Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Official Report 1092KB pdf

---

World Wetlands Day 2020

The final item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S5M-20295, in the name of John Finnie, on celebrating Scotland’s wetlands on world wetlands day 2020. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament celebrates World Wetlands Day on 2 February 2020; believes that Scotland’s wetlands are sites of important biodiversity, providing a habitat that is a unique home for a wide array of species of birds, fish, mammals and invertebrates, and provide vital hunting grounds for many other predator species; notes that these sites across Scotland are designated for their protection under the Ramsar Convention; understands that Scotland’s wetlands produce significant benefits to the overall environment and provide vital flood control and water filtration; believes that the climate emergency and continued development on these sites pose an existential threat to the future of Scotland’s wetlands and the species that call them home, and welcomes calls on the Scottish Government encouraging it to support continued and greater protection for Scotland’s wetlands.

17:14  

I thank members from across the chamber for their support, and I thank the many organisations that provided briefings for the debate.

Like many others, the Scottish Government has declared a climate emergency, so we know that the status quo is not an option. We must review everything that we do and, most important, we must change our outlook and our actions. People have seen the graphic and disastrous consequences of climate breakdown in Australia and Indonesia. We have all seen the horrendous pictures on our television screens, which have prompted a lot of discussion that might not otherwise have taken place. We need to focus our attention on the need to protect Scotland’s precious environment.

World wetlands day is on 2 February, and the debate is part of it. I commend the Scottish Government for its active promotion of the year of coasts and waters.

I do not think that too many people set out to destroy our environment; however, there are some selfish individuals, organisations, corporations and Governments whose flawed priorities remain unchanged and whose unwillingness to take any responsibility for addressing the global emergency must be condemned. They must be taken to task.

Ramsar sites are classified under the convention on wetlands of international importance. The mission of the convention is:

“The conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international co-operation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world.”

The United Kingdom signed up to the convention in 1976. Globally, 2,200 sites across 169 countries are included on a list of wetlands of international importance: the Ramsar list. We in Scotland are honoured, as we have 521 Ramsar sites covering a total of about 313,000 hectares that are designated as internationally important wetlands.

Most Ramsar sites in Scotland are linked to the Natura 2000 network, either as a special protection area or a special area of conservation, and all of them are underpinned by designation as sites of special scientific interest.

The sites are of importance for many reasons, not least for their wide variety of water birds, bogs, lochs, coastal wetlands and other water-dependent habitats and species. Such habitats are a unique home for a wide array of birds, fish, mammals and invertebrates and they provide hunting grounds for many other predator species. Scotland’s wetlands also produce significant benefits to the overall environment by providing flood control and water filtration.

The climate emergency and continued development of such sites pose an existential threat to the future of Scotland’s wetlands and their species. Therefore, the motion

“welcomes calls on the Scottish Government encouraging it to support continued and greater protection for Scotland’s wetlands.”

Scotland is also globally important for peatlands and the world’s largest expanse of blanket bog is at Forsinard in the flow country in the north of my region. In 2020, Scotland’s important wetlands will be celebrated with the year of coasts and waters.

Wetlands can provide nature-based solutions to climate change by storing carbon and helping to mitigate more frequent storms and droughts. Globally, peatland stores nearly 30 per cent of all the carbon that is stored on land. Although the Scottish Government’s peatland action fund, biodiversity challenge fund and agri-environment climate scheme have helped to improve them, wetlands are still threatened by climate change and changes in land use, which are two of the key drivers of biodiversity loss that were identified in the “State of Nature 2019” report.

Our wetlands are also under threat from the spread of invasive non-native species. Scotland hosts most of the water catchments in the UK that are yet to be affected by the spread of invasive species; however, effective biodiversity security measures are needed now to avoid damage from that intensifying threat.

Sadly, nature is in decline, with 11 per cent of species being at risk of extinction. A step change in narrative, policy and practice is necessary to reverse that situation and to address the climate emergency. As I said, climate change and changes in land use are two of the key drivers of biodiversity loss identified by the “State of Nature 2019” report.

Imagine that someone had 14-plus hectares of internationally important, unique and irreplaceable dune habitats and that there was a proposal that could cause significant disruption to the natural dune processes and ecosystems. If that proposal would bring about the spread of fertilisers and pesticides across the site, and prompt the widespread risk of disturbance to many of the sensitive species and habitats from increased human use of the site, I hope that all members in the chamber would have grave concerns about it.

