Hansard

I am very pleased to open today’s debate on the general principles of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill. This Parliament has a long and proud record of championing nature, biodiversity and wildlife. I thank the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee for its comprehensive scrutiny of the bill, and everyone who gave evidence at stage 1. I also acknowledge the stakeholders whom we met in Government during the development of the bill, whose contributions have helped to shape our approach.

I welcome the committee’s recommendation that Parliament supports the general principles of the bill. Although I look forward to hearing members’ views on how the bill can be improved and strengthened at stage 2, I hope that we can reaffirm that commitment today by supporting the general principles of the bill and recognising the urgency of the crisis that it seeks to address.

Let me begin with a stark statistic. I invite everyone to think about what this really means. Last year, PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated that more than 55 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product is dependent on nature—that means that more than half the world’s economic activity relies on healthy ecosystems.

People often talk about how lucky we are to live in Scotland, and of course they are absolutely right—just look at our magnificent landscapes and coastlines, our lochs, glens and forests, and our iconic species such as the golden eagle and the Scottish wildcat. Beneath that beauty, however, lies a troubling truth: biodiversity is in crisis, both globally and at home.

Across the world, 1 million species face extinction in the coming decades unless we act now. That is not just a distant issue happening elsewhere. It is happening on our doorstep, with one in nine species already threatened here in Scotland. Since 1994, monitored species have seen an average 15 per cent drop in numbers. There is no doubt that nature is at risk, and that threatens lives, habitats, the balance of our natural world and the sectors, communities and economies that rely on it.

The nature and climate emergencies are deeply intertwined. Nature regulates our climate, and the climate impacts on nature. The natural environment brings huge benefits to our human health and wellbeing—for example, cleaning our air and water, storing harmful carbon, and reducing flooding. The World Economic Forum recently ranked biodiversity loss as the second-highest global risk over the next decade, just behind extreme weather.

We cannot afford to treat nature as an optional extra. It is the foundation of our health, our economy and our life-support systems. Every part of our natural environment plays a role in supporting the systems that we depend on, from the tiniest microbes to apex predators. That intricate web of life underpins the industries that sustain us, providing food, clean water, energy, shelter and even medicines. Protecting and restoring nature is not just about conservation; it is about doing what is right for the good of us all.

Scotland’s natural environment is part of who we are. It sustains our communities, defines our place in the world and makes our communities resilient. By safeguarding it, we honour our responsibility to future generations and preserve the landscapes and the wildlife that make Scotland thrive. At the same time, we are securing the foundations of our economy and wellbeing, including sectors such as farming, fishing and forestry, which are deeply dependent on the health of our ecosystems. In Scotland, natural capital supports £40.1 billion in economic output and more than 260,000 jobs, from tourism and recreation to food and drink. We know that many sectors depend directly on nature.

Nature is not just an economic asset; it is a public health necessity, with access to nature improving mental and physical wellbeing. For example, studies show that children in deprived areas who spend just 60 minutes a day in nature have a 50 per cent lower risk of mental health issues than others. We now know just enough about biodiversity to understand that removing even small pieces of the puzzle can have unpredictable and cascading effects.

Turning to the legislation, I want to be clear that the bill is not a stand-alone measure. It builds on the biodiversity strategy that we published last year, which sets out a long-term vision to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and restore nature by 2045.

That strategy is supported by six-yearly rolling delivery plans, including our commitment to protect 30 per cent of Scotland’s land and seas for nature by 2030, with the first suite of nature 30 sites already announced. It also includes expanding and enhancing nature networks, in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders, to deliver ecological, social and economic benefits, and supporting restoration through our £65 million nature restoration fund, which has funded nearly 800 projects since 2021. Those are transformative actions, but we need the legislative tools to match our ambition.

The bill is the next critical step. It places a duty on ministers to set statutory nature restoration targets; it modernises the aims and powers of national park authorities; it reforms deer management; and it creates a bespoke power to update environmental impact assessments and habitats legislation, addressing a gap that was left by our exit from the European Union.