"After almost ten years of campaigning, it is great that the Scottish Parliament has passed a bill that will improve the health of Scotland’s seas. We particularly welcome the duty to protect and enhance our seas, a marine planning system that includes environmental targets and a duty to deliver a network of marine protected areas."
LINK Marine taskforce welcomes the passing of the Marine (Scotland) Bill.
Scottish Environment LINK today published “Living with the Land”, a paper outlining proposed content for the Sustainable Land Use Strategy (SLUS)
"For too long we in Scotland have lived off the land, now we need to live with the land. Instead of land being viewed as simply a resource to be exploited for profit and pleasure, we must learn to nurture and sustain the natural qualities of all of our land because its health is absolutely essential to people’s well-being
Calum Duncan, the Convener of Scottish Environment LINK’s Marine Task Force has called for all parties in the Scottish Parliament to continue their progress towards a strong Marine Bill…
Sustainable flood management, good for people and biodiversity! LINK welcomes the passing of the new Bill on flooding. This is a major opportunity to have more sustainable approaches for the management of flood risk.
Scotland’s environment groups welcome the Scottish Marine Bill
After years of campaigning, we are delighted to see a Marine Bill before the Scottish Parliament. This Bill is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure that our seas are adequately protected and sustainably managed, so that future generations can benefit from them as we have.
As the Bill progresses, it is now crucial that we get it right. Healthy seas are the foundation on which all other activities at sea depend and therefore need to be at the very heart of what the Bill is for. A healthy marine ecosystem underpins the productivity of our seas: human induced changes to this ecosystem result not only in the decline of marine wildlife, but also in damage to the economy, as fishing, wildlife tourism and other industries suffer the consequences.’
Scottish Environment Week brings together politicians, businesses, officials, environmentalists and people from all walks of life to celebrate Scotland’s environment. Since its inception in 2003, the week has become a popular fixture in the parliamentary calendar, and MSPs from all parties will be attending events celebrating the many facets of Scotland’s environment.
The Week creates an opportunity to focus on the importance of our environment and its value to the society and economy of Scotland. All of the Week’s events take place in the Scottish Parliament.
We are delighted that Marine Scotland will become a reality. This new body must now develop and meet tough targets for the sustainable management, protection and recovery of Scotland’s seas. We believe that improved protection for marine wildlife, a comprehensive network of marine protected areas and a statutory planning system that furthers the conservation of marine biodiversity are all essential for our seas protection and recovery.
Marine wildlife does not recognise political boundaries, so Marine Scotland must work closely with the proposed UK Marine Management Organisation and other administrations to deliver ecosystem-based marine planning and management. Since Marine Scotland will be part of Scottish Government, it is also vital that an independent and transparent appeals procedure is put in place.’
Scotland’s environmental charities are playing a pivotal role in helping to improve the biodiversity of Scotland, a new report revealed today (Wednesday 17th December).
Scottish environmental charities have really shown their worth this year by taking the lead on numerous projects for people and wildlife which help meet the objectives of the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Scottish Environment LINK, the coalition of Scotland’s environment charities, today welcomed the inclusion of a UK Marine Bill in the Queen’s speech.
We are very pleased that this historic piece of legislation will finally become a reality. The UK Marine Bill is very important for Scotland as many activities in Scottish waters are still reserved to Westminster. We must now ensure that the forthcoming Scottish Marine Bill and the UK Marine Bill fit seamlessly together. The resulting Marine Acts must establish clear duties to enable protection, restoration and recovery of Scotland’s seas, and the marine wildlife and coastal communities that depend on them
A new report published today by Scottish Environment LINK, to coincide with the conclusion of the Government’s consultation on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), points the way forward for a fairer distribution of funding which would help more farmers as well as the environment cope with the changing priorities for the countryside.
The current CAP does Scotland no favours at all. Our farmers and crofters receive a ridiculously low share of the European pot, and yet they could be producing high quality food as well as enhancing the environment for the good of the whole country. Scotland has some of Europe’s finest farmland, supporting a vast range of wildlife – and yet this goes unrecognised in the current CAP funding structure. It is time we lifted our country from the bottom of the EU’s agricultural funding league table, and demanded that the valuable contribution our land managers make is properly recognised. We are calling on the Scottish Government to take a lead in renegotiating what the Common Agricultural Policy can provide for Scotland.
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