We know that hydrological change and pollution are two key drivers in the decline of natural diversity, which is also identified in “State of Nature 2019”. The global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services identifies that changes in land and sea use are the most important drivers in the loss of nature.

If such a destructive proposal existed, we would hope that the Scottish Government would recognise the site’s national importance in relation to our natural heritage; I am gratified to say that it has. We hope that the Scottish Government would call in a planning application that would have such disastrous consequences, and it has. The site is Coul Links in east Sutherland, which I represent, and the proposal is to build a golf course on that site of world significance. The proposal has been considered at a public inquiry, the reporters have submitted their recommendations and the planning minister, Kevin Stewart, is now deliberating. I accept that ministers cannot comment on live planning matters, but they can discuss the generalities, as outlined in my motion.

Why is that planning decision so significant? If that damaging proposal were given the go-ahead, it would send a clear signal to those around the world who are watching the case. It could have implications for the future of all protected sites in Scotland.

I readily accept that each planning case is considered on its merits, but if consent were given to such a proposal, it would be more difficult to refuse future applications to develop sites with similar levels of protection and conservation designations. It would also cast doubt on the Scottish Government’s commitment to address the climate and nature emergency. It could affect Scotland’s performance against the Aichi global nature targets—in particular, it could affect performance on target 11 regarding conserving protected wildlife sites, but it could also affect targets 5, 12 and 14. It would also suggest that the Scottish Government does not have regard to the views of Scottish Natural Heritage—a Government organisation that takes an evidence-based approach to all matters and has opposed the proposal.

Scotland has declared a climate emergency. The Scottish Wildlife Trust—one of the many organisations that provided information for the debate—tells us that progress on sustainable development goal has stalled; a joined-up approach is needed to fully achieve those goals; the goals are designed to be interconnected, but the current approach is fractured; and a natural climate solution can help to achieve the goals and reflect the interconnectedness of climate change and biodiversity in rural and urban areas.

Ministers should show decisive action in protecting our wetlands and coasts. They should reject the Coul Links application so that it does not set a precedent for unsustainable development.

I draw members’ attention to a report—

Briefly, Mr Finnie. You have had eight minutes. I will give you another minute.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will be brief.

The report is entitled “Reasons for the proposed partial denotification of Foveran Links SSSI”. Foveran Links is an area of dune habitat and intertidal sand. Paragraph 2 of the report says:

“The construction of Menie Links Golf Course within the SSSI has adversely affected the Coastal Geomorphology of Scotland and Sand Dune habitat notified natural features as well as interrupting natural dune processes.”

There has been a “loss of habitat” and there are

“potential indirect impacts from the use of irrigation, fertilisers and herbicides which in time may affect plant communities”.

I accept that no two sites are the same, but there are stark similarities.

The Scottish Government is actively promoting the year of coasts and waters. We must learn from past mistakes, and ministers must reject the application for a damaging golf course at Coul Links. What better way for Scotland to celebrate the start of the year of coasts and waters and in the run-up to world wetlands day?

We are quite tight for time. I gave John Finnie a little longer, because it is his members’ business debate, but I ask other members to keep to four minutes.

17:24  

I congratulate John Finnie on bringing this subject to the chamber.

In my constituency, we have a wetland that is recognised in the Ramsar convention of wetlands. I am proud to represent the Loch of Strathbeg, which is a shallow, nutrient-rich loch and the largest dune slack pool in Britain. It is a rich habitat for flora and fauna, with reed beds, freshwater marshes and much more besides. Most importantly, it is a wintering habitat for many wetland bird species, including geese, the whooper swan and other varieties of waterfowl.

Wetlands are, of course, among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet and our most productive ecosystems. In the United Kingdom, they make up 3 per cent of our land cover and 10 per cent of our total biodiversity. They create resilience in a changing environment—that is why they are critical. Their benefits include acting as nature’s shock absorbers in the face of extreme weather. They store rain during storms, reduce flooding, and delay the onset of droughts. That may be obvious, but I will talk about it a little more.

We have already heard a little bit about Australia. We should think about California. Over the past decade, both have faced years of droughts, which have been punctuated—particularly at the moment—by tragic wildfires. That is happening even as we speak. It is telling that it has been estimated that California has lost 90 per cent of its wetlands over the past century. In Australia, the figure is similar.

That raises the question of what role the presence of those lost wetlands would have played in the tragic situation that we see playing out. Perhaps there would have been better storage of rain during storms rather than water being lost to evaporation. Perhaps the onset of drought would have been delayed. I accept that the destruction of wetlands is far from being the sole contributor to those tragedies, but it is one of a range of factors.

