Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 29 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish a definitive list of irreplaceable habitats in Scotland, and, if so, whether species-rich meadows will be included within that list.
Under s.2(4) of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, the Scottish Ministers are required to publish a list of habitats and species of principal importance within 12 months of the publication of a Scottish biodiversity strategy, known as the Scottish Biodiversity List. It will have particular relevance for public bodies applying their biodiversity duties.
Work to complete the list is ongoing and it would not therefore be appropriate to say definitively that species-rich grasslands will be included. However, various types of species-rich grassland are included in the current Scottish Biodiversity List.
The term ‘irreplaceable habitat’ is not widely used in Scottish biodiversity policy, although the term is used in National Planning Framework 4. The Scottish Government has commissioned NatureScot to develop an adapted biodiversity metric suitable for use in supporting delivery of NPF4 policy 3: Biodiversity (part b), work on which is underway. As part of that work, NatureScot are giving consideration to whether guidance or advice may be needed to support the operation of an adapted metric in Scotland, including whether guidance may be appropriate on this term or an alternative approach set out.