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 countries globally for the overall health of its biodiversity.
As WWF Scotland‘s director Lang Banks made clear, while Scotland loves nature for its own sake, we also need it for our wellbeing, for jobs and the economy, and to help mitigate the impact of climate change.
Jess came dressed as a peat bog, with a sign reading ‘Wetter is better’. Restoring Scotland’s degraded peatlands is vital to cutting our climate emissions.
Leah, a member of RSPB Scotland‘s youth network, spoke about the anxiety felt by many young people about the loss of Scotland’s wildlife and habitats, and their fear for the future. She presented Finlay Carson MSP, convener of the parliament’s Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, with a letter from the youth network urging MSPs to ensure that Scotland’s natural environment is protected by strong laws for future generations.
Darryl Cox from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust put smiles on faces throughout the crowd with his poem, ‘Imagine a world where bumblebees can vote’.
Ailís Keyes, speaking on behalf of Young Sea Changers Scotland, emphasised that the ecological crisis is a social crisis, with working class communities, indigenous people, coastal communities and young people, especially in the global south, feeling the worst impacts first. ‘We’re watching,’ she told MSPs, ‘and we expect more.’
The Natural Environment Bill, currently before parliament, could introduce legally binding nature recovery targets for the first time in Scotland’s history. MSPs from all political parties will have a say on the bill, so it’s vital they know how much nature matters to Scotland’s people.
All images: James Chapelard