Destroying wetlands has consequences, and we must accept that those consequences are not yet fully realised. It is critical that we ensure that we reverse the destruction that we can reverse.

I have certainly visited peatland that has been rewetted, and I have been astonished to see how quickly some parts of its diversity have come back. Not necessarily all of it came back, but certainly a great deal of it did.

On the global issue of the destruction of wetlands, we have to think big. We think that as much as 64 per cent of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since 1900. It is significant—John Finnie referred to this—that they are immense carbon sinks. The issue is therefore highly relevant to the climate emergency and, of course, to creating the circumstances in which dry land promotes fires and allows them to continue. We cannot continue with that approach.

This debate will make its small contribution to all of us recognising the importance of restoring wetlands, and I hope that it will lead the way for others to challenge themselves on wetlands in other countries. Crucially, humanity’s collective ignorance of wetlands is the greater challenge. We are engaged in the subject, but most of our population is not. We must overcome that ignorance, and persuade our friends and colleagues and people across Scotland and the world that it is now time to act on the subject of wetlands.

17:28  

I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in the debate, and I thank John Finnie for bringing it to the chamber. As my party’s spokesman on the natural environment, I naturally take an interest in safeguarding our wetlands, and I recognise the role that they play in providing a habitat for a huge range of species and in protecting our wider environment.

In my constituency, we have a wealth of wetlands to rival anywhere else in Scotland or, indeed, the world. We have a number of Ramsar sites that are internationally important wetlands and places of interest, with a wide variety of waterbirds, bogs, lochs, coastal wetlands and other water-dependent habitats and species. The Loch Ken and River Dee marshes contain areas of swamp, fen, grassland and carr woodland. That is one of the best examples of a semi-natural freshwater system in north-west Europe. The site supports internationally important roosting numbers of Greenland white-fronted geese and Icelandic greylag geese. Four nationally important aquatic plants and three nationally important aquatic invertebrates are found within the wetland complex.

Silver Flowe is a broad glacial valley in the Galloway hills. It is a nature reserve and a site of special scientific interest. The series of patterned blanket mires constitutes the least-disturbed and most varied extent of acid peatland in southern Scotland, and it is one of the most important systems of blanket mire in Great Britain.

Close to my home in Newton Stewart is the Wigtown Bay local nature reserve, which is the largest of its kind in Britain. With its large areas of salt marsh and mud flats, the estuary is vital for many of the species that live there, especially salt-tolerant plants and wintering wildfowl. The reserve is a popular venue for a range of recreational activities, including angling, wildfowling and bird watching. Kirkcowan Flow is an area of blanket bog that is considered to be one of the best in the United Kingdom. However, the disappointing fact is that such nationally and internationally important sites are not well known even to locals, and most people generally do not appreciate the importance of wetlands.

I would like to highlight a wetland garden that does its bit to raise awareness. It is an accessible wetland that the vast majority of people can visit and is located in Leswalt, near Stranraer. The wonderful Aldouran wetland garden—the name of which means “glen of the otter”—has become a real tourist attraction for the village. Members of the community maintain the site voluntarily, having created the facility themselves. There is much to do and see there but, most important, it has a wonderful wetland featuring a wide range of plant and animal life. Among those making Aldouran their home are mallards and moorhens. Geese regularly nest in the wetland, where there are frogs, newts, butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and numerous other pond dwellers. The wetland has a bird hide where other wildlife species are frequent visitors, including red squirrels, deer, woodpeckers and birds of prey. Members who visit might be lucky enough to spot the main attraction after which the facility is named—the otter.

I must give special praise to the Aldouran wetland watchers group, which consists of young people who eagerly volunteered to help after an initial appeal from the community association. Youngsters aged between seven and 17 are involved in many aspects of the running of the garden and developing ideas for how they would like it to operate in the future. Since 2013, the group has been registered with the world wildlife volunteering scheme, which rewards youngsters according to the amount of volunteering that they carry out. Its mixture of community engagement, enhancing and protecting the natural environment and hugely important awareness raising has resulted in a whole host of great positive work going on.

Recently, the Parliament has focused on tackling climate change, but we must ensure that areas such as wetlands are not forgotten about. They play a huge role in addressing the climate and biodiversity emergencies that we face. We must reverse the decline in our wetlands. Actions that we can take include raising awareness of and supporting the community efforts at places such as Aldouran and Wigtown local nature reserve, which are so vital for their communities and showcase a whole host of wildlife and wetlands to locals and visitors alike.

