Seòmar agus comataidhean

I am now speaking on behalf of Ross Greer. His amendment 171 would require a target to be set for the population size and the extent of our amazing native red squirrel population. Reds have been under pressure since North American grey squirrels were spread across the United Kingdom by the 11th Duke of Bedford in the 1890s. The red squirrel population has declined for decades, but recent conservation efforts have resulted in what could be the beginning of a turnaround.

The amendment specifies a target for the extent of the reds’ geographical spread, as well as their population size, because at present the red population is quite heavily concentrated in certain areas, which puts them at risk from the spread of disease. Red squirrels are truly iconic as a Scottish species—80 per cent of the UK’s total red squirrel population is here in Scotland. Recent efforts have shown that we can stop their slide towards extinction, but more action and accountability are needed if we are to reverse the damage that has been done over the past century.

Given the keenness that we have around the table to address the restoration of nature—30 per cent of land by 2030—I am seeking to introduce biodiversity targets under the new sections of the 2004 act on setting, reviewing and reporting on targets.

My amendment 47 would require the Scottish ministers to take a more holistic approach when setting targets, ensuring that they are aligned with existing Government frameworks and policies. Targets would have to be ecologically coherent, meaning that they would be representative, connected and well managed. NatureScot has used that concept and published a report on the definition of ecological coherence. The amendment would also require ministers to use a wholescape approach, essentially recognising that land and sea are interconnected habitats, as well as the range of cultural and economic activities that take place between them.

My amendment 48 would require ministers to have regard to existing Government frameworks and policies so that policies are aligned across departments and agencies.

Greens have lodged a series of amendments on targets to improve the state of key habitats and species. Scotland has world-famous iconic species, and people travel from around the globe to view our wild places. We must do what we can to protect them.

Amendment 167 asks ministers to set a target for when Scotland’s rainforest will be restored and its size doubled. The native woodlands of Scotland’s west coast are the last remnants of temperate rainforest in the country. The high rainfall, relatively mild temperatures and clean air create the perfect conditions for an abundance of plants, mosses, liverworts and lichens. We are beginning to recognise the importance of restoring Scotland’s rainforest. It is as important for biodiversity as the tropical rainforest. Amendment 167 seeks to replicate the goal that is set out in the Forestry and Land Scotland strategic approach plan for the rainforest. By placing that into legislation, there will be greater oversight of the steps that are taken by the Government and its agencies to deliver it.

Amendment 168 would require ministers to set targets in relation to the reintroduction of species—in particular, the Eurasian lynx. The reintroduction of missing native species is a key action to deliver nature recovery, so it is appropriate to include it as a target topic. The reintroduction of keystone species such as the Eurasian lynx would help to restore a balance to our ecosystems.

Lynx are forest-dwelling cats of about the size of a Labrador dog. They are thought to have become extinct in Scotland during the middle ages—around 1,000 years ago—due to habitat destruction, prey decline and hunting. They are not dangerous to humans, and mostly eat roe deer and other small species. Lynx would benefit Scotland’s wildlife, helping to restore biodiversity and improve the health of our ecosystems through their influence on various ecological processes. For example, their effect on the behaviour of some herbivores may allow for more natural regeneration in our woods.

My amendment 302 relates to access to monitor and assess non-native species. It would amend existing legislation on species control orders when dealing with invasive non-native species. I thank RSPB Scotland for its assistance with the amendment.

The Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 updated the law on management and control of invasive non-native species, and those updates were warmly welcomed by environmental stakeholders. However, in practice, the use of species control orders has been problematic and could benefit from additional improvement through the bill before us.

Issues have arisen in locations where major species eradication projects are under way—for example, the Orkney native wildlife project to remove stoats on the islands to protect bird populations. In that project, and in others like it, project teams employ a variety of humane trapping and capture methods to remove the invasive species. Those projects also work closely with, and are sometimes funded by, NatureScot and the Scottish Government. Projects also have voluntary agreements with most landowners, whether they be public or private, to enable project officers to access and trap invasive species across the expanse of the project area.

The Orkney project has covered more than 900 landholdings. So far, it has taken more than five years to secure access agreements across the project area.

However, there are times when it is not possible to enter into a voluntary agreement, for a variety of reasons. In some cases, that can undermine the success of the project. If the project teams cannot access the land that the invasive target species, such as the stoat, have moved to, their numbers cannot be controlled. Rapid action is needed to control populations of highly mobile species such as stoat.

