Official Report 817KB pdf
I encourage members who are leaving the chamber to do so as quickly and as quietly as possible as we move to the final item of business, which is a members’ business debate on motion S6M-20338, in the name of John Mason, on the nature champions initiative. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
That the Parliament notes what it sees as the success of the Nature Champions initiative, established in 2013 and coordinated by Scottish Environment LINK, which encourages all MSPs to champion Scotland’s species and habitats; recognises that more than 100 MSPs have become Nature Champions over the current parliamentary session, supported by 25 LINK member organisations, and that the initiative marked its 10th anniversary in 2023 with a public exhibition outside the Parliament, before being awarded the NGO Impact Award by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management in 2024; considers that the Glasgow Shettleston constituency, like the rest of Scotland, benefits from action to protect biodiversity; regrets reports that one in nine species are at risk of national extinction in Scotland; acknowledges that many MSPs will retire or not stand again at the 2026 election, creating a need for new Members in the next parliamentary session to take up the role of a Nature Champion; welcomes that the initiative will be relaunched in the new session to provide that opportunity, ensuring continuity in raising awareness of Scotland’s threatened species and habitats, and commends the cross-party and collaborative spirit that it considers has underpinned the initiative throughout its history.
17:35
I thank all those who have supported today’s motion, those who have enabled this afternoon’s debate and those who will take part in it. I welcome to the public gallery representatives of some of the organisations that support nature champions, including—and especially—Scottish Environment LINK, which co-ordinates everything, and the Scottish Raptor Study Group, which covers the eight MSPs who champion raptors.
The nature champions initiative has become incredibly popular among MSPs, and an amazing range of flora, fauna and habitats now have a member speaking for them. Some 105 MSPs are nature champions. I thank Scottish Environment LINK—Andrew Marks in particular—and its 25 supporting organisations, which include RSPB Scotland, the John Muir Trust, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and WWF Scotland.
There is a theory that urban politicians, such as myself, should stay out of matters that affect rural areas. However, a lot of us love all parts of Scotland, including cities, towns, rural areas and the maritime environment—that is the way it should be. Looking at the list of MSPs and their adopted species, I saw that Kaukab Stewart has the corncrake, which is not common in central Glasgow, and Anas Sarwar has upland birch woods, which I have not seen in the city either. It is a good thing that we all take an interest in all parts of the country.
Contrary to popular belief, I am not the species champion for the Soay sheep on St Kilda, although maybe I should have taken them on as an additional species—despite the fact that there are actually too many of them rather than too few. My species is the kestrel. Although it is not in the most endangered category, it has been in decline over a number of years. We used to see kestrels regularly hovering over motorway verges around Glasgow, but we see them less often now.
As Fiona Hyslop has blanket bogs and Jamie Halcro Johnston has Caledonian pinewoods, I guess that they do not move around very much and that you can visit them whenever you like. However, others among us—such as me with the kestrel, perhaps Martin Whitfield with the adder, or Rhoda Grant with the wildcat— can be quite elusive and you have to get to specific places at specific times to see them up close.
In two different years I have gone out to watch a team ring young kestrels, which can only be done at a certain time when the birds are not too small and not too large. Kestrel numbers in Scotland are down by some 67 per cent since 1995, the reasons for which are not entirely clear but probably include changes to farming practices. Numbers fluctuate from year to year, depending on the availability of the kestrel’s main food source, which is voles. However, the reasons seem to be partly geographical, too, in that alternative food sources, such as baby starlings, might be available in some areas but not in others. The revival in the number of pine martens means more predators of kestrel eggs and chicks. However, I do not think that pine martens have a champion, so I am not blaming any of the members who are here today.
In retrospect, perhaps I should have chosen something that is easier to find, as Colin Beattie has done with rivers or Emma Harper has done with ponds and small lochs—they do not move around quite as much as kestrels do. There are some tricky situations where a species with a champion eats the species of another champion, such as Claire Baker’s puffins, which eat Willie Rennie’s sand eels. You might say that some species are a bit more exciting than others. Mark Ruskell has the white-tailed eagle—that is absolutely tremendous. However, Mercedes Villalba has road verges—I would need some convincing to get excited about them.
One of the purposes of today’s debate is to re-emphasise the importance of the nature champions scheme, especially as we head towards the end of the current session of Parliament, given that quite a number of MSPs are either retiring or will not come back for other reasons.
I hope that those champions who return will continue to support a species or habitat—either their existing one, or perhaps a new one—and that both they and the Scottish Environment LINK member organisations will have a real push to get the 60 new MSPs signed up.
In one sense, the question is, why would an MSP not take on the role? If more than 100 of us have done so, why not the other 25 or so? I realise that the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands cannot take on a species because she might be seen to be biased in some way, but there are other members.
I was intrigued to see in the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals manifesto that 87 per cent of people in Scotland now identify as animal lovers. That is good, but my question is this: why are the other 13 per cent not animal lovers? The good news for that 13 per cent, which could be around 16 MSPs, is that they can still be a nature champion and take on something which—like Graham Simpson’s ash or Carol Mochan’s kelp forests—is not an animal.