17:32  

I thank John Finnie for bringing the debate to the chamber so that we can all celebrate world wetlands day. These watery habitats deserve tribute for the invaluable service that they provide to carbon sequestration, flood prevention, water filtration and supply, our biodiversity and much more—and, indeed, for the solace that we find through visiting them.

For thousands of years, humans have managed and manipulated our watercourses and the subsurface and surface hydrology of our land to enable development and infrastructure. The “State of Nature 2019” report explains the poor legacy that that has left for wetlands. Today, we have far less wetland cover than we had in the early 20th century. Sadly, we also find that 30 per cent of our remaining designated wetland features are classed as “unfavourable” or “unfavourable but recovering” due to the ways in which they have been managed. They are yet another signifier of the ecological crisis that Scotland faces, along with the rest of the world. Many of our habitats and their flora and fauna are under pressure from climate change, extraction, burning, pollution and invasive species, to name but some. Protections and enhancements for biodiversity need investment and policy certainty from Government.

The obvious current example, which John Finnie has already highlighted, is Coul Links, which is a fantastic place for wildlife that is protected under three designations. Mr Finnie also highlighted the commitments that have been made because of its being a Ramsar wetlands site. Many people across Scotland have concerns about the proposed development there and await the minister’s decision on it. I have heard from many of them myself and so have already written to the minister, urging that due consideration should be given to biodiversity. As we keep saying, we face climate and environment emergencies, and that decision is all the more significant given that 2020 is the Scottish Government’s year of coasts and waters.

I do not underestimate the importance of bringing new jobs to a rural area and that development could boost the economy to some degree. However, it is important to strike a fair balance with environmental protections, and the ecological significance of Coul Links must be taken very seriously. Let us also remember the opportunities for ecotourism—and the benefits thereof—to be developed if the application fails. As John Finnie said, that decision will be carefully watched in Scotland and globally.

Wetlands in all their forms are places of great natural beauty, and my thanks go to Ramblers Scotland for its briefing, which highlighted the public health outcomes of outdoor recreation in those wonderful landscapes. Wetlands include peat bogs, swamps and peatlands; those terms sound a bit soggy, but the fantastic and rare wildlife that lives there is often worth the risk of wet socks. My region of South Scotland has exactly that, as Finlay Carson highlighted.

In the climate emergency, sequestration capabilities are hugely important and those of peatlands—which globally make up almost 30 per cent of all carbon land stores—particularly so. Members may recall that I attempted to modernise the system of permission and extraction rights for peatlands in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. In the climate emergency, that system is no longer fit for purpose. The planning minister is pursuing that through the chief planner to seek clarification with planning authorities, and I await the results.

We as a Parliament are committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2045—the “net” part is important here. Let us not neglect our natural allies in doing so, and let us protect our wetlands, for so many reasons.

17:36  

I thank my Green colleague John Finnie for bringing a debate on Scotland’s wetlands to Parliament.

We have heard about the importance of wetlands to our biodiversity and the wealth of fantastic and rare species that they support. That is why, this past February, I raised concerns about the Scottish Government’s new guidance on the protection of our 51 Ramsar sites. The Scottish Government’s response was to insist that the fact that those are designated as sites of special scientific interest gives them adequate protection, but the evidence suggests otherwise, as the impact of Donald Trump’s golf course, and many other developments, has shown.

In my region, there is still a question over whether the guidance will protect Southannan Sands, a fantastic marine environment at Hunterston, which is threatened by a dredging proposal. The Southannan situation should illustrate starkly the inadequacy of relying on SSSI designation for protection. If 0.5 million tonnes of dredging to decommission oil rigs in the same location does not automatically trigger the need for an environmental impact assessment, those regulations clearly need to be strengthened.

Looking at our 51 Ramsar sites around Scotland, we get great insight into why wetlands are such a vital part of our environment. The two designated wetlands in my region are strong examples of that. First, there is a string of wetland sites along the Clyde, from Clydebank and Erskine to Helensburgh and Greenock, that are mainly tidal mudflats with an internationally important population of redshanks. Last month, that part of the Clyde featured heavily in reports of a new map that was produced as part of peer-reviewed research by Climate Central, which showed a number of sites that are threatened by flooding before 2050, due to the unfolding climate crisis.

Most reports focused on the human impact, which is understandable, given that most of Clydebank and Dumbarton to Partick and Govan, as well as a large part of Glasgow airport, could be under water. The rising tide is not good news for existing wetlands, either. Changes in tide levels can make fantastic mudflat habitats, such as those that are found along the Clyde, uninhabitable. The climate emergency threatens biodiversity in Scotland, and it is doing so now. We need to take urgent action to stop climate chaos; in Scotland, that means a Scottish green new deal.

