Wildlife and wild places

Protection for wildlife and wild places

The public should demand that our politicians:

Stronger protection, and increased funding, to care properly for Scotland’s precious wildlife and wild places. Allocate more resources for the police to deal with wildlife criminals. Commit more resources to encourage enjoyment of the countryside, including a Scotland-wide path network.

Why?
Scotland’s countryside and wildlife is special and vital to the health and wealth of the nation, but is threatened by illegal damage and poor management. Now that everyone’s right to responsible access to land and water is secured following the historic laws on land reform, the next step is to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to exercise that right. A majority of our most precious wildlife habitats remain without protection.

Background
Scotland’s internationally renowned wildlife habitats and species have without any doubt been damaged by man’s activities. Over 40% of native land mammals are thought to be in decline. Deliberate acts of vandalism such as egg collecting or poisoning, the intensification of agriculture and forestry, and over-fishing, as well as poorly designed river engineering or flood protection are all taking their toll. Between 1970 and 1990, almost one third of bird species, including 60% of farmland birds, showed marked reductions in range. Some 30% of Scotland’s native woodland of ancient origin have been lost since the 1940s. Only 1% of the original Scots pine forest remains.

It is vital to protect and enhance Scotland’s natural assets – the species and habitats that make up our landscapes – our remaining ancient woodlands, rivers and lochs, peatlands, eagles, otters and native plants.

Everyone should also be able to experience Scotland’s nature. Following the historic new Land reform legislation passed in January 2003 there is now a clear right of responsible access. However, to make it work significant resources will be needed, in particular to create a national network of paths and signposts. It is estimated that £350million will need to be spent in this area over the next ten years.

Nature and economy

Wildlife tourism is one of the fastest-growing areas of tourism worldwide, and an area where Scotland is well-placed to benefit. There are great opportunities for remote rural areas (for example, goose watching visitors spend £3million per year in local economies, such as Islay, Dumfries and Galloway and the North east. And, importantly, being in the winter, this significantly extends the season).
Walking and rambling in the countryside is worth £400million per year alone
There are many more jobs in diversifying farming practices, as well as in organic agriculture, diversifying into tourism.
£73.6million expenditure is generated by wildlife tourists, taking 287,000 trips per year. It is visitScotland’s third highest category of types of tourism after golf and walking.

Nature and health

Clean air and water are both vital to support healthy wildlife populations and for public health.
Monitoring and maintaining wildlife populations provides an “early warning system” – eg birds of prey eggs thinning due to DDT – protecting our own food/water supply being poisoned indirectly.
The value to the human spirit and sense of well-being provided by the experience of nature is difficult to underestimate.
More active lives with better access to the countryside will improve health (eg reduce coronary problems, some cancers, osteoporosis, mental health) with major benefit in reducing NHS costs in the long term.

Nature facts...

Scotland’s nature is stunning. We have two thirds of Natura 2000 sites in the UK, recognising the importance of protecting the Atlantic salmon, European Otter, Corn Bunting, Capercaillie, Sea Eagle, Golden Eagle, Osprey, etc.
75% of the world’s population of gannet breed in Scotland.
17% of Scotland is wooded. However, less than only 5% is of native species
16% of widespread bird species decreased significantly in abundance between 1994 and 1999. Nearly two-thirds of species given legal protection in Scotland were thought to be stable or increasing in 1997, with 36% in decline.
45% of Scotland’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) are in a poor condition or deteriorating.
85% of Scotland’s ancient woodlands are not protected by any designation and therefore threatened by overgrazing, development, intensive agriculture and climate change.

Protecting wildlife
Measures are available to stop or reverse decline; some significant improvements were proposed in The Nature of Scotland – a recent government consultation paper, yet to be acted upon fully. It is welcome that the Scottish Executive is raising the deterrent for those involved in egg collecting and other illegal wildlife crime. However, the new Nature Conservation Bill (due, in draft, during March) should be enacted during the first year of the new Parliament; it should include:

reform of the SSSI system to provide stronger protection, allied to greater resources to enable landowners and farmers to manage these sites more positively.
‘Reckless’ damage to SSSI’s, as well as ‘deliberate’ damage should become an offence (many culprits say they didn’t mean it and get away with it).
regulate the use of snares better.
improved protection for rare plants, especially the so-called lower plants.
powers for police to collect DNA evidence in solving wildlife crime.

In addition, the Executive should ensure:

extra resources for more Wildlife Liaison Officers, and better training in the Procurators Fiscal offices; (at present, there is only one full time Police Wildlife Liaison Officer, compared with over 12 in England and Wales, despite most of the wildlife targeted by criminals being in Scotland).
significant expansion of SNH’s Natural Care scheme for the positive management of Sites of Special Scientific interest(SSSIs);
delivery of targets for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and transparent monitoring of its implementation.

Sources: Time to act, report on the state of Scotland’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Bain et al, 2000; RSPB and BASC 1999 – Geese and the local economy; SNH Environment Audit 2001; RSPB Scotland; Woodland Trust Scotland; WWF Scotland.