There are some species that would probably benefit from having a nature champion but do not have one. An example would be badgers, about which I had an email the other day. Apparently 65 per cent of land in Scotland is completely devoid of badger presence, so I think that they need a champion in Parliament, and hopefully that can be changed.
However, new MSPs will have to be quick if they want to support a popular species. We all know that Christine Grahame regularly grabs the seat behind the First Minister each Thursday so as to be on television, and she has also grabbed a very popular species in the golden eagle.
I thank Scottish Environment LINK and its member organisations for setting all this up; I thank colleagues for all their work and interest in the subject and for their support today; and I look forward to hearing contributions from members—even Christine Grahame’s contribution on the golden eagle.
We may not hear about the verges unless Ms Villalba changes her mind and presses her button. As I have advised members who wish to participate in the debate, there is, as Mr Mason rightly anticipated, a lot of interest in participating. In order to allow every member a chance to contribute, speaking time allocations have been reduced to three minutes, so I would be grateful if members could stick to that.
17:42
I thank John Mason for securing the debate. It is a pleasure to speak today on an initiative that has quietly transformed the way in which Parliament engages with Scotland’s natural world. As someone who has proudly taken on the mantle of seagrass champion, I can attest to the power of the nature champions initiative in helping to grow our understanding of the natural heritage that we are all entrusted to protect.
When I was first approached to become seagrass champion, I did not fully appreciate the scale of its significance or the complexity of the ecosystem that it supports. Scotland is home to two true species: eelgrass and dwarf eelgrass, and together they form underwater meadows that are among the most remarkable and most threatened habitats in our marine environment.
For me, what began as a title soon became a genuine interest and fascination. Seagrass meadows are ecological powerhouses. They provide essential habitats for countless species, helping us to move towards our national target of halting biodiversity loss by 2030. They shelter rare species such as native oysters; stabilise the sea floor; improve water quality; and play a significant role in carbon capture, storing carbon at rates that exceed many well-known land habitats. Their contribution to a healthier coastal ecosystem is profound, and their loss would be felt far beyond the shoreline.
Yet, despite their importance, seagrass meadows have suffered a dramatic historical loss. Across the UK, up to 92 per cent have disappeared over the past century. That is why the work of the restoration Forth programme is vital. Restoration Forth, which was launched in 2022, is a community-driven effort to restore seagrass meadows and European flat oysters in the Firth of Forth. Delivered by a coalition including Project Seagrass, WWF Scotland, the Ecology Centre, NatureScot and others, it has already achieved remarkable progress. To date, more than 210,000 seagrass seeds have been planted across the Forth. Volunteers and project partners have also transplanted 880 seagrass cores, with additional trials showing expansion of up to 500 per cent in some of the monitored sites.
It is great to see that more than 3,000 people are taking part in events, workshops, seed processing sessions and restoration activities. Schools and community groups and local volunteers have become custodians of their own coastline, building skills and forging connections that will last long beyond the project’s timeline.
I have had the privilege of joining that work myself on several occasions. One memorable morning, I found myself on a freezing cold beach with a group of volunteers, learning the fine art of injecting seagrass seeds into sediment, using the dispenser injection seeding technique. I now pass the restoration site every morning on the train into Parliament, peering out of the window like a proud and slightly overinvested gardener checking whether his seedlings have sprouted.
Another highlight for me was joining a guided snorkelling session with restoration Forth, the Ecology Centre and WWF Scotland. Experiencing the hidden world of the Forth beneath the surface was nothing short of spectacular. It brought home, in a way that no briefing paper ever could, the richness of the life that depends on those meadows and the urgency of protecting them.
In conclusion, as we look ahead to the elections in May, I encourage all MSPs, both those returning after the election and those who are elected for the first time, to take up the role of nature champion. It is much more than just a title: it is a commitment to understanding, advocating for and celebrating species and habitats that make Scotland unique.
17:45
I congratulate John Mason on securing the debate and delivering what I thought was an excellent speech, detailing just some of the species for which members are champions in the current session of Parliament. It reminded me of species champions from past sessions, because one of my predecessors representing the Highlands and Islands, Mary Scanlon, was the species champion for the freshwater pearl mussel; I know that she did a lot of work for that species and continues to take a great interest in it.
Like Mr Mason, I am not coming back to Parliament, but I will continue to take a strong interest in the species for which I am champion: the bottlenose dolphin. When I was appointed as champion, I found out that these dolphins are intelligent, inquisitive and playful, so I can only assume that 128 other MSPs were offered the bottlenose dolphin and refused, and it was left to the final MSP to take that one up.
I was delighted when I was asked to be species champion for the bottlenose dolphin, because it gave me an opportunity, which I readily accepted, to go to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay. The centre does incredible work, encouraging people to understand more about bottlenose dolphins and their life—which is a long life; many of the females live for up to 50 years or more—in the Moray Firth.
As the species champion, I went on a shore watch. I knew, when I was being photographed by the local press, that an image of me at that time, when I was leader of the Scottish Conservatives, looking out to sea with binoculars, was going to be used by some to say, “Tory leader looks for votes.” I do not know for which species Russell Findlay is now the champion, but I advise him to be very careful of photo opportunities such as that. It was, understandably, reported in the way that I expected, but I was still keen to do it, because the shore watch project is great for getting people involved. You can go down there for 15 or 30 minutes, do a shore watch and then go back in and record the numbers.
