Biodiversity strategy and delivery plan: child rights and wellbeing impact assessment (CRWIA)

Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment

1. Brief Summary

Type of proposal

• Decision of a strategic nature relating to the rights and wellbeing of children

Name the proposal, and describe its overall aims and intended purpose.

Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS) to 2045 and associated Delivery Plan 2024 -2030

The biodiversity crisis affects everyone - we all depend on biodiversity for providing our food, helping to prevent flooding and soil erosion, purifying our water, and contributing to our wellbeing by providing recreation and a sense of place. We are at a tipping point for Nature – it is in decline across the globe with around 1 million species already facing distinction. This crisis is caused by human activity, including pollution, climate change, the destruction of natural habitats, and unsustainable farming and fishing practices. The twin crises of climate change and nature loss are linked and we must tackle them together. Restoring nature will reduce carbon emissions, and tackling the climate crisis is essential if we are to prevent extinctions. We must be Net Zero and Nature Positive.

The overall aims of the Strategy are to halt the loss of biodiversity in Scotland by 2030 and substantially restore it by 2045.

The SBS and Delivery Plan set out the Priority Actions which are required to be implemented to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Start date of proposal’s development: January 2021

Start date of CRWIA process: January 2023

2. With reference given to the requirements of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, which aspects of the proposal are relevant to/impact upon children’s rights?

The policies and identified actions in the SBS and Delivery Plan are aimed at improving the natural environment in urban and rural areas and the plants and animals they support. The Actions within the plan, when implemented will also contribute to the mitigation of any further impacts of climate change and adaptation to effects already being experienced (e.g. more extreme weather, more frequent flooding).

Specifically with respect to the 2024 Act, the implementation of the policies and actions in the SBS/Delivery Plan are anticipated to have a positive impact on:

Article 6: Right to Life, Survival and Development

Restoring nature has been proven to improve environmental conditions by improving air and water quality, reducing the severity and frequency for flooding and providing areas for children to explore, play, learn and develop in both the urban and rural areas.

Article 24: Health and Health Services

Regular access to nature and green/blue spaces has been shown to have both physical and mental health benefits to all ages, including children.

Article 27: Adequate Standard of Living

When implemented it is anticipated that restored and extended natural areas available to children will improve their standard of living. Opportunities are also anticipated for older children to train in the skills required to restore and manage natural areas and gain employment in land management for nature.

Article 29: Goals of Education – respect of the natural environment

Central to successful delivery of the SBS and delivery plan will be increasing the knowledge of, personal appreciation of and participation in nature and nature restoration. Children play a key role not only in putting in to practice knowledge learned about nature, but also influencing older generations within their social networks.

Article 31: Leisure, Play and Culture

The creation and restoration of more natural areas in Scotland should provide children more opportunities to explore and play in both urban and rural areas. Part of Scottish and local area identity and culture is focussed on nature, so active participation in its restoration and management should re-enforce cultural identities in children.

3. Please provide a summary of the evidence gathered which will be used to inform your decision-making and the content of the proposal

Evidence from:

• existing research/reports/policy expertise

There is a wide range of evidence and literature to support the beneficial impacts of restoring and increasing natural areas on people, including children. Organisations such as the Child Mind Institute point to the benefits of children spending time out of doors and experiencing nature^[1].

• consultation/feedback from stakeholders

The 2023 Public Consultation ‘Tackling the Nature Emergency: Consultation on Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity posed specific questions to inform the CRWIA process. Analysis of the 2023 results of the consultation show that no respondents indicated that there would be negative effects from the proposals in the SBS/Delivery Plan for the interests of children. Some respondents highlighted the importance of the environment on children’s mental health and development.

• consultation/feedback directly from children and young people

During the 2022 consultation, NatureScot worked with YoungScot to provide a workshop to collect responses directly from young people. Although there has been no direct consultation/feedback directly from children during the 2023 consultation, Young Scot and Scottish Youth Parliament are represented in the SBS Stakeholder Group and provide feedback on proposals for progressing implementation of the Strategy and are involved in discussions of issues which arise in delivery.

The Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland did support several policy proposals in the consultation, including strengthening nature based educational programmes.

4. Further to the evidence described at ‘3’ have you identified any 'gaps' in evidence which may prevent determination of impact? If yes, please provide an explanation of how they will be addressed

No gaps in evidence have been identified

5. Analysis of Evidence

This will be a national level action programme not aimed at any specific group of people. Given loss of biodiversity is a global issue, all children and young people in Scotland have potential to be impacted, however different areas and localities of Scotland will experience the impacts of biodiversity loss in distinctive ways to various degrees. Therefore, the objectives meant to address these adverse outcomes will also have differing impacts on individual children and young people. For example, children and young people living in urban areas with lower incomes may have less opportunity to visit green spaces and experience nature, as compared to children and young people living in peri-urban or rural areas. Nevertheless, the Actions in the Delivery Plan aimed at restoring and protecting nature, may be different in different areas, but are expected to have similar benefits for children and young people.

The academic literature relating to the benefit to children of regular access to and experience of nature, and the responses to 2023 consultation all suggest that the implementation of the SBS and Delivery Plan will have a positive effect on children’s rights and welfare.

On a project by project basis there may be options for delivery which could have different effects for children. These options will be the subject of a CRWIA evaluation on an individual project basis to ensure children’s rights and welfare is at the heart of their delivery.

6. What changes (if any) have been made to the proposal as a result of this assessment?

As the results of this assessment are that the implementation of the SBS and Delivery Plan will be positive for children, no changes have been made to the proposals in either document.