Almost half of Scotland’s species have decreased in number since the 1970s, and one in nine is at risk of extinction here.
We also know that nature, just like people, can recover. Together, we can help Scotland’s amazing wildlife and nature-rich places to thrive.
We want to live in a Scotland where our seas and rivers are teeming with life, our native woodlands are regenerating and our fields are buzzing with pollinators – and much, much more. To reverse the decline of Scotland’s nature and to help it recover on a big scale, we need action across society.
The Scotland Loves Nature campaign calls on the Scottish government to:
Help make this happen by joining the campaign.
Scotland’s nature gives us so much, from our stunning beaches, glens and lochs to our love for the local parks, hills, woods or waterways nearest to where we live. It’s part of our identity.
Nature is central to our health and wellbeing, enabling us to produce food and providing us with clean air and water as well as enjoyment and relaxation.
It’s also vital to tackling climate change. Healthy ecosystems give us greater resilience, including by storing carbon and protecting us from flooding.
Scotland’s nature is in trouble. But it has an amazing capacity for recovery. Across Scotland, people are working together to restore our fantastic wildlife and habitats – for example, creating new native woodlands, restoring degraded peatlands, planting seagrass and reintroducing native oysters.
Each small story of recovery shows us what people and nature can achieve together. Let’s help Scotland’s nature win big!
Three quarters of Scotland’s people believe there should be legal targets for nature recovery.
In September 2024, the Scottish government announced that it will set legally binding targets through a Natural Environment Bill to be introduced by June 2025. This is a huge step forward.
With Scotland’s amazing nature under increasing threat, there can be no delay. We need strong and effective targets to help struggling wildlife, deliver healthy habitats like our iconic peatlands and native woodlands, and end the threat of extinctions.
And we need the funding in place to ensure these targets are met.
Together, we can set Scotland’s nature on the path to recovery, so that healthy, thriving ecosystems can support and sustain Scotland’s people for generations to come.
Building new homes for wildlife
19 November 2024
In a few weeks, the Scottish Government will be announcing their latest budget and it’s vital that it includes strong support for nature restoration. Nature is in trouble, there’s no two ways about it. As a society, we have a lot of work to do if we’re going to help Scotland achieve a nature-positive future. However, despite the challenges, this is a future that is within our grasp.
Nature must not lose out in Scotland’s budget
18 November 2024
This month the Scottish government published research showing that Scotland’s nature contributes more than £40 billion to the economy and supports around 260,000 jobs. By any standards, that means nature – the complex array of life with which we share this land and its surrounding seas – plays a massive role in our economic life.
Scotland must protect nature budgets
1 November 2024
The Scottish Government must protect spending on the natural environment in its upcoming budget, campaigners have said. The call comes after it was announced that the Scottish Government will receive an additional £3.4 billion in funding following the UK budget. Earlier this year Scottish Ministers were criticised after money allocated to councils for nature restoration […]