Bottlenose dolphins also attract people to our area. The species generates about £4 million for the Moray economy and the wider economy along the Moray Firth, because people want to come and see dolphins and, if possible, go on one of the number of tours that go on in order to get up close—but not too close so as not to disturb their habitat.
A number of issues are concerning to those of us who are passionate about the species with regard to their habitat being disturbed. In three minutes, I do not have time to go over that. Nevertheless, being a species champion allows me to press those issues both in and outwith Parliament.
In my final seconds, I will say that I highly recommend the nature champions scheme to incoming MSPs, as it gives us a greater knowledge of a species with which we may otherwise not be familiar. It also gives us an opportunity to stand up in Parliament and take part in a debate that will, I think, be very consensual, because we all want to see the scheme continue to go from strength to strength. I will be looking at the next Parliament to see who gets not just the bottlenose dolphin, but many of the other species that have been mentioned tonight.
17:48
I, too, thank John Mason for bringing this important debate to the chamber. Before the debate, I was inundated with colleagues telling me what species they champion. I am proud to be a nature champion, because it is an initiative that genuinely brings nature to life for us all. It makes us more aware of what is happening in our constituencies; which species are under pressure; which habitats need support; and where communities are stepping up to support local wildlife. I thank Scottish Environment LINK and its members for consistently campaigning for nature and for educating us all on the issues that really matter.
Just two weeks ago, Parliament passed the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, which marks a significant step forward in strengthening protections for Scotland’s biodiversity. During that process, I was proud to bring many amendments to the table, some of which were even agreed to. I was especially happy to support the amendment to add swift bricks to new buildings; that is just one example of how small, targeted interventions can support species that are under pressure.
In fighting for nature, I have always stressed that nature is not a luxury. It is vital to our health and wellbeing, and it contributes to the quality of our food, the strength of our tourism sector and the resilience of our economy. If we are serious about tackling the climate and nature emergencies, we have to invest in our natural environment and in the communities that care for it, because a healthy natural world makes our communities more resilient.
As John Mason highlighted, in every community in urban and rural Scotland, people benefit directly from action to protect biodiversity, whether through urban green spaces, community gardens or local wildlife corridors in our urban areas.
As the nature champion for the large heath butterfly, I thank Butterfly Conservation Scotland, because I have now seen at first hand just how closely that species is linked to the health of Scotland’s bogs. It is a true bog specialist, thriving on our upland blanket bogs and lowland raised bogs—habitats for which Scotland is internationally important.
The large heath butterfly is an indicator species. Its caterpillars rely on cottongrass, and the adults feed on cross-leaved heath, so when the butterfly is doing well, that tells us that those habitats are in good condition. Large heath butterflies could be under threat from climate change, and championing the species has shown me how vital peatland restoration is not just for one species, but for carbon storage, flood mitigation, biodiversity and community resilience.
More than 100 MSPs have taken part in the initiative, and I welcome the fact that it will be relaunched in the next session of Parliament because it will give new MSPs the chance to advocate for our threatened species and habitats. I hope that everybody will keep on campaigning together, because it could not be more important.
17:52
I am delighted to speak in the debate and to add my whole-hearted support for the nature champions initiative.
The current session of Parliament began in a strange and distant time when we were all still socially distancing and still working out how to be together. The first nature champions meeting of the session was online, but many of us were there, and, even through a screen, it brought us together with a shared sense of purpose. With the way that we were introduced to the initiative, it felt like, “Well—an MSP? Of course you would be a champion!” It reminded me then, as it does now, that nature connects us all.
I was given the Eurasian beaver and the aspen, which is one of the beaver’s favourite trees to dine on. I love the evolution of the initiative in recognising that species do not exist in isolation. The beaver needs the aspen and other trees, and bodies of water. In turn, beavers restore wetlands, slow the flow and help to alleviate flooding. Together, they form part of a living web—an ecosystem— that ultimately supports us.
Being the champion for the beaver and the aspen has enabled me to forge numerous connections. With the Scottish Wildlife Trust, I visited Knapdale, where the first beaver reintroduction trials began in 2009. I had actually been there in 2010, and it was a privilege to return and see how beavers had transformed the landscape. There was more water, more life and more diversity, which reminded me that the initiative is about seeing not just the species, but its impact.
On another occasion, I witnessed the team at the Argyll Beaver Centre, and their tremendous enthusiasm in engaging so many visitors in the wonder of beavers, helping people to understand why beavers matter and—going back to Douglas Ross’s point—to contribute to the local economy.
Since then, beaver translocations in Scotland have opened up and beavers are flourishing, but we must ensure that those that are facing lethal control measures are moved to safety. I give the Beaver Trust my great thanks for its vital work in that regard, alongside support from the Scottish Wild Beaver Group and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
I have loved hearing colleagues across the chamber delight in their species, from the freshwater pearl mussel to the red squirrel. With one in nine species at risk of national extinction, the nature champions initiative truly matters, so I extend my thanks to Scottish Environment LINK for conceiving of the idea and creating this wonderful forum for us to come together.
