Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any risk that afforestation poses to species-rich grasslands and nationally important species, and whether it will take steps to protect species-rich grasslands by recognising them as irreplaceable habitats within Scots law.
Scottish Forestry is the competent authority responsible for regulating woodland creation. Their assessment of afforestation proposals follows a defined process governed by the Forestry (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 and supported by the UK Forestry Standard (UKFS). The process involves several stages designed to identify, avoid, prevent and where necessary, mitigate negative impacts on environmental receptors, including biodiversity, set out in the Regulations. Therefore, there is already a robust assessment process that provides a strong consideration of protected habitats, priority habitats, protected species and designated sites.