Chamber and committees

That the Parliament notes with concern reports regarding the growing frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to climate breakdown, including wildfires, droughts, and flooding across Scotland; shares its concern for communities across Scotland that have already faced wildfires this year, including in the Highlands and Islands; commends emergency services, conservation bodies, including rewilding organisations, community groups, gamekeepers, farmers, volunteers and others for coming together to tackle the devastating wildfire in the Cairngorms; notes the belief that there is an urgent need to shift focus from emergency response alone toward long-term landscape-scale prevention and climate resilience; recognises the role that healthy, restored ecosystems, such as rewetted peatlands, restored wetlands and mosaic habitats created by the action of native animals, have alongside human interventions in building resilient landscapes; notes the calls for the UK Government to create a dedicated Climate Shock Fund to cover the costs of preparing for and preventing climate shocks, and further notes the calls for the Scottish Government to convene a Scottish landscape resilience summit to ensure that a cross-sector, multi-stakeholder approach is taken to share knowledge and best practice across Scotland.

That the Parliament celebrates the decision by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), based in Oban, to elect the ocean to its Board of Trustees, represented by SAMS Trustee, Helen Mitcheson, an environmental lawyer with a background in marine mammal science, who was selected by open competition; welcomes the leadership shown by SAMS director, professor Nick Owens, in championing this model; notes reports that the idea has taken root among SAMS staff who now ask "what would the ocean think about this?" in their own meetings and conversations; considers that formally representing the ocean's interests in decision-making offers a meaningful example of moving beyond anthropocentric governance; recognises SAMS' 140-year history as one of the world's oldest oceanographic institutions and its ongoing contribution to marine science in the Highlands and Islands and globally, and hopes that this innovative approach to governance will inspire other organisations, both in Scotland and beyond, to find ways of giving the natural world a genuine say in the decisions that affect it.

That the Parliament congratulates the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) on being welcomed as a member of the Planetary Health Alliance, joining a worldwide network of more than 550 universities, research institutes, NGOs and government organisations working to understand and address the connections between environmental change and human health; recognises that this membership reflects UHI's university-wide One Health strategy, which brings together research, education, innovation and partnership activity focused on environmental sustainability, ecosystem health and wellbeing; notes that research teams across the UHI partnership are already tackling issues, including the impacts of climate change on local ecosystems, the health of oceans, peatlands and waterways and access to healthcare in rural and island communities; believes that this membership will allow UHI to share expertise and develop new collaborations that strengthen planetary health research and practice locally, nationally and internationally; considers that this achievement highlights the vital contribution that research institutions across the Highlands and Islands make to addressing the interconnected challenges of environmental sustainability and human health, and wishes UHI every success as it takes forward this work as part of the global Planetary Health Alliance network.

That the Parliament welcomes the use of machine learning to support sustainable economic and academic activity as part of Scotland’s future economy, and supports projects such as the 39MW University of Edinburgh supercomputer; understands that planning applications for a substantial number of hyperscale data centres across Scotland have already been submitted and that, if developed, these could collectively require at least 6000MW of power, which is equivalent to more than double the whole of Scotland’s peak energy usage; notes that this potential level of demand was not accounted for in the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Plan, which was published in March 2026; understands that, in other countries, similar projects have been a factor in rising domestic energy costs; further understands that many such projects require diesel or gas-powered backup generation, with potential implications for carbon emissions and local air quality; recognises that the Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 discusses “green data centres” without providing a definition, either in terms of climate impact or air quality; notes that there is no mandatory requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment for such developments; urges Scottish Ministers to engage urgently with communities affected by proposed projects, and calls on the Scottish Government to provide clarity and certainty to local authorities as they consider these unprecedented proposals, including by applying the precautionary approach used in the case of fracking and introducing a national planning moratorium on hyperscale data centres pending a full assessment of their impacts on energy demand, decarbonisation targets, local air quality, and domestic electricity bills.

That the Parliament celebrates the vital contribution of community rail partnerships (CRPs) to the Highlands and Islands during Community Rail Week, which is taking place from 1 to 7 June 2026; notes that the Highland Main Line CRP, West Highland Line CRP and Far North Line CRP are among the nine CRPs across Scotland, which are engaging communities with their railways, promoting sustainable travel and strengthening the social, economic and environmental fabric of the regions that they serve; recognises what it considers to be the particular importance of these partnerships in a region where rail is not merely a transport choice but, for many communities, an essential lifeline connecting them to employment, education, healthcare and each other; commends the hundreds of volunteers across these partnerships who give their time to improve stations, promote their lines and deepen the bond between communities and their railways; welcomes the theme of Community Rail Week 2026, Journeys for All, as especially resonant in the Highlands and Islands, where geography and distance make inclusive and community-rooted rail particularly significant; notes with pride that, as part of Railway 200 celebrations at Boat of Garten in 2025, the Highland Main Line received a National Transport Trust red wheel plaque, recognising its outstanding contribution to transport heritage; commends the Friends of the Kyle Line organisation, which has championed the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh line since 1995, runs the Kyle Station Museum and makes the case to keep this remarkable route alive through what it recognises have been decades of challenge, and calls on the Scottish Government and ScotRail to deepen their support for community rail partnerships across the Highlands and Islands, to resource them adequately and to recognise the grassroots energy of the community rail movement as central to making Highland railways work for the communities they serve.

