I propose to provide a brief overview of Scottish Natural Heritage’s role in relation to rangers, and to give some thoughts on the petition and on actions that we might take forward to address the concerns that were raised in the petition.
First, SNH is supportive of Scotland’s rangers. Rangers play a hugely valuable role in connecting people with nature. Their blend of local knowledge and skills in engaging people mean they are ideally placed to encourage the public to enjoy the outdoors and to care about the environment. As well as these traditional roles, they increasingly contribute to a wide range of Scottish Government outcomes, particularly in relation to supporting the health and wellbeing of our communities and encouraging community engagement and social inclusion.
We very much welcome the SCRA petition and the spotlight that it shines on the role of rangers. It has highlighted the need to focus collectively on ensuring that the full value of ranger services is recognised and that support from all parties is maintained in the long term.
We agree with the analysis in the SCRA petition that these are challenging financial times, and what is needed now is renewed recognition by all parties of the value of what rangers deliver for the people of Scotland and also for visitors to Scotland. We need to find creative solutions to the problem of reduced resources so that we can collectively make a fresh commitment to deliver the ranger framework.
We will continue to work with the SCRA and other partners to take forward a series of actions to engender this renewed commitment to support rangers and provide a sustainable future for what we think is a highly regarded service across Scotland. We have had recent meetings with SCRA representatives—I can explain some of the discussions that we have had—on developing a plan of work for the coming year to encourage that wider engagement and support for ranger services.
The petition expresses concern about the decline in the number of ranger posts and reduced recognition of the brand “Scottish rangers”. As with other public bodies, we work within the budgets that are allocated to us. We are committed to ensuring that our funding for community and private ranger services is tailored to support our corporate plan, which has a particular emphasis on connecting people with nature and also supporting other Government outcomes.
Our continued support is built into our business plan, and we have made some notable new commitments this year. For example, as part of the year of young people, we are developing a junior ranger scheme in Scotland’s urban areas, commencing with a pilot scheme in Aberdeen. That will involve working with local authorities and partners to get young people involved in the nature on their doorstep, learning about the environment and, most importantly, having fun outdoors. As part of the Aberdeen junior ranger services we are trialling kit libraries as we understand that there are barriers to young people enjoying the outdoors, particularly if they do not have specialist equipment such as boots and outdoor waterproofs. We are also in discussion with the SCRA about updating the junior ranger toolkit and looking at ways to support additional resources to relaunch the SCRA junior ranger programme. We will follow up with the SCRA in the near future how we can work together on those commitments, and we are hoping to take that forward at a ranger development partnership meeting that we aim to host on an SNH nature reserve in January.
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We understand the concerns of the SCRA in relation to the loss of local authority ranger services posts and the perception that ranger services do not always receive the recognition that they deserve. We will continue to work with partners to highlight the important role that rangers play in improving health and wellbeing, as well as in assisting with the enjoyment of the natural environment. The vision, purpose and aims that are set out in the 2008 framework are still relevant but we will be happy to talk about refreshing that in the new year.
Finally, we would like to work with the SCRA and other partners to explore new funding avenues in creative ways to highlight the valuable work rangers do. We very much welcome the committee’s reflections on how we can do more in this field and can work together with other partners to raise the profile of ranger services and encourage broader support for them in the future.