Perhaps the next step is a debate in the chamber in which we are not talking about our species, but speaking from the perspective of our species and interacting with each other. There may be a humorous moment with one eating another, and things like that. Let us get that conversation going, because when we champion nature, we champion Scotland’s future.
I call Beatrice Wishart—around three minutes, please.
17:55
I thank John Mason for bringing this important debate to the chamber, and I thank Scottish Environment LINK for all its work and for its briefing, which highlights the stark level of on-going nature loss in Scotland, including the fact that one in nine species are at risk of national extinction.
There is much going on in the world of politics, but we should never forget that we face the twin challenges of the climate and biodiversity crises. What a great initiative it is to have 100 MSPs champion Scotland’s threatened and iconic species and habitats. It has spawned similar programmes in the UK Parliament and the Welsh Senedd, and within Scottish communities and local authorities.
I am proud to be the MSP nature champion for orca. Liam McArthur—as you will know, Deputy Presiding Officer—champions the Scottish primrose, and I think that the difference in and between those two species reflects the diversity of the natural world in the northern isles.
Orca, which are often referred to as killer whales, are in fact members of the dolphin family. David Attenborough’s “Wild Isles” series began with stunning scenes of a pod of orca off Shetland. None of that would have been possible without the keen eyes of local people, armed with a WhatsApp group, to alert the production crew of sightings. There was another sighting of orca of Shetland only yesterday, with wonderful images of them on social media for those of us who missed them.
I have been privileged to work with Whale and Dolphin Conservation and, like Douglas Ross, I have taken part in shore watches. Shore watching provides citizen science data, allowing expert workshops to identify global whale and dolphin habitats that are in need of protection.
In 2022, I was especially proud to have won the MSP nature champion of the year award, following my involvement in the campaign to stop at-sea explosions. Orca and other marine mammals can be severely injured in shock waves that are produced by detonations of unexploded ordnance on the seabed. Changes to the law to ensure that low-impact methods are used to neutralise those weapons better protect marine animals, but more work is required to change the law on noise limits, as noise can cause harm to whales and dolphins.
The rush to use sea spaces to provide transition to renewable energy can impact seabirds and ocean creatures as well as the fishing sector. The construction of the infrastructure also means an increase in noise pollution, for example from the pile-driving that is needed for offshore wind turbines.
To conclude, we need measures to ensure that we maintain our native species and habitats. Nature champions are a great way to raise awareness, and I wish the incoming 2026 cohort of MSP nature champions well in that endeavour.
Thank you, Ms Wishart. Had I known that you were going to mention the Scottish primrose, I probably would have given you another three minutes, but there you go.
17:58
thank John Mason for bringing this important debate to the chamber. The nature champions initiative encourages members of the Scottish Parliament to champion threatened and iconic species and habitats, raising awareness and promoting action to protect our environment. I am proud to be involved with the initiative as the champion for rivers, and my contribution will focus on why rivers matter and why they need our urgent attention.
The Parliament should be proud that more than 100 MSPs are currently nature champions, and debates like this are essential to highlight the importance of environmentalism. That context matters, because the scale of the challenge that is facing our natural environment is stark.
The motion for debate refers to a worrying report
“that one in nine species are at risk of national extinction”.
More work must be done, and initiatives such as nature champions are a step in the right direction. That is why I am proud to be the champion for rivers: one of the most vital parts of our ecosystem, and one that we must recover if we are to reverse biodiversity loss.
At a local level, I see both the challenges and opportunities for improvement at first hand. I currently convene the Esk river improvement group in my constituency, where we bring together stakeholders to investigate how we can further improve and advance the quality of water for river users and wildlife. That work has only reinforced for me how central rivers are as biodiversity hotspots across Scotland, and their huge role in supporting a range of insects, fish, birds and mammals. One often-overlooked part of the picture is freshwater invertebrates. Invertebrates are an essential part of the ecology of our freshwater system. They play a vital role in maintaining water quality, breaking down organic matter and balancing the food web.
Freshwater invertebrates depend on a healthy river to survive and are sensitive to pollution, shifts in temperature and habitat degradation. That makes them useful as an early warning system, indicating a river’s health. Unfortunately, our rivers are under threat, and it is important that we understand the impact of those threats in order to tackle them.
On top of those long-standing pressures, climate change is now accelerating the damage that is being done. Extreme weather events alter rainfall patterns and rising temperatures are putting our freshwater ecosystem at risk. Those changes do not just affect wildlife but increase risks for communities. Flooding is a growing concern, with increased rainfall and river flow straining natural flood defences.
I hope that members of the Parliament will continue to support the programme and, with a large number of my colleagues standing down at the next election, I encourage future members to become nature champions and advocate for a stronger environment that will benefit us all.
18:00
I commend John Mason for securing the debate and the work of Scottish Environment LINK, not just for selecting MSPs but for the support that it gives to MSPs with their particular species. A measure of LINK’s success was the event last year, which I had the pleasure of sponsoring on its behalf, and where we had more than 100 MSPs.