Securing agreements can be time consuming, and delays risk jeopardising the success of the whole project. Amendment 302 would allow for project staff to access areas without a control order to assess the extent of the damage caused by invasive species, as defined by NatureScot. It would allow access to the land simply for surveying purposes; it would not allow officers to take any other actions.

The intention is to strike a balance between property rights and dealing with fast-moving developments involving invasive species, allowing staff to access land to assess the damage so that a further course of action can be planned.

I was just looking at the detail of your amendment 291 on red squirrels—I apologise for taking you back again. It is great that you want to look into protecting red squirrels, as do many of us. Paragraph (3) of the amendment says:

“The Scottish Ministers may delegate their duty to conduct a review to—

(a) local authorities”.

I also note that paragraph (4) of the amendment would require the allocation of

“additional resource to local authorities”,

which is great. You have considered that it will cost more to do that work, and I am aware that local authorities are extraordinarily challenged in many ways in relation to biodiversity issues.

Can you provide me with information about where the people to do that work would come from across the 32 local authority areas? Local authorities are quite challenging places in which to operate these days, and people would be needed on the ground to do that type of work.

Those are great questions, which I will go on to address.

The Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework 2022 calls for species recovery and reintroduction to restore ecosystem function. The reintroduction of lynx could boost Scotland’s contribution to those global goals. Modelling shows that the Scottish Highlands have sufficient well-connected habitats to support a reintroduced population of lynx. During 2024, the lynx to Scotland project completed a national lynx discussion, bringing together representatives from a wide range of key stakeholder groups including farmer and landowner organisations, gamekeepers, foresters, tourism operators and conservationists. The process resulted in a shared agreement between all participants to continue to explore the possibility of reintroducing lynx in future. I encourage members to support amendment 168.

As we have heard from other colleagues in the room, the marine environment needs to be included more explicitly in the bill, which a range of my amendments propose to do. Amendment 45 makes that explicit, as it would require ministers to

“set targets for at least 10 marine habitats.”

Amendment 46 is explicit that there should be

“separate targets for inshore marine habitats and offshore marine habitats”.

I urge members to support those amendments to ensure that the marine environment has parity with the terrestrial habitats when targets are being set.

Amendments 169 and 170 provide targets for the restoration of seagrass and kelp beds, as well as for increasing whale populations in Scottish waters. Seagrass and kelp are vital habitats that support many species and a great deal of work is taking place in our coastal waters to take forward the restoration process, so a target would be welcome. Healthy whale populations can indicate flourishing marine ecosystems. Given their place at the top of the food chain, they can survive only if the overall ecosystem is in a good state. There is now scientific evidence that they will help us with our climate change emissions by storing carbon.

Amendments 173 and 175 would require a target to be set to limit bottom-towed fishing gear in at least 30 per cent of Scotland’s inshore waters. We need to reverse chronic economic decline in our inshore fisheries by rebalancing fishing away from the use of damaging bottom-towed gear towards more sustainable forms of fishing through a just transition. Better regulation of bottom-towed fishing should be one strand of that work, as it would result in greater protection of Scotland’s seas and the recovery of nature and sustainable livelihoods. An inshore limit that covers at least 30 per cent of Scotland’s inshore zone would have the best economic and environmental outcomes and mean that we have more protection, more fish and more jobs.

At the moment, there is no definition of demersal mobile fishing gear in Scottish law. My amendment 175 includes a definition as proposed by the Our Seas coalition. The definition would provide enough specificity while allowing a certain degree of flexibility for future proofing. My thanks go to Open Seas, the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation for their support on those amendments.

Convener, should I also speak to Ross Greer’s amendment?

It is pointed out in my notes that quite a lot of work has been done on lynx introduction. The idea is to explore that possibility. I invite the member to have a look at the work that is being done by the lynx to Scotland partnership and perhaps to engage with the national lynx discussion, which has brought farmers and land managers together.

Yes.

There are parts of Scotland where people do not know what the crofting community is doing on neighbouring land. That is just what is happening with the land use patterns now.

There is perhaps something in there. I am talking about grazings committees, but there are also volunteer organisations that set up development trusts, which do a lot of work and do amazing things, and that is hard work, too. It is something to look at.