Seòmar agus comataidhean

I thank those members who signed the motion, and those who are joining me this lunchtime, to shine a light on the twin nature and climate crises and how communities across Scotland are responding.

My Scottish Green Party colleagues recognise the critical role of nature restoration in the fight against climate change. That is why we prioritised the nature restoration fund through the Bute house agreement. The NRF will now deliver £65 million of funding for projects on land and at sea over the five years of the current session of Parliament.

So far, £30 million has been granted to more than 150 projects across Scotland. As I just highlighted at First Minister’s question time, today is the start of the 28th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP28—but it is also one year on from the signing of the UN global biodiversity framework and the adoption of the critical target to restore a third of our degraded habitats around the globe by 2050. The Dubai COP will discuss how to harness finance for that work on its nature day on 9 December, with the aim of mobilising $200 billion per year for biodiversity by 2030.

The nature restoration fund has allowed us to take the first steps towards that goal here, in Scotland. I am proud that the fund, which was launched on the same nature day at the Glasgow COP two years ago, has been so successful. Countries around the world will follow in Scotland’s footsteps to support on-the-ground action that is vital for achieving the aims of the global biodiversity framework. However, it is important to remind ourselves again that Scotland, sadly, remains a nature-depleted country. This year’s “State of Nature” report underlines that our wildlife has decreased, on average, by 15 per cent since the 1990s. One in nine Scottish species are still threatened with extinction, and the numbers of seabirds and flowering plants have declined by nearly half since the 1980s.

Nature is impacted not only by exploitation of our land and seas but, increasingly, by climate change. We have only to look at our wild salmon populations, for example, to recognise how warming temperatures affect their delicate ecology. However, through restoration projects that help nature to adapt and become more resilient to climate change while locking up carbon and helping us to adapt to flooding and extreme weather, we can tackle the twin crises together. Those nature-based solutions, as they are often called, are rarely quick wins. It takes time to build up the action needed to a scale that can make the difference, and nature needs decades to fully build back.

Scientists believe that projects to restore and expand nature will be critical for cooling global temperatures over the long term, beyond the net zero goals that have been set for the middle of the century. They could play an important role in bringing us back down from peak global warming, but only if we start acting now, with an eye on the future for our children’s children.

This year’s “State of Nature” report said:

“The social and ecological consequences of living in a nature-depleted country are immense. They include impacts on human health, happiness and wellbeing, alongside direct costs associated with lost and damaged ecosystem services.”

In essence, what harms nature also harms us, but that also means that, if we restore nature, we also restore all the lost benefits to us and our communities.

Ninety-six per cent of Scots think that the natural environment is important to the country, so it is no surprise that, where nature restoration projects take root, they draw in volunteers and whole communities to the shared endeavour. What is happening around Scotland right now? I am looking forward to hearing from members about projects across their own areas later in the debate, but it is clear that an amazing range of approaches are being taken across the 150 projects that have so far benefited from the fund. From ancient Atlantic rainforests in Argyll to amphibian ponds on former coal mines in Lanarkshire, from pollinator corridors on arable farms to rewilded former airfields in Crail, and from coastal dune restoration in St Andrews to seagrass and oyster bed reseeding in the Forth, communities, non-governmental organisations and landowners, big and small, are working out how to restore neglected places, species and landscapes.

I will highlight some of the work that is happening in my region, particularly in the freshwater environment. Our rivers, burns, lochs, flood plains and wetlands are the arteries and organs of our catchments. From source to estuary, they sustain incredible species and habitats, but they also supply us with water when we need it, while buffering us from floods.

The relationship between watercourses and our land is critical because, over many years, we have degraded land to the point where water freely thunders off hillsides into swollen rivers—rivers that have often been canalised and moulded by industry over the centuries, with barriers that impact species such as salmon.

Therefore, I welcome the NRF-funded work that Forth Rivers Trust has done on the Allan Water, which includes placing large woody structures to create wetlands, reconnecting flood plains and planting riparian trees. Working with the community at Pool of Muckhart in Clackmannanshire, it has also built wetlands, installed overflow channels and introduced leaky dams to mitigate flood risks. On the River Teith, it has pushed on with establishing riparian woodlands—planting more than 10,000 trees along the banks with the community—and restoring 20 hectares of wetland at Blaircreich.

Jonathan Louis from Forth Rivers Trust told me that the nature restoration fund has allowed it to collaborate with partners and make a tangible impact on wildlife and communities throughout the Forth region.

Further down the Teith catchment, at Argaty farm, the fund is being used to reconnect waterways. Those on the farm have fenced off areas from cattle, encouraged wildflower seeding, planted 16,000 trees and established new hedgerow corridors. Tom Bowser at Argaty told me how that work will benefit a wide range of species, from pollinators to birds, bats and beavers. He also said that it would simply not have been possible without the fund.

We are seeing very similar work on other catchments, including on the Bamff estate near Alyth, where the project to establish habitats has now expanded to include another 10—

The momentum is building for nature restoration. We are seeing action in Scottish communities as the world gathers to discuss a global response to the climate and nature crises. This is just the beginning, but the fund is already creating a legacy for future generations. I look forward to seeing progress on the ground in the years to come.

We have an incredibly challenging fiscal deal—which does not keep pace with inflation—coming from the Westminster Government. Will Audrey Nicoll reflect on the fact that restoration projects are now even more challenging because of Brexit and the loss of critical funding support—including life funding—from the European Union? The Scottish Government has had to step up in order to make those things happen.

Is it fair to say that that approach has brought some focus and ambition rather than requiring specific changes in the waste management area?

Does that mean taking a sector-based approach? We could be reusing more construction materials, for instance. It has also been put to us in evidence that we could ensure that there is a requirement to take back unused materials in the construction sector—not just unused household goods—rather than disposing of them. Does the jigsaw puzzle look like a sectoral picture, with a whole set of actions that are devolved and wrapped up in EPR that should be driven through a particular sector?

Yes—Anna, you were part of the way to getting on to EPR earlier.

I presume that there might be different cultural starting points for adopting such an approach. If you have any reflections on that, it would be good to hear them.

That is useful to know.

I think that we have already covered aspects relating to Wales, but I would be interested to hear Emma Hallett’s reflections on whether consideration is being given to waste charging and, as a last resort, to household fines.

I am struck by the comments that Feja and Toni were making in relation to the construction sector and, in particular, the amount of waste. I had not realised that it was such a significant part of our waste production. Are there other sectors that the strategy should zero in on, beyond household waste treatment—for example, industrial sectors?

I am also interested in any thoughts that you have on EPR. We discussed with the previous panel the UK Government’s aspirations to put in place EPR for a number of sectors. In terms of meshing this together, what should be the priorities and what are the tools?