A Scottish parliamentary committee has backed proposals to introduce statutory targets to restore nature.
Legally binding nature recovery targets are the central demand of the Scotland Loves Nature campaign, launched by Scottish Environment LINK and backed by more than 40 organisations.
The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has published its Stage 1 Report on the Natural Environment Bill, summarising the evidence heard and making recommendations to ministers ahead of the Bill being debated by the whole parliament.
The committee report describes the rate of nature loss as ‘deeply concerning’ and says that efforts to date have not halted biodiversity decline. The report says that committee members support the introduction of targets ‘as a mechanism to galvanise and increase action’, adding that targets must be accompanied by ‘meaningful actions, and reinforced by sufficient public resources’.
What’s next for the Bill?
The Stage 1 debate, where all MSPs will discuss and then vote on the general principles of the Bill, will take place on 30 October.
At Stage 2 the committee will consider amendments to the Bill, which can be proposed by the Scottish government or by MSPs.
Scottish Environment LINK members support the Scottish government in its approach to introducing nature targets, but will be pushing MSPs to strengthen the Bill even further to ensure the targets are as robust as possible.