The other Ramsar wetland site in my region is at the mouth of the Endrick, on the edge of Loch Lomond, in the south-east of the loch. Most of that site is part of RSPB Scotland’s Loch Lomond reserve. The winter population there includes 2 per cent of the world’s Greenland white-fronted geese, and a beaver has recently been spotted in the area. The RSPB organises brilliant events there, such as guided walks and school visits, to let families and communities know and learn more about that amazing habitat.

I have spoken in the chamber a few times about the save Loch Lomond campaign, which has fought successfully—so far—to save a site in Balloch from an inappropriate and environmentally destructive Flamingo Land Ltd tourist development. The campaign and I have often talked about the need for a plan to showcase the natural beauty of Loch Lomond and to help visitors and tourists to enjoy the nature and the landscape without destroying it. Just 5 miles up the road from Balloch, there is an example of exactly that at the mouth of the River Endrick, but at other sites across the loch, aggressive and destructive resort and other development proposals are increasingly coming into play.

The climate emergency and pressure from commercial developers are major, live threats to our wetlands here in Scotland. World wetlands day is a time to reconsider the importance of our wetlands and to recommit ourselves to tackling those global and local threats to their future.

17:40  

I thank John Finnie for bringing the motion to the chamber for debate, and I congratulate him on his excellent speech, which powerfully illustrated the importance of wetlands.

As other members have said, we face two significant crises: the planet is heating up and our wildlife numbers are decreasing. The twin climate change and biodiversity crises go hand in hand. Over the past few years, the focus of our politics has rightly been on the action that is needed to halt climate change, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s report at the end of 2018 was the precursor to some real soul searching in every Scottish political party, as our citizens rightly demanded that we prioritise tackling climate change in our work.

Around the same time that the IPCC report came out, another hugely significant, but perhaps less headline-grabbing report on the global biodiversity crisis was produced by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services—IPBES, for short. In addition, the “State of Nature 2019” report made for upsetting reading. It said that 11 per cent of species are threatened with extinction and that there are decreasing populations in 49 per cent of species.

Our wetlands hold a pretty big key to tackling climate change and species loss. They are rich habitats whose soil and vegetation lock in carbon—that is especially the case in peatlands—and they are hugely significant habitats for aquatic bird, plant and insect species. They are often at risk from development, from agriculture and, in Scotland, from badly managed sporting estates, in particular those that have driven grouse moors. Their protection and restoration, and their consequent potential to provide a large part of the solution of sequestration of carbon, must be a priority. Their existence is why we can get to net zero emissions faster than anywhere else.

I want to single out and celebrate a coastal wetland area and Ramsar site that members will have heard me mention many times, because it is very close to my heart. The Ythan estuary is, I can confidently say, my favourite place on earth. I grew up in a house whose front windows looked on to its dunes. Even although I do not live in that house any more, I am a frequent visitor to the estuary in my capacity as a member of the Scottish Parliament, to visit my Scottish Natural Heritage colleagues, to involve myself in the odd beach clean and meet constituents who are concerned about the estuary, or to talk about seals, in my capacity as the grey seal champion. More often, however, I just go there to enjoy the estuary with my family and my new wildlife watching scope, which I got for my birthday last week.

Over the past couple of years, the Ythan estuary and the dune ecosystems around it have been under threat. Some of the threats have been corporate. They include threats from the Trump golf course, which has been mentioned, which irretrievably ruined the once-protected dune ecosystems along the coast at Menie. They also include threats from the salmon net-fishing companies that massacred grey seals on sight, to the extent that, when I was growing up in the area, I would never see a seal. They also littered the waters with fixed fishing gear that endangered marine life and seabirds. The salmon nets have gone and our protected seal haul-out zone regularly hosts more than 1,000 gloriously noisy basking grey seals, which have become quite a tourist attraction.

However, the biggest threats to the estuary are global in origin. There is no doubt that seabird numbers have declined as a result of climate change. The once record-breaking eider duck population of the Ythan estuary is now a tiny fraction of what it was when I was growing up there. I do not need to see graphs or charts to know that: I can see it with my own eyes.

Wetlands are the first places where we see evidence of climate change and biodiversity loss, but they are a big part of the solution to both. By protecting and restoring a wetland, we allow the lost life not only to come back but to feed life beyond the wetlands, including our lives as human beings. If we do not have the carbon sinks and rich habitats that wetlands are, we will not have a planet that can support our lives.