I started off life as the champion for the freshwater pearl mussel, which is now getting its second mention of the evening, as I inherited it from Mary Scanlon. I am sure that Audrey Nicoll is looking after that species as well as the pair of us did. I am not sure whether promotion is the right word, but I am now the champion for the red squirrel, which, if nothing else, is certainly more photogenic and one of Scotland’s most iconic species, given that we have 80 per cent of the UK’s red squirrel population, which has declined by about 90 per cent in the past 150 years as grey squirrels have taken over, no more so than in Scotland.
However, in Aberdeenshire, we have a chance to eradicate the grey squirrel. Some individuals—no doubt they were well intentioned—took some grey squirrels from the central belt and released them in Aberdeen, where they then spread out along the Dee and the Don. In the past decade, we have had successful projects to trap grey squirrels and push them back into Aberdeen. We have a chance to remove grey squirrels and give red squirrels the best opportunity of surviving. Grey squirrels carry squirrel pox, which is a terrible disease, and they also compete with the red squirrels for food and habitat.
I will not go into my culinary skill of serving up grey squirrels, as it is already in the Official Report, but I urge people to do whatever they can to help organisations such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust and its saving Scotland’s red squirrels project by trapping and reporting sightings. On 21 January, it was red squirrel appreciation day, which marked a milestone of nearly a quarter of a million recorded sightings. Everyone can play a part in helping that particular species. To continue that good work, these organisations need reliable funding cycles and a new Scotland strategy for red squirrel conservation, as the current one is just drawing to a close. We could also see improvements to the forestry grant system to better support grey squirrel control.
I end by wishing the nature champions initiative every success for the new parliamentary session. I hope that we can see improved support from the next Government for protecting our red squirrels.
18:04
I thank the member for this debate. As an endangered species myself, I am grateful to be species champion for the once endangered golden eagle, and I even have the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project in the Tweed Valley in my constituency.
From 2018 to 2024, 28 juvenile chicks were legally moved from the Highlands to the south of Scotland, establishing the current population of 48 to 50 birds. They are thriving because of the terrain, the supply of food and the protections.
I visited the secret location where the chicks develop into full-grown adults. They are released in stages on to platforms for food, returning initially to their camouflaged container homes until they choose to fly free for good.
Escorted by experts, the visitor approaches the containers silently across fields, carrying a tub of fresh kill. The containers are solid on the side the visitor approaches from, with grid walls on the other side, facing the hills, so the birds can scope their future territories.
Wearing a gauntlet for protection, the visitor raises a small leather flap in the side of the container through which they can present the fleshy morsels to the chicks. As I did so, this huge bird turned away from those hills and briefly stared at me and the food, in that order. To say that I was taken aback by the size of that chick is an understatement. It was enormous.
More scary was the predatory look that it briefly gave me. I was, indeed, coming face to face with the eye of its ancestor, the dinosaur—but what a privilege and what a thrill. I commend that project to anyone coming in once I have retired.
18:06
I stand to speak on behalf of the Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar. I thank John Mason for bringing this debate to the chamber and Scottish Environment LINK for giving me the chance to represent that wonderful fish. It would have been wrong for me not to register my interest in the debate, in the sense that I have been involved in managing salmon fisheries for nearly 50 years and have been trying to catch them for about the same amount of time.
Interestingly, Christine Grahame got the species that I was hoping to get. I do not begrudge her that, and I am very grateful to be able to support the salmon. I want to talk about it because it is one of the reasons why many people flock to Scotland. They come here not only to try to catch salmon but to engage in all the activities that Scotland offers, such as partaking in our great food and drink, enjoying our whisky and visiting the other facilities around Scotland. A huge amount of anglers come to our rivers and generate more than £100 million-worth of income for Scotland every year.
When I move into retirement at the end of this session, I hope to spend a lot more of my life involved in trying to help salmon as well as catching them. There are huge threats to the salmon population, such as climate change, whether it involves floods or drought; predation, with seals coming up the river Dee, as we heard today; and aquaculture. I will concentrate on two of those issues this evening.
The first issue that I will address is water. I believe that the Scottish Parliament will have to consider that water is becoming a diminishing resource in Scotland. Allowing abstraction from one river catchment to another, with the effect that rivers dry out, is not a good idea. For example, we are abstracting water from the Spey and putting it into the Tay and the Fort William area to generate electricity. The result is that the rivers are drying up, the stones are heating up and water temperatures are rising in the river. It is not just salmon that are dying because of that but freshwater mussels, too. At the other end of that issue, we see increased flooding over short periods. I have seen parr and smolts washed out of the river, when they should be living in the river.
I have to mention aquaculture. We need to see a huge change in aquaculture. We need pens to be removed from migration routes for salmon. We need to drive down sea lice numbers—I know that the Government is working hard on that. We also need to see a reduction in disease. The aquaculture industry must rise to those challenges.
Like other members, I encourage future MSPs to become involved in the nature champions initiative. They should not be put off if they cannot get the species that they want. They should find one that they can represent, and they should stand up and fight for it, learn all about it and do the best that they can for it in the Parliament.
18:09
The nature champions initiative is now one of the most successful examples of collaborative politics in this Parliament. Since 2013, it has grown into an award-winning model of engagement that has now been emulated across the United Kingdom. It is a testament to its impact that, as others have said, more than 100 MSPs have stepped up as champions during this session alone.
