Written Question · S5W-34034 · Session 5
How many hectares of land have been identified to meet the aims of priority project 10 in Scotland's biodiversity route map to 2020 to impr…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government how many hectares of land have been identified to meet the aims of priority project 10 in Scotland's biodiversity route map to 2020 to improve ecological connectivity; what habitats are involved; how many hectares are currently being managed for nature conservation under this programme; what the annual budget is to support habitat restoration, creation and protection work from 2015 to 2020, and who the project (a) leads and (b) partners are.
The answer
Priority Project 10 of 'Scotland’s biodiversity: a route map to 2020' aims to improve ecological connectivity and build on previous habitat restoration work. This on-going work will remain a focus, as set out in our Programme for Government, the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Post-2020: A Statement of Intent and the Update to the Climate Change Plan 2018–2032.
Relevant commitments include restoring over 250,000 hectares of peatland with £250 million of investment over 10 years and increasing the planting rate for woodland to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024-25. The prioritisation of these nature-based solutions and restoration projects will deliver multiple benefits, not only in terms of carbon sequestration but also enhanced biodiversity, improved air and water quality, and landscapes and ecosystems that are more resilient to climate change.
We do not have a precise figure for the extent of habitat restoration work undertaken under project 10 as much of this work is associated with other priorities.
The suite of protected nature sites forms an important component of ecological connectivity in Scotland and NatureScot has invested £5.26 million since 2015 in maintaining and restoring these sites. In addition, there are a number of prominent habitat restoration programmes that are delivering connectivity across Scotland. Since 2012 to the end of March 2020, we have invested £30 million in our peatland restoration programme involving NatureScot, our national parks, Forestry and Land Scotland and a number of partners in the private and third sectors, securing 25,000 hectares under restoration management. Further works in this financial year are underway and will be reported after the close of the financial year 2020-21.
Woodland restoration and expansion since 2015 has been delivered primarily through Scotland’s Rural Development Programme, with 12,004 hectares of new native woodland created since 2017. The Biodiversity Challenge Fund and the Green Infrastructure Fund, both administered by NatureScot, also support native woodland planting in both rural and urban settings. Many of the projects funded through the Biodiversity Challenge Fund deliver habitat restoration and connectivity at landscape scale and across multiple habitats.
NatureScot has also developed a habitat connectivity indicator for Scotland, setting out how we can measure connectivity across a number of habitat types. The £2.3m EcoCoLIFE project led by NatureScot is a good example of how habitat connectivity can be achieved across a diverse peri-urban landscape, and Cairngorms Connect, a partnership between Wildlands, RSPB, Forestry and Land Scotland and NatureScot includes an ambitious 200-year vision to enhance ecological processes, including connectivity, in the Cairngorms National Park.
There are many partners involved in delivering habitat connectivity in Scotland, including small community groups, land managers, non-government organisations NGOs and a number of government agencies and public bodies.
Relevant commitments include restoring over 250,000 hectares of peatland with £250 million of investment over 10 years and increasing the planting rate for woodland to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024-25. The prioritisation of these nature-based solutions and restoration projects will deliver multiple benefits, not only in terms of carbon sequestration but also enhanced biodiversity, improved air and water quality, and landscapes and ecosystems that are more resilient to climate change.
We do not have a precise figure for the extent of habitat restoration work undertaken under project 10 as much of this work is associated with other priorities.
The suite of protected nature sites forms an important component of ecological connectivity in Scotland and NatureScot has invested £5.26 million since 2015 in maintaining and restoring these sites. In addition, there are a number of prominent habitat restoration programmes that are delivering connectivity across Scotland. Since 2012 to the end of March 2020, we have invested £30 million in our peatland restoration programme involving NatureScot, our national parks, Forestry and Land Scotland and a number of partners in the private and third sectors, securing 25,000 hectares under restoration management. Further works in this financial year are underway and will be reported after the close of the financial year 2020-21.
Woodland restoration and expansion since 2015 has been delivered primarily through Scotland’s Rural Development Programme, with 12,004 hectares of new native woodland created since 2017. The Biodiversity Challenge Fund and the Green Infrastructure Fund, both administered by NatureScot, also support native woodland planting in both rural and urban settings. Many of the projects funded through the Biodiversity Challenge Fund deliver habitat restoration and connectivity at landscape scale and across multiple habitats.
NatureScot has also developed a habitat connectivity indicator for Scotland, setting out how we can measure connectivity across a number of habitat types. The £2.3m EcoCoLIFE project led by NatureScot is a good example of how habitat connectivity can be achieved across a diverse peri-urban landscape, and Cairngorms Connect, a partnership between Wildlands, RSPB, Forestry and Land Scotland and NatureScot includes an ambitious 200-year vision to enhance ecological processes, including connectivity, in the Cairngorms National Park.
There are many partners involved in delivering habitat connectivity in Scotland, including small community groups, land managers, non-government organisations NGOs and a number of government agencies and public bodies.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-34034 by reference.