17:44  

I am delighted to participate in John Finnie’s debate, and I thank him for bringing this very important topic to the chamber, given the immense potential for wetlands to improve biodiversity and tackle climate change. They are vital to our ecosystems and to carbon sequestration, flood management and water purification.

From the peat bogs of Greenlaw Moor to the swamps of Coldingham Common, my Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire constituency has some fine examples of wetland environments. I commend Scottish Borders Council and the Tweed Forum for their work. Both have recognised the important role that wetlands play and the need for all stakeholders to be round the table in order for them to be protected.

The Tweed catchment in my constituency enjoys a long history of partnership working, which should be harnessed to tackle the crisis of declining salmon stocks. I want to take the opportunity to talk about a highly important issue that is a little bit different, but is relevant to wetlands. Wild salmon stocks rely on wetlands. I held a members’ business debate several months ago to highlight the decline of salmon stocks and the serious impact that that is having on our biodiversity and rural economy. When we look for possible solutions that would reverse the decline in stocks, we should note that wetlands should form part of an effective catchment management plan to help to boost stocks.

If we look at the life cycle of a salmon, we see that wetlands play an important part in almost every stage of a salmon’s life. Let me take members through the life cycle of the salmon very quickly. By no means am I David Attenborough, so please bear with me.

Salmonids lay their eggs in gravel beds called redds. The gravel must be small enough to be moved by the female to create her nest, but large enough to provide sediment-free openings for the eggs and fry—the small salmon—to develop. Silts and sediments can, unfortunately, coat the eggs, thereby depriving them of oxygen. That is where wetlands come in. Wetlands slow the speed of water before it enters a main river channel, so sediments settle in the wetland and not in the salmon redds. That reduces the chance that eggs will be deprived of the vital oxygen that they need.

During inclement weather such as we have been having, wetlands also help to reduce peak flows in rivers after heavy rainfall. That slows the river and, in turn, reduces redds being washed away. A fine example is on the Philiphaugh estate in my constituency, where peat bogs have been preserved in order to slow the flow of water from the Kirkstead Burn into the Tweed catchment.

Let me get back to salmon. Wetlands continue to play a role once the eggs have hatched into fry. Fry feed on insects that might drop into the river from overhanging trees, or they might live in the wetlands. Trees on stream banks shade the river and keep the stream cool enough for the fry. Wetlands help to keep the water cool by releasing cool ground water into the stream flow.

Downstream, nearer rivers’ mouths, smolts—the young salmon—stay in estuaries for a while to acclimatise to salt water, and they use the estuary wetlands for food and shelter. The time that is spent in the estuaries varies by species, but some smolts rear extensively in wetlands near the sea before entering the saline water of the open sea.

Once they are back in the streams, adult salmon move quickly upstream to spawn, as their bodies begin to deteriorate. Blockages such as dams and culverts, and low water levels, slow their movement upstream. Wetlands help to maintain in-stream flows by holding water from wetter seasons and releasing it during drier summers.

There you have it. That was a quick explanation that shows the importance of wetlands, and how they are involved in every stage of a salmon’s life. That is why we must do our utmost to protect such environments in order to protect salmon stocks. On world wetlands day, and given that there is a climate emergency, it is right that we acknowledge that without our precious environment, our landscape and our ecosystems, the survival of many great species would be greatly under threat.

17:48  

I, too, thank John Finnie for bringing his important motion to the chamber to allow us to discuss world wetlands day, which will take place on 2 February. This year’s theme is wetlands and biodiversity, and it is important to note that, globally, 40 per cent of all species live or breed in wetlands. As John Finnie stated, this year marks nearly 50 years of the Ramsar convention, which was established in 1971 in Ramsar, in Iran. It is an international treaty that protects wetlands that are important in conservation terms.

I would like to focus my remarks on the environmental, social and ecological importance of wetlands, and I will highlight some examples in Galloway. Our wetlands in Scotland, and those across the UK and Europe, serve many purposes.

Wetlands are home to thousands of species of birds, fish, mammals and invertebrates. Worldwide, they are responsible for the employment of around 1 billion people. As members have discussed, wetlands clean our water, act as natural flood defences and play a crucial role in our actions to tackle the climate emergency.