That the Parliament welcomes the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) to Aviemore for its Forty-Third annual meeting, which is taking place from 2 to 5 June 2026; recognises that NASCO is the international body responsible for the conservation and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon across the North Atlantic; believes that Scotland, as one of the most significant wild Atlantic salmon nations, has a particular stake in the outcomes of this gathering and that Scotland's participation in NASCO reflects a commitment to salmon conservation that extends beyond its own borders, across the full migratory range of the species; considers it fitting therefore that the meeting takes place in Aviemore, within the Cairngorms National Park, on the banks of the River Spey, which is one of Scotland's most celebrated and important salmon rivers; acknowledges that wild Atlantic salmon reportedly now inhabit just 34% of Scottish river systems in good conservation status; recognises what it considers to be the profound importance of healthy salmon populations to the communities, economies and landscapes of the Highlands and beyond; notes that NASCO is embarking on its fourth reporting cycle in 2026, making this a particularly significant moment to review progress and strengthen international commitments; believes that international cooperation of the kind fostered by NASCO is essential to addressing the wide range of pressures facing wild salmon across their migratory range, and wishes all delegates a warm Scottish welcome and every success in their deliberations.

That the Parliament believes that the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) is one of Scotland's most iconic and culturally significant species; recognises that it is renowned for its extraordinary migration from Scottish upland rivers to the waters of Norway and Greenland and back again; notes with deep concern that wild Atlantic salmon are now classified as endangered in Great Britain by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with a reported population decline of between 30 and 50% since 2006; acknowledges the cumulative pressures facing the species identified in the Scottish Government's Scottish wild salmon strategy, including habitat loss, barriers to river migration, declining water quality, rising temperatures driven by climate change as well as the impacts on wild salmonid populations of sea lice and escapes from salmon farming; recognises what it sees as the vital ecological role of Atlantic salmon as a keystone species, which supports other wildlife, including otters and the freshwater pearl mussel; further recognises the importance of the species to Scotland's rural economy through angling tourism, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure the full and timely delivery of the Scottish wild salmon strategy and its implementation Plan 2023–2028, affirming that bold and urgent action is needed now if this species is to be secured for future generations.

That the Parliament celebrates Commonwealth Day 2026, taking place on 9 March, and recognises what it sees as the important role that the Commonwealth continues to play in building and maintaining relationships across the world; understands that the theme of 2026 is "unlocking opportunities together for a prosperous Commonwealth", highlighting how Commonwealth countries can work together to overcome challenges and unlock opportunities; recognises the work of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in discussing a range of issues, including equality, transparency in parliaments, climate change, meeting the challenges of the internet and social media, modernising parliaments and artificial intelligence; notes the work of the CPA Scotland Branch over the last year, which has included hosting the 11th Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) British Islands and Mediterranean Regional (BIMR) Conference and 1st CPA BIMR Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) Forum, as well as Members' work, including having three regional representatives on three of the four CPA bodies, the CPA International Executive Committee, CPwD network and CWP network, as well as being active in the regional LGBT+ network; acknowledges the work of the networks in contributing to amplify the perspectives and the rights of women, LGBT+ community and people with disabilities, and commits to continuing, both domestically and internationally, to share ideas and experience on good governance, parliamentary process, holding governments to account on behalf of the people that they serve.

That the Parliament notes that 2 February 2026 marks the 30th annual World Wetlands Day, with this year’s theme being "Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage"; appreciates that it has been 55 years since the adoption of the Ramsar Convention; celebrates Scotland’s wetlands as important sites for biodiversity that provide unique and productive habitats to a range of rare, threatened and declining species of plants, mammals, birds, fish and invertebrates; welcomes the carbon storing capability of wetlands, which, it understands, can act as a frontline defence against the climate crisis; highlights that wetlands provide a host of essential ecosystem services to society, including filtering drinking water and mitigating flood risks; understands that 51 wetland sites across Scotland are designated under the Ramsar Convention, including Insh Marshes, Nigg and Udale, Coul Links and Forsinard Flows in the Highlands and Islands region, and welcomes the commitment of the Scottish Government to protect at least 30% of Scotland’s land and sea for nature by 2030, in addition to restoring the appropriate level of protection to those of Scotland’s wetlands that are Ramsar sites.

That the Parliament congratulates the boatbuilder and lobster fisherman from Argyll, Hans Unkles, and all involved with the electric fishing vessel (EFV), Lorna Jane, on winning the Innovation Award at the Nature of Scotland Awards 2025; understands that Lorna Jane, which was refitted and developed in Argyll, is the first commercial fully EVF registered in the UK, and is believed to be the only such commercial fishing vessel worldwide; recognises that this pioneering prototype is demonstrating cleaner, low-carbon and low-noise fishing methods, which can reduce fuel use and pollution while supporting viable inshore fisheries; welcomes the inspiration that this project offers to other fishing communities in Argyll and Bute, and across Scotland, as they look to cut emissions and protect marine ecosystems, and wishes the team every success in further developing and sharing this innovation.