I really enjoyed John Mason’s opening speech, which brought quite a lot of good humour into the debate. However, as well as the light-hearted side of the issue, we must be clear about why such advocacy is necessary. Scotland’s nature is in a state of quiet crisis. Scotland is currently ranked 212th out of 240 countries and regions for biodiversity intactness. The decline in species abundance is not a distant threat; it is a current reality, with one in nine of our species now at risk of national extinction.
Everybody has been talking about the various species that they are champions for. I am very pleased to be the species champion for the great crested newt. I am pleased not only because it is a fantastic species but because the largest colony of the great crested newt in Scotland is in Gartcosh, in my constituency. Indeed, the reason why the Gartcosh nature reserve was established was to protect that species. I have been on various visits there with the local Froglife team to see the great crested newt, but I have not actually seen any, because they are very shy animals. I have taken my wee boys down a few times for a look, too. They were very interested in finding the newts, but we have not found any. However, the newts are there—we have seen the pictures today. In any case, Gartcosh nature reserve is a fantastic walk, so anybody who wants a wee day out with family or to go for a walk on their own should try to visit it.
On a serious note, protecting those green corridors in post-industrial landscapes is just as important as protecting any remote wilderness. That unique site at Gartcosh demonstrates how biodiversity can flourish alongside urban development when managed with care and expertise. The success at Gartcosh is a credit to the hard work of Froglife—sponsors of the great crested newt as part of the nature champions initiative—North Lanarkshire Council and the local people, who enjoy the presence of the colony, which continues to thrive.
The role of a nature champion is to turn abstract policy into a personal mission, ensuring that unseen parts of our environment have a dedicated voice in the heart of our democracy. I hope that I am doing my small part in that, as any time I drive past it with the kids—I have already mentioned my two boys, and my wee girl is now getting to a good age as well—I always say, “In there is the great crested newt!”
In the previous parliamentary session, I was the champion for the Natterer’s bat. I enjoyed being that as well, and I learned a lot about that species. As others have done today, I encourage all returning and new MSPs to become involved in the project.
I am conscious of the number of members who still want to participate, so, before I call the next speaker, I am minded to accept a motion without notice under rule 8.14.3 to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I invite Mr Mason to move such a motion.
Motion moved,
That, under Rule 8.14.3, the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes.—[John Mason]
Motion agreed to.
18:13
I can give some more intelligence to the chamber on the golden eagle saga. When I was first elected to the chamber, I moved very quickly in order to become the species champion for the golden eagle, and I was lucky enough to be successful in that regard. In that role, I was also invited to the Moffat eagle festival and even got to be taken to the secret golden eagle release site that Christine Grahame described in her speech, where I was given a behind-the-scenes look at how golden eagle reintroductions work. However, once I was appointed Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, it was felt that I should support all endangered and threatened species, and I had to, as it were, release the eagles. In April 2024, I once again had the opportunity to be a species champion, only to find that Christine Grahame had gotten in there and grabbed the golden eagles in my absence.
I am delighted to say that I am now the species champion for the endangered northern damselfly, which, in the UK, can be found only in the Highlands, where it is restricted to sedge-fringed lochans, which means small ponds with sedges, reeds and grasses around the edges. For the past two summers, my husband and I have volunteered on the site of special scientific interest for northern damselflies at Tombane farm in Perthshire, where invasive Sitka spruce trees are encroaching on the damselfly ponds. We enthusiastically, if amateurly, have a go at cutting down these trees and dragging them away from the ponds. As neither of us is qualified to use a chainsaw, we have to use small hand tools to do so, and we can clear away the smaller trees in that way. That allows us to give space and light back to the damselflies.
At the same time, since farmers began putting up fences to keep deer out, we are able to identify and protect the seedlings of native trees such as Scots pine, birch, oak and rowan, which can now regenerate, and we hope one day to have a thriving Caledonian pine forest at the top of the hill. Gordon and I have a competition each year to see who can locate the most tiny baby pine trees among the moss and grasses. He always wins, but I put on record that that is because he wanders off uphill to look for them while I am sawing up trees and dragging them away from the ponds—he is not here to contradict me. When we sit down to take a break, it is absolutely magical to see the colourful damselflies zooming about over the ponds and resting on the reeds and grasses.
Self-seeding Sitka pose a real danger to Scotland’s rare wildlife and habitats by spreading from commercial tree plantations to sensitive habitats and there is a real question about who should pay to undo the damage that is being done. We have a lot to do to protect northern damselflies and to improve and restore their habitats. I thank the British Dragonfly Society and everyone else who works hard for that beautiful species.
18:15
I thank John Mason for bringing this debate to the chamber.
I have been saddled with many titles over the years, some complimentary and some less so, and the knighthood and the trip to Holyrood or Buckingham palace are still somewhere in the pipeline. However, one title that I am genuinely proud of, particularly given my strong links to Stranraer, is that I am the nature champion for the native oyster bed. I value the role enormously, not least because I am one of the few nature champions who can sustainably eat what my habitat produces because my constituency is home to one of the most important native oyster beds anywhere in Europe. Beneath the waters of Loch Ryan lies Scotland’s last wild commercially harvested native oyster bed, a site of exceptional ecological and national significance.