Although Dumfries and Galloway does not have wetlands that are protected by the Ramsar convention, we have special protection areas and special areas of conservation that are protected under European Union law, including in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere. Our biosphere, which is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council and South Ayrshire Council, is co-ordinated by Ed Forrest, who keeps me in the loop about biosphere activity. The biosphere is home to peatlands. As members have mentioned, peatlands store 30 per cent of worldwide land-based carbon.

Last year, I visited a peatland restoration project in the biosphere at Carsegowan, near Wigtown, with local peat restoration expert Dr Emily Taylor, from the Crichton Carbon Centre in Dumfries, to see her work. Carsegowan is recorded on the world Ramsar map. Dr Taylor demonstrated how the peatland restoration works. We measured the depth of the bog, which was 5m deep. That is a lot of carbon storage space. We spoke about how the peatlands in the wetland areas are protected under EU law because of their important contribution to decarbonising our environment.

Dr Taylor and colleagues from the Galloway Fisheries Trust are concerned that we might, after we leave the EU, lose some of those protections. Therefore, I seek assurances from the minister that the Scottish Government will continue to protect our wetlands and peatlands and call on the UK Government to ensure that that is a priority.

Situated on the scenic north shore of the Solway coast, RSPB Scotland’s Mersehead nature reserve and Caerlaverock national nature reserve are extensive wetland and salt marsh areas. Both are havens for breeding waders, wintering waterfowl and year-round bird and wildlife watching.

Mersehead is home to the most northerly populations of a special amphibian—the natterjack toad, for which I am species champion. That wee beastie needs support and protection. Continued survival of the natterjacks is determined by protection of their dune habitats and the ability of dune systems to shift with the tides and winds. That is important, because long-established ponds that are inhabited by natterjacks can quickly fill with predator fish, or with dragonfly larvae, which consume natterjack eggs and tadpoles, thereby contributing to the decreasing numbers. For natterjacks, breeding in temporary ponds means breeding in an environment that is free from predators.

Protection of our wetlands is important for the existence of some of our endangered species, including natterjacks, and for supporting continued biodiversity. Therefore, in closing, I seek assurances from the minister that, in the light of Brexit and the potential loss of EU environmental protection laws, we in Scotland will do all that we can to protect our woodlands—I mean, our wetlands.

17:53  

I am grateful to have the opportunity to close this important debate, which celebrates world wetlands day with its theme of wetlands and biodiversity. I thank John Finnie for bringing the debate to the chamber and for putting a focus on it. As he rightly pointed out, I cannot talk about some of the live applications that have been referenced tonight. Points have been made that are more relevant for the planning minister, who is responsible for those applications.

Tonight, I will focus on why wetlands are vital to us in Scotland, although members across the chamber have done a good job of that. It is also timely that we discuss the issue this year because, as John Finnie stated, it is Scotland’s year of coasts and waters, which will promote a range of opportunities to experience and enjoy our unrivalled seas, shores, rivers, lochs and wetlands. As Finlay Carson said in his speech, a lot of people might not be aware of what is on their doorstep. That is why this themed year and this debate are so important.

Life thrives in wetlands. We have heard about that tonight. In his contribution, Stewart Stevenson mentioned that wetlands represent 3 per cent of land cover but are home to 10 per cent of our biodiversity. As Emma Harper stated, 40 per cent of the world’s plant and animal species live or breed in wetlands. More than 100,000 freshwater species have been identified in wetlands so far, and coastal wetlands especially are among the most biologically diverse places on the planet. We have also heard about the wider impacts and benefits that they have. Rachael Hamilton mentioned their importance with regard to wild salmon, for example.

Our 51 Ramsar Sites cover more than 300,000 hectares, from the windswept expanses of the Caithness and Sutherland peatlands to the slightly more modest 50 hectares of Westwater reservoir in the Pentlands. Our Ramsar sites are important, and they host a huge array of species and habitats that are probably too numerous to list today.

Ross Greer raised concerns about protections for Ramsar sites. We are currently reviewing national planning framework 3 and the Scottish planning policy, and we want to hear thoughts about priorities for national planning framework 4. The consultation for that is currently open, and I encourage members to get involved and make their thoughts known.

I have one of those amazing Ramsar sites in my constituency, in the form of Montrose Basin. The basin is home to more than 80,000 migratory birds, including pink-footed geese, Arctic terns, knots and sedge warblers, and it is a Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve. To witness those birds at the site is something to behold. The geese were featured on the BBC’s “Autumnwatch” at the end of last year.

Our wetlands range from coastal salt marshes and wet dune slacks to fens, marshes and wet woodlands in river valleys and loch edges, and springs and flushes, wet heath and blanket bogs.

