Strategic Biodiversity Framework Delivery Plan 2024–2030

Objective 2: Protect Nature on Land and at Sea, across and beyond Protected Areas

Halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and adapting to climate change requires a step change in action to protect and restore habitats for the long-term and ensure they are well connected. Areas that are protected for nature through legal designation and other mechanisms, and the nature networks which span across and between those areas, form a vital backbone for nature recovery across the wider land and seascapes. Protected areas provide benefits for society through capture and storage of carbon, provision of local employment opportunities, and support to health and wellbeing. They provide a wide range of environmental services including pollinator services, water quality and flood management.

Priority Actions

The most significant actions to realise Objective 2 are set out below.^[2] More detail on supporting actions is set out Annex 1.

• Ensure that at least 30% of land and sea is protected and effectively managed to support nature in good health by 2030 (30 by 30). Areas that are protected for nature through legal designation and other mechanisms contribute to protecting the most important areas for biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services.

On land, currently 18.2% is formally designated, meaning we need to protect approximately 990,000 additional hectares for nature, through a combination of Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) and formal designations.

This does not mean limiting economic opportunities or enjoyment of Scotland’s wildlife and habitats rather it is about developing an approach to sharing our land to create positive outcomes for biodiversity. We have engaged extensively with stakeholders to develop a policy framework for ‘30 by 30’ which sets out the vision and principles underpinning its implementation. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to build an implementation road map which will include guidance on how we will operationalise OECMs in the Scottish context.

Scotland’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) network already covers around 37% of our seas. We will put in place fisheries management measures for those sites in the MPA network that require them to support the recovery and resilience of Scotland’s seas.

• Scotland currently has two National Parks with an investigation now underway on the proposal to designate a new National Park in Galloway in 2026. We will also strengthen the role of National Parks and ensure they act as exemplars of biodiversity protection and recovery whilst continuing to support local communities. In 2023 we consulted on a refreshed purpose and aims for our National Park authorities to emphasise their role in addressing the climate and nature emergencies. New Partnership Plans for both Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs set out ambitious visions and targets with respect to nature restoration and climate change mitigation and adaptation and place an increased emphasis on the role of the Parks’ communities, third sector organisations and the public and private sectors in the implementation of those Partnership Plans.
• Fulfil the potential of National Nature Reserves (NNRs) for nature recovery. As well as providing places for nature to flourish, Scotland’s 43 NNRs are important gateways to nature, providing opportunities for all of Scotland’s people to experience and enjoy the best of Scotland’s habitats and wildlife. We will identify opportunities for expansion or the designation of new NNRs. Working with the NNR partnership, we will ensure these sites are managed as key building blocks for Nature Networks across Scotland.
• Expand and enhance Nature Networks and ecological connectivity. By 2030 each Local Authority in Scotland will have a spatially defined Nature Network. Nationally important areas for biodiversity (e.g. Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and other sites of local importance for biodiversity (e.g. Local Nature Reserves) – as well as areas being restored for nature – will contribute to Nature Networks. They will provide a range of opportunities for people, especially those in urban areas, to experience and connect with nature. We have engaged extensively with stakeholders to develop a policy framework for nature networks which sets out the vision and principles underpinning its implementation; and are developing an implementation toolbox to build guidance, expertise and advice to aid in the delivery of projects that contribute to a Nature Network.
• Champion new planning and development measures for protecting and enhancing biodiversity. NPF4 is Scotland’s national spatial strategy and has the climate and nature crises at its heart. It sets out our spatial principles, regional priorities, national developments and national planning policy. Policies to address both climate change and biodiversity loss are central to NPF4 and various guidance has been published to aid developers and local authorities in their consideration of requirements for blue- green infrastructure, biodiversity soil health and other wider nature and climate aspects (e.g. Developing with Nature; Local development planning guidance; draft biodiversity guidance).
• Enhance biodiversity in Scotland’s green and blue spaces. The green and blue spaces within and around our buildings and settlements – particularly in our urban areas – provide important places for both people and nature, many of which can be enhanced for biodiversity. We recently consulted on proposals to to inform a legislative framework for managing rain and surface water, particularly in urban settings. The framework will support our Flood Resilience Strategy, which sets out a role for nature-based solutions (NbS) in helping to create flood- resilient places across Scotland. Where NbS are implemented it is with the intention of providing multiple benefits, including to biodiversity, e.g. providing the potential for urban habitat creation/ restoration and connectivity, and contribution to green and blue spaces, and Nature Networks. The role of nature-based solutions, delivered through green, blue and nature networks in providing climate resilience is further set out in the third Scottish National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3), which was published in September 2024.