Native oysters are remarkable ecosystem engineers. Each oyster can filter around 200 litres of water per day, improving water quality and supporting the health of the marine environment. They also act as an important blue carbon store, with studies showing that oyster habitats can hold up to 17.9 tonnes of carbon per hectare, per year.
Despite dramatic declines elsewhere across Europe, caused by overfishing, habitat loss and disease, the Loch Ryan oyster bed has thrived thanks to generations of sustainable stewardship. Its disease-free and genetically strong population makes Loch Ryan a vital source of stock for restoration projects across Scotland and a true jewel in my constituency.
That work is increasingly being supported by wider environmental initiatives, including the Solway Coast and Marine Project, which brings together scientists, local communities, the fishing industry and conservation partners to restore and protect the habitats that underpin coastal health. Oyster recovery is central to that work, but so too is restoring and protecting David Torrance’s seagrass meadows, which sit alongside many of our oyster beds. Seagrass, as we have heard, is one of the most effective natural carbon sinks in the UK and provides crucial nursery habitats for fish and invertebrates. Healthier oyster beds improve water clarity, allowing more sunlight to reach the seabed which, in turn, enables seagrass to grow and thrive. Torrance and Carson might seem like an unlikely team, but oyster beds and seagrass act powerfully together as nature’s tools for improving biodiversity, water quality and climate resilience.
One major example of what that kind of restoration can achieve is the historic return of native oysters to the Firth of Forth after more than a century. The project will see 30,000 oysters reintroduced, creating a new reef that will support marine life and improve water quality. As the Scottish Parliament’s nature champion for oyster beds, I wish that initiative every success and hope that it will mirror the remarkable achievements of Loch Ryan, one of the country’s largest and healthiest native oyster beds.
No celebration of those achievements would be complete without mentioning the Stranraer oyster festival, which will run from 11 to 13 September and draws around 30,000 visitors each year. It is a vibrant showcase of our marine ecology, heritage and, of course, outstanding food. I know that the cabinet secretary, having visited on at least one occasion, will agree that the wonderfully welcoming folk of Stranraer will ensure that visitors have the time of their lives there.
18:19
I also thank John Mason for bringing this debate to the chamber. It is always the best debate of the year because so many people want to take part. I have really enjoyed listening to other members and am delighted that I will be followed by Mercedes Villalba, who is going to tell us all about what she has done for Scotland’s road verges. I cannot wait.
In the previous session of the Parliament, I was a species champion for the holly tree. It was decided—probably rightly—that I did not do enough for the holly tree, so I was ditched from it. This session, I champion the ash tree. I was determined to do better for the ash tree than I did for the holly, so I have asked a number of questions about ash trees—six in the past year. I have asked about the cut in funding for the Future Trees Trust breeding programme for Scottish provenance ash; councils’ ash dieback recovery plans; the link between increases in plant imports and the rise of tree diseases such as ash dieback; and the ash dieback risk group.
Ash is under threat, but there are some healthy ash trees out there. To be honest, my experience of ash trees has been a bit mixed. In August 2023, a group of species champions went on a trip to Scotland’s rainforest, by Loch Lomond. We took a boat over to the rainforest, and we walked through it. Somebody pointed up a bank to a big ash tree—the biggest ash tree that I have ever seen. As a man who likes to get his boots muddy, I was determined to go up and hug that ash tree, which I did with Monica Lennon and Mark Ruskell. We joined hands and we hugged the ash tree. [Laughter.] We did—we hugged the ash tree.
The sad part of that story is that the ash tree has subsequently died of ash dieback.
However, there are better examples. The Argyle Street ash in Glasgow is currently the UK tree of the year. I went to see it last week, because it is in the running to be European tree of the year. I encourage everyone to vote for the Argyle Street ash.
Although I am up against the time, I need to mention my other species: the magnificent bilberry bumblebee, which is hard to find but well worth the effort. I found more than one during an arduous trek up Ben Lawers with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in July 2021.
The scheme is great, and I encourage new members and returning members to get involved.
Thank you, Mr Simpson. I discourage you from embracing the Argyle Street ash, for its own safety.
I now give the right of reply to Mercedes Villalba, who has around three minutes.
18:23
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. By popular demand, I rise to advocate for the vital and exciting habitat of road verges—vital because they provide refuge for all manner of plants, animals, fungi and insect species, and exciting because, taken together, road verges cover almost 200km2, which is an area the size of the city of Aberdeen. That offers a huge opportunity for species restoration.
Damaging changes to land management in the course of the 20th century have meant that roadside verges have become a last refuge for some of Scotland’s most threatened plant and insect species—ones that are being driven to extinction at a faster rate than higher-profile mammal and bird species. I am therefore proud to advocate for that habitat. It matters because it will have a significant impact on pollinators and food chains. Lower crop yields, poorer quality, higher prices, fewer producers and greater food insecurity affect us all. However, properly managing road verges can help to address some of the imminent threats that our species and ecosystems face. Targeted actions that support species and habitats can have a positive chain reaction, restoring species, strengthening habitat health and improving our environment for the benefit of us all.
