy is a key pillar of our approach and we have already committed a further £3 million to help tackle biodiversity loss in Scotland in 2021-22, on top of our £5m Biodiversity Challenge Fund.

“In addition, we have committed £250 million for peatland restoration over 10 years, which supports biodiversity, reduces emissions and creates green jobs.”

Environment spokesman Mark Ruskell.