Strategic Biodiversity Framework Delivery Plan 2024–2030

Objective 3: Embed Nature Positive Farming, Fishing and Forestry

70% of Scotland’s land is classified as agricultural land and woodlands and forestry cover 19%. By adopting nature positive farming and forestry practices these land uses will play a significant role in halting biodiversity

Similarly, we must carefully manage our marine environment, to ensure the protection of important habitats, whilst allowing for sustainable harvesting of the resource which our seas and waterways provide.

Farming and crofting

We recognise that many farmers and crofters are taking positive action to support biodiversity, through nature positive actions and system level approaches such as organic farming. Over 3,000 farms for example are tackling the nature-climate emergency with the support of funding from the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS).

The Vision for Scottish Agriculture puts biodiversity up front alongside other key outcomes The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act will be used to deliver the Vision and will transform how we support farming and food production in Scotland to become a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture. The Scottish Government can help farmers and crofters to produce food more sustainably, supporting their essential role in climate mitigation and nature restoration. It will allow for a framework of payments that is responsive to the sector’s needs putting biodiversity alongside other key outcomes.

This Delivery Plan includes actions which will be incorporated into the new agricultural support system to help farmers and crofters transition to practices generating substantial regeneration in biodiversity, ecosystem and soil health and significantly reduce carbon emissions while sustaining high-quality food production.

The actions align with the Agricultural Reform route map and build on existing support, for example, through AECS, actions such as soil testing under Preparing for Sustainable Farming, our partnership work with NatureScot through Farming With Nature and the advice and support available under the Farm Advisory Service. In addition, we will continue to support and recognise the benefits of organic farming practices, including collaborating with industry and stakeholders on the forthcoming Organic Action Plan.

Forestry

Scotland is leading the way on forestry. Forest and woodland cover in Scotland has increased from a post-industrial low of around 5% to 19%. While our productive plantations provide carbon and biodiversity benefits as well as helping to meet our growing demand for timber and wood fibre, the urgency of the climate and nature crisis demands this is increasingly matched by an improvement in the quality of nature in forests and an expansion of natural regeneration. In order to fully utilise the potential of forests to help adaptation to climate change large-scale action is now needed to reduce the negative impacts from grazing, invasive species, climate change and novel pests and pathogens. A specific focus is needed on our most valued and protected natural woodlands, with only 59% of woodland features classed as being in favourable condition.

Fishing

Scotland’s Marine Assessment 2020 identified direct pressures on the condition of the marine environment in Scotland’s seas associated with bottom contacting and other fishing across the majority of marine regions around Scotland. The actions in this Delivery Plan reflect and build on Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy’s vision for delivering responsible and sustainable fisheries management. Collectively, delivery of these actions will support the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management that minimises adverse impacts on non-target habitats and species, and contributes to achieving and maintaining good environmental status.

Priority actions

The most significant actions to realise Objective 3 are set out below.^[3] More detail on supporting actions is set out in Annex 1. We will:

• Ensure increased uptake of high diversity, nature-rich, high-soil carbon, low-intensity farming methods while sustaining high-quality food production. Soils provide a wide range of services for the environment, ecosystems and human activity. They are one of the most diverse and important habitats on earth and underpin the production of the vast majority of Scotland’s food. Actions will help to ensure healthy soils that regulate key biogeochemical cycles, including nitrogen and carbon cycles and so can limit both the causes and impacts of climate change (for example, by capturing greenhouse gases and reducing flooding and vulnerability to drought).
• Introduce an agricultural support framework which delivers for nature restoration and biodiversity alongside climate and food production outcomes. The Agriculture and Rural Communities Act 2024 will be used to realise the Vision for Scottish Agriculture, delivering on our commitment to support agriculture and rural communities. The Act establishes a Code of Practice on Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture, which will identify the activities and methods which constitute best practice for sustainable and regenerative agriculture. The Agriculture Route Map sets out the process for changing to a new agricultural support framework with information on important dates, the measures being considered now, when current schemes will transition or end, the support available, and how to prepare for these first changes from 2025. These include the foundations of the Whole Farm Plan, new protections for peatlands and wetland and conditions attached to Voluntary Coupled Support.
• Ensure that forests and woodlands deliver increased biodiversity and habitat connectivity alongside timber and carbon outcomes. We will continue our programme of woodland creation as set in the Scottish Government Climate Change Plans currently 18,000 hectares of new woodland annually (4,000 hectares of native woodland). In doing so we will increase biodiversity across all woodlands initially by developing a tool to allow Woodland Ecological Condition (WEC) assessments and encouraging more owners to actively management their woodland to improve resilience
• Implement further fisheries measures in vulnerable marine ecosystems and Priority Marine Features outside of MPAs. We will implement additional protection for Priority Marine Features (PMFs) to complement the MPA network. On the basis of evidence gathered we will implement measures to protect the 11 PMFs most vulnerable to bottom contacting fishing gear outside of MPAs. These 11 PMFs play a key role in the marine ecosystem that provides natural benefits to the fishing industry and wider society. Fisheries closures to protect Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) in offshore waters, outside of marine protected areas (MPAs), between 400-800m depth aims to improve the status of marine biodiversity features and will fulfil the requirement to protect VMEs under assimilated EU law.
• Implement the policies in Scotland’s Fisheries Management Strategy to deliver sustainable fisheries, using best available scientific advice, and minimising adverse impacts on non-target species and habitats. We will continue to deliver Scotland’s fisheries management strategy, which adopts an ecosystems-based approach to minimise and, where possible reverse, the negative impacts of fishing on marine species, habitats and ecosystems. This includes using best available scientific advice to restore or maintain fish stocks at sustainable levels, putting in place appropriate spatial management, and minimising and where possible eliminating the risk of accidental capture of sensitive species. The development of our Future Catching Policy (FCP), the successful roll-out of Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) to parts of the Scottish fleet and the introduction of new management measures for inshore fisheries are amongst our flagship policies to deliver on the objectives of the Fisheries Act 2020, as well as contributing to the achievement of good environmental status.
• Implement Scotland’s vision for sustainable aquaculture to minimise negative impacts on biodiversity. The Vision for Sustainable Aquaculture sets out our long-term aspirations for the finfish, shellfish and seaweed farming sectors, and the wider aquaculture supply chain. Our Vision is for the development of a sustainable aquaculture sector that continually works to minimise negative environmental impacts and collaborates with other stakeholders to protect and restore Scotland’s biodiversity in the freshwater and marine environment. This includes managing sea lice through adaptive regulation and innovation; and minimising the escape of farmed fish, with demonstrable progress towards the goal of 100% containment in production facilities to help protect Scotland’s wild salmonid populations.