I hope that you will allow me to diverge a little bit, Presiding Officer, and talk again about Montrose Basin, because, in December, I watched an important citizen science initiative relating to blue carbon there, together with Professor Bill Austin from the University of St Andrews and a class from my old school, St Margaret’s primary in Montrose. I mention that because our wetlands are vital not only in terms of the wide variety of species and biodiversity that exist on them but in relation to climate change. John Finnie talked about the capacity that wetlands have for storing carbon, and I loved Stewart Stevenson’s phrase about our wetlands being nature’s shock absorbers. The project that I observed aims to encourage schoolchildren and students to collect soil samples from our coastal wetlands to contribute to a national carbon stock assessment, in order to see how much carbon our wetlands store and to help us assess exactly how important they are in the fight against climate change. It also provides a fantastic opportunity to get our young people actively involved in tackling climate change and gives them a chance to have a tangible impact. I was interested to hear in the debate about other initiatives happening elsewhere, such as the wetland watchers initiative that Finlay Carson talked about.

Over the summer, I also visited the flow country. I was impressed by the wide-ranging work that is being carried out there to manage and promote areas of peatland, which are of national and international importance. Claudia Beamish and others talked about how important those areas are for carbon storage.

Much of the peatland restoration work in the flow country has been funded by the Scottish Government through Scottish Natural Heritage, which has helped to maintain that important habitat while also mitigating the effects of climate change. The Scottish Government recognises the important role that wetland restoration can play in responding to the global climate emergency, and that is why, this year, we are funding peatland restoration to the tune of £14 million. I note that Emma Harper called on the Scottish Government to commit to doing what we can to protect our wetlands—and also our woodlands. I think that we can commit to protecting them both, and the funding that we have put in place will emphasise that work.

The peatland action project, which is managed by SNH, involves public, private and third sector landowners and is restoring damaged peatlands as an important part of our climate change plan. More than 19,000 hectares of previously damaged peatland habitat has benefited directly from restoration activities since 2012, and up to 10,000 hectares has been restored in this financial year. Of course, peatland restoration also has many other benefits, such as improving water quality, reducing flood risk and aiding the ability to store carbon within the peat. We are also funding several exciting wetlands projects through the biodiversity challenge fund, under SNH’s management.

Further, through our agri-environment climate scheme, we have committed almost £5 million for wetland management, in addition to the £31 million that we have committed for targeted support for wading birds.

As important as it is to talk about some of the funding and initiatives that are happening with those organisations, it is also important to recognise other work that is being done by other organisations. Rachael Hamilton mentioned the work that is being done by the Tweed Forum, which I visited with you, Presiding Officer. It was fantastic to hear about the incredible work that it is doing.

However, as we have heard from Claudia Beamish and Gillian Martin, in particular, the recent IPBES and “State of Nature 2019” reports have thrown the condition of global and domestic biodiversity into sharp relief. The IPBES report characterised the current global response as “insufficient” but concluded that it is “not too late” to make a difference through transformative change. The links between climate change and biodiversity loss are clearly exemplified and mirror the findings in the Committee on Climate Change’s net zero report. In response, the First Minister committed to considering the IPBES report’s findings and to ensuring that our actions produce the transformative change that is needed. She also committed to analysing what we are already doing, where we need to do more and what we need to do differently.

We also know that biodiversity loss and the climate emergency are interconnected and that, as with climate change, we need to raise the bar on global leadership. The nature all around us helps to regulate our climate, and the changing climate is a major factor affecting the state of nature. Nature-based solutions, such as tree planting and peatland restoration, mitigate climate change and flooding and improve water quality and biodiversity. The protection of our natural environment is a priority and, just as with climate change, it requires us to look afresh at how we carry out many of our activities.

We have already announced that we will hold a biodiversity conference in Scotland in April 2020, which will contribute to the development of the post-2020 framework. Our programme for government includes measures to continue to address the loss of biodiversity in Scotland. We announced that we would increase and extend the biodiversity challenge fund by a further £2 million over this financial year and next. That further targeted investment will help to deliver the Aichi targets and to combat the contributors to biodiversity loss, which have been highlighted in the various reports.

It is right that we celebrate and focus on world wetlands day. It is also important to remember that 2020 is a vitally important year for Scotland, with the focus on our coasts and waters, biodiversity and climate change, and with our hosting of COP26. I want to see us lead the world and I believe that we are, in many ways, already doing that; but there is always more that can be done. I am committed to driving that work forward, as is the Scottish Government.

Meeting closed at 18:01.