Scotland’s national asset of its expansive, unique landscape is at rick of being under serious threat to destruction in coming years. The global awareness and movements tackling climate change are beginning to increase in scope to the importance of biodiversity conservation and nature restoration. Conferences such as the 2021 Kunming declaration and cop26, have been a cornerstone in implementing targets to help tackle our nature and climate crisis.
The launch of the nature restoration fund in 2021 has awarded over £55 million to over 230 small projects, with overall aims to halt biodiversity loss and be “nature positive” by 2030 and restore and regenerate Scotland’s biodiversity by 2045. As part of the global mitigatory changes to help combat climate change, Scotland has pledged to restore 30% of the natural environment by 2030.
However, Scotland is already extremely off track for meeting many targets, such as peatland restoration and reforestation, and only 18% of the landmass meeting the 30% restoration target. Although Scotland still claims to become net zero by 2045, it is deemed unlikely for Scotland to cut 75% of climate emissions by 2030.
These setbacks partially arise from constant funding cuts to nature-conservation projects, charities and agriculture schemes – 40% to NatureScot in the last decade have been cut, and a 41% reduction to the forestry grant scheme in 2021. To meet these restoration and biodiversity conservation targets, funding needs to be increased, not cut. Conservationists are concerned with the challenges of undertaking this long-term, national nature restoration with uncertain, small-scale grants and sources of funding. With ongoing inconsistencies in focus and funding on crucial environmental restoration efforts required to protect Scotland’s biodiversity remain at risk of falling short.
Photo by Cordelia Murray-Brown for The Student