Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 10 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reported community concerns about the potential impacts of large-scale forestry proposals on nationally important species or habitats, and what steps it is taking to ensure that future afforestation proposals do not destroy or damage these species or habitats.
Scottish Forestry ensures the protection of nationally important habitats and species by applying a robust and proportionate process to all afforestation proposals under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations. This process begins by assessing if significant negative effects have been avoided or prevented. Where there are identified significant adverse impacts, particularly within sensitive or high-value ecological areas, Scottish Forestry requires the proposal to enter the full EIA consent process. This ensures that risks are comprehensively assessed and that appropriate mitigation measures are secured before any consent is granted.