Puffin protest as MSPs debate nature bill
Campaigners wearing puffin, bumblebee, wildcat and red squirrel costumes demonstrated outside Scottish Parliament as MSPs prepared to debate the Natural Environment Bill.
Campaigners wearing puffin, bumblebee, wildcat and red squirrel costumes demonstrated outside Scottish Parliament as MSPs prepared to debate the Natural Environment Bill.
From the tallest tree to the tiniest microorganism in the soil, Scotland’s nature really matters. When nature is healthy, people are happier and healthier too. We love nature, and we depend on it for everything from clean air and water to the food we eat. Not least, we rely on insects to pollinate many of our essential food crops.
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. The committee report describes the rate of nature loss as ‘deeply concerning’ and says that efforts to date have not halted biodiversity decline.
Farmers and crofters across Scotland are showing that nature-friendly farming can restore habitats, bring back wildlife, and cut emissions while producing high-quality food. When our fields, rivers and hills are rich in life, it benefits everyone – cleaner water, healthier soils, more pollinators, and thriving rural communities.
We asked people to write messages to MSPs about why they love Scotland’s nature and why they want it to be a priority. Hundreds of people across Scotland and beyond sent messages expressing deep connection to our natural environment, pain at the destruction and loss they have witnessed in their own lifetimes, and determination to help Scotland’s nature recover and thrive.
A pair of billboards appeared on Edinburgh’s busy Market Street today with an urgent message for Scotland’s MSPs. The billboards were created by the Scotland Loves Nature campaign, which calls on the Scottish government to set legally binding targets to restore nature.
Scarcity often amplifies value. From rare minerals to endangered species, things that are scarce command our attention, our investment, our care. As one of Scotland’s rarest native trees, the golden aspen deserves all three. In this guest blog, Scotland: The Big Picture introduces aspen as a vital – and undervalued – part of healthy woodlands.
Last week we gathered outside the Scottish parliament to demand action to restore nature, as MSPs prepare to debate the Natural Environment Bill later this year. One in nine species in Scotland is at risk of extinction, with almost half of species decreasing in number since the 1970s. Scotland ranks in the lowest 15% of […]
Campaigners gathered at the Scottish parliament on Thursday afternoon to demand action to restore Scotland’s nature. Supporters of the Scotland Loves Nature campaign gathered to urge leaders to act now to protect and restore nature, as MSPs prepare to debate the Natural Environment Bill later this year. The Natural Environment Bill is a vital opportunity […]
In the Firth of Forth, small species are making some big changes. Over the past three years, the award-winning Restoration Forth Project, alongside thousands of amazing volunteers, have been working to bring back seagrass meadows and European flat oysters in the Firth of Forth.
Time in nature can provide multiple health and wellbeing benefits, including reduced stress and anxiety, and increased mood, self-esteem, and resilience. It can broaden our horizons and encourage us to notice more around us, which can be a vital first step for people in their recovery.
Join us at the Scottish parliament to demand action to restore Scotland’s nature. Scotland’s people love Scotland’s nature. It’s part of who we are. We know nature is struggling. But just like people, nature can recover. Together, we can help Scotland’s amazing wildlife and wild places to thrive. Join us to demand action to restore […]