Scottish Rural Development Programme 2014-2020: ex-post evaluation - main report

31. Sustainable management of natural resources and climate action

This chapter answers CEQ28: To what extent has the RDP contributed to the CAP objective of ensuring sustainable management of natural resources and climate action?

Response

This CEQ is very much related to CEQ 24 and CEQ 26 in that schemes which have positive impacts in the areas covered by those CEQs will also have positive impacts here. To recap, the SRDP 2014-2020 has made a positive contribution to a reduction in GHG and ammonia emissions and to carbon sequestration and capture.

There has also been a positive contribution to the environment through a combination of agri-environment schemes, specific investment grants and the provision of a range of relevant advice.

EKOS conclusion

There has therefore been a contribution to the CAP objective of ensuring sustainable management of natural resources and climate action. Whether alternative forms of intervention could have been more cost-effective is, of course, another issue that must await detailed evaluation.