Chamber and committees

Priority Project 10 of 'Scotland’s biodiversity: a route map to 2020' aims to improve ecological connectivity and build on previous habitat restoration work. This on-going work will remain a focus, as set out in our Programme for Government, the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Post-2020: A Statement of Intent and the Update to the Climate Change Plan 2018–2032.

Relevant commitments include restoring over 250,000 hectares of peatland with £250 million of investment over 10 years and increasing the planting rate for woodland to 18,000 hectares per year by 2024-25. The prioritisation of these nature-based solutions and restoration projects will deliver multiple benefits, not only in terms of carbon sequestration but also enhanced biodiversity, improved air and water quality, and landscapes and ecosystems that are more resilient to climate change.

We do not have a precise figure for the extent of habitat restoration work undertaken under project 10 as much of this work is associated with other priorities.

The suite of protected nature sites forms an important component of ecological connectivity in Scotland and NatureScot has invested £5.26 million since 2015 in maintaining and restoring these sites. In addition, there are a number of prominent habitat restoration programmes that are delivering connectivity across Scotland. Since 2012 to the end of March 2020, we have invested £30 million in our peatland restoration programme involving NatureScot, our national parks, Forestry and Land Scotland and a number of partners in the private and third sectors, securing 25,000 hectares under restoration management. Further works in this financial year are underway and will be reported after the close of the financial year 2020-21.

Woodland restoration and expansion since 2015 has been delivered primarily through Scotland’s Rural Development Programme, with 12,004 hectares of new native woodland created since 2017. The Biodiversity Challenge Fund and the Green Infrastructure Fund, both administered by NatureScot, also support native woodland planting in both rural and urban settings. Many of the projects funded through the Biodiversity Challenge Fund deliver habitat restoration and connectivity at landscape scale and across multiple habitats.

NatureScot has also developed a habitat connectivity indicator for Scotland, setting out how we can measure connectivity across a number of habitat types. The £2.3m EcoCoLIFE project led by NatureScot is a good example of how habitat connectivity can be achieved across a diverse peri-urban landscape, and Cairngorms Connect, a partnership between Wildlands, RSPB, Forestry and Land Scotland and NatureScot includes an ambitious 200-year vision to enhance ecological processes, including connectivity, in the Cairngorms National Park.

There are many partners involved in delivering habitat connectivity in Scotland, including small community groups, land managers, non-government organisations NGOs and a number of government agencies and public bodies.

It is not possible to disaggregate the data for the amount of public funding for management and monitoring of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) as a majority of SACs and SPAs are also designated as SSSIs. The following figures therefore cover all of the stated designations.

(a) Management

(a) The funded training for additional psychological therapists (for both Clinical and Applied psychology) is open to individuals from any sector and applications show that whilst the majority of applicants are from NHS settings there are also applicants from a range of backgrounds.

(b) Each of the NES funded psychology programmes (including the Clinical and Applied programmes referred to above) have defined entry requirements. The programmes combine placement experience in one of the 14 health boards across NHS Scotland with teaching and research over the course of study to allow trainees develop to core competencies. Though prior experience of working in NHS settings may be beneficial to trainees on all programmes, it is not stipulated that applicants are required to work or have worked in the NHS. Entry requirements focus on a range of criteria including but not limited to; academic ability, relevant experience and interpersonal skills.

(c) The funded cognitive behavioural therapy training places are allocated to multidisciplinary staff working within health and social care that meet the relevant criteria. Staff from health backgrounds make up the majority of these training places but those who meet the criteria from non-NHS backgrounds are also considered.

On 3 February 2021 thiacloprid loses EU and UK approval for use, joining clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam which have not been approved in the UK since 2018. The Scottish Government supported the regulatory decisions to restrict the use of these insecticides and have no plans to alter this position unless the scientific evidence changes.

The Scottish Government continues to work with land managers and industry partners to promote best practice principles to further reduce reliance on pesticides as outlined in our Programme for Government. We encourage the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to help land managers reduce and target their use of pesticides and adopt a site specific approach that integrates a range of complimentary control measures.

As set out in the response to S5W-33328, there is little evidence to show that released gamebirds are causing damage to European sites in Scotland. However we will consider, with NatureScot, whether any additional monitoring or research into the impact of gamebird releases around protected sites may be required in the future.

NatureScot’s Site Condition Monitoring Programme measures the health of the notified features across all of Scotland’s protected areas, including European sites. The Programme also identifies underlying causes for unfavourable condition of features in order to inform management actions. Gamebirds are mentioned in around 0.2% of these assessments and gamebird releases have not been identified as the cause of any features on protected sites being in unfavourable condition.

Details of the monitoring programme are available on the NatureScot website: https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-areas/site-condition-monitoring .

As set out in the response to S5W-27518 answered on 28 February 2020, hedgehogs are listed on schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), which makes it illegal to kill or capture them using specified methods.

One of the principles in Scottish Planning Policy is that the planning system should seek benefits for biodiversity from new development where possible, including the restoration of degraded habitats and the avoidance of further fragmentation or isolation of habitats.

Scottish public bodies, including planning authorities, have a duty under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 to further the conservation of biodiversity. This duty must be reflected in development plans and development management decisions.

While there is some evidence of a decline in hedgehog numbers, the available information is not sufficient to suggest that the species is in danger of extinction in Scotland. Steps being taken to halt the decline of hedgehogs in our towns and cities include the promotion of greenspace and green networks, for example through the Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention managed by NatureScot.

The Scottish Government has no plans to change the legal protection for hedgehogs or their breeding sites.

NatureScot have carried out two Habitats Regulations Appraisals in the last ten years in relation to applications for the release of non-native gamebirds. The appraisals were undertaken using expert advice from NatureScot ornithologists. Both Appraisals concluded that there would be no adverse impact on the integrity of the sites in question and consents were issued in both cases.

NatureScot does not routinely publish Habitats Regulations Appraisals.

Further support for the fleet and wider seafood sector is something I am presently considering, but I need the funding to do so. That is why I was so disappointed with the £8 million, one year, UK Government settlement for grant funding over 2020-2021. This falls way short of the £62 million multi-year settlement we made a clear case for, based on the EMFF replacement fund of over 4 billion. Whether its further hardship funding or supporting recovery within the Seafood sector, this funding is needed more so than ever before, and rest assured we will continue to press the UK Government hard for a fair share of funding.

a) It is a legal requirement for keepers of 50 or more birds (not necessarily of the same species) to register their birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This information is regularly communicated to bird keepers and continues to be a key part of our avian influenza communications. Keepers with fewer than 50 birds are encouraged to register voluntarily.

b)The Scottish Government works closely with Defra, Welsh Government and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to promote and encourage poultry keepers to comply with the measures in the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) and requirements of the GB Poultry Register. Local Authorities have the responsibility of enforcing the legislative requirements of the AIPZ and the GB Poultry Register.