Meeting of the Parliament 11 February 2026 [Draft]
I, too, thank John Mason for bringing this important debate to the chamber. Before the debate, I was inundated with colleagues telling me what species they champion. I am proud to be a nature champion, because it is an initiative that genuinely brings nature to life for us all. It makes us more aware of what is happening in our constituencies; which species are under pressure; which habitats need support; and where communities are stepping up to support local wildlife. I thank Scottish Environment LINK and its members for consistently campaigning for nature and for educating us all on the issues that really matter.
Just two weeks ago, Parliament passed the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, which marks a significant step forward in strengthening protections for Scotland’s biodiversity. During that process, I was proud to bring many amendments to the table, some of which were even agreed to. I was especially happy to support the amendment to add swift bricks to new buildings; that is just one example of how small, targeted interventions can support species that are under pressure.
In fighting for nature, I have always stressed that nature is not a luxury. It is vital to our health and wellbeing, and it contributes to the quality of our food, the strength of our tourism sector and the resilience of our economy. If we are serious about tackling the climate and nature emergencies, we have to invest in our natural environment and in the communities that care for it, because a healthy natural world makes our communities more resilient.
As John Mason highlighted, in every community in urban and rural Scotland, people benefit directly from action to protect biodiversity, whether through urban green spaces, community gardens or local wildlife corridors in our urban areas.
As the nature champion for the large heath butterfly, I thank Butterfly Conservation Scotland, because I have now seen at first hand just how closely that species is linked to the health of Scotland’s bogs. It is a true bog specialist, thriving on our upland blanket bogs and lowland raised bogs—habitats for which Scotland is internationally important.
The large heath butterfly is an indicator species. Its caterpillars rely on cottongrass, and the adults feed on cross-leaved heath, so when the butterfly is doing well, that tells us that those habitats are in good condition. Large heath butterflies could be under threat from climate change, and championing the species has shown me how vital peatland restoration is not just for one species, but for carbon storage, flood mitigation, biodiversity and community resilience.
More than 100 MSPs have taken part in the initiative, and I welcome the fact that it will be relaunched in the next session of Parliament because it will give new MSPs the chance to advocate for our threatened species and habitats. I hope that everybody will keep on campaigning together, because it could not be more important.