With that, I strongly encourage everybody to visit their local road verges.
That is an offer that members surely cannot pass up.
I invite Mairi Gougeon to respond to the debate.
18:25
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I do not know quite how to follow that, but I hope that I can do the debate justice.
First, as other members have done, I thank John Mason for shining a light on this important initiative, and I thank Scottish Environment LINK for its work in developing the initiative and for all the support that it provides to MSPs.
I am delighted to take part in this debate on the nature champions initiative, first, to hear about all the great work that is being done by MSPs across the chamber and, secondly, because I genuinely love these debates.
I am also delighted to be covering the debate for Gillian Martin, who would have loved to be here—not least so that I can reflect on one of the most memorable contributions to our nature champions debates in previous years, which was, in fact, hers. She shed light on her early days as a goth and said how apt it was for her to be the champion for the yew tree. I could not quite remember when that contribution was made, but it turns out that it was in 2017 during my members’ business debate.
At that time, I was the species champion for the hen harrier. As I said then, I really did not know what I was letting myself in for, but it turned out to be an incredible experience. As others have described in relation to the species that they champion, the experience really opened my eyes and brought my focus to that vital species. It took me right across Scotland—through the marshes and up the hills—and, fortunately, I got to experience that incredible bird up close.
Another stand-out contribution to the debate in 2017 was from Christine Grahame. As ever, she did not disappoint today. She was similarly dramatic in 2017, although the drama then was in relation to the house sparrow rather than the golden eagle.
Turning to other contributions, I note that John Mason said that some species for which MSPs are nature champions could potentially predate others, but Graham Simpson might have described the first example of a cross-party killing of one of the species. I hope that he has been able to provide some reparations for the damage that he and others in the chamber have clearly done to that species.
Our discussion is really timely, given that, as Sarah Boyack mentioned, just two weeks ago, the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill successfully passed stage 3. That was a real milestone in our commitment to restoring and regenerating the nature of Scotland. As everybody here will be aware, that groundbreaking legislation requires us, for the first time, to set statutory targets for nature. Such targets will form a central part of our strategic framework for biodiversity and, crucially, will ensure clear accountability and co-ordinated action across the Government.
As the nature champions initiative demonstrates, we need to take action to protect our precious species and habitats. Just last year, we launched our first nature 30 sites, which is a key step in delivering our commitment to protect 30 per cent of our land and seas for nature by 2030. Four pioneering sites have now been recognised across Scotland—Loch Arkaig pine forest, the Findhorn hinterland, Loch Wood and Knapdale—and they will play a vital role in promoting ecological restoration and management at scale in Scotland.
We are also investing in our nature, and members have heard about the importance of financing critical initiatives for our species. The groundbreaking nature restoration fund has already invested more than £65 million in projects across Scotland. The fund is delivering a real impact and supports a wide range of innovative projects across Scotland.
Among the already successful initiatives is the Highland amphibians reptile project, which has boosted the survival rate of the Highland great crested newt from 2 per cent to 13 per cent. That breeding success enabled the translocation of the United Kingdom’s rarest newts, which is thought to be a first in Europe. I hope that Fulton MacGregor, who is the nature champion for the great crested newt, will be delighted to hear that.
Across Scotland, we are restoring nature and iconic species, not as a Government acting alone, but by working hand in hand with communities, land managers and conservation partners. Our work to protect red squirrels, which Alexander Burnett mentioned, demonstrates the power of partnership. He highlighted the vital saving Scotland’s red squirrels programme, which involves Government, volunteers and landowners working together to control grey squirrels, limit the spread of squirrel pox and safeguard one of our most iconic native mammals.
Lorna Slater and Christine Grahame highlighted golden eagles. The return of golden eagles to the south of Scotland is one of our most inspiring success stories. So much vital work has taken place on that, and it is great to see that success.
Of course, the debate is not just about our terrestrial species—we have had contributions from various members on our marine species. David Torrance mentioned seagrass, Douglas Ross talked about the bottlenose dolphin and Beatrice Wishart mentioned the orca. I welcome Finlay Carson’s focus on native oysters, and the fact that he highlighted the Stranraer oyster festival. I have been able to see at first hand some of the work that has gone into supporting the species, as well as enjoying the product of that work later on at the oyster festival, which is a fantastic experience. I encourage members to visit it if they get the opportunity.
We also had an important contribution from Edward Mountain, who focused on the pressures that our iconic wild salmon face. As I set out in a response earlier today, a number of pieces of work are under way to try to address the pressures, of which we know there are a number, that are impacting on that iconic species.
Although we are making progress, there is clearly still much to be done. Now more than ever, it is important that we keep the nature agenda firmly in the spotlight. There is still work to do to raise its profile, to strengthen wider understanding and to ensure that nature remains at the heart of our national priorities. I welcome the discussion and the spotlight that the nature champions initiative puts on our biodiversity and iconic species in Scotland. Although I will not be a member in the next session of Parliament, I hope, like other members, that the initiative will continue in the next session with a new set of parliamentarians who are willing to support these precious species and habitats.
That concludes the debate. We can now all head to Alexander Burnett’s for a grey squirrel surprise.
Meeting closed at 18:32.
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