April 22nd, 2020 by Deborah LongOn Tuesday evening, we were delighted to win in our category the 2020 Charity Film Awards.
Scottish Environment LINK, a coalition of more than 35 Scottish conservation and environmental groups and charities worked with Maramedia to create the stunning film This is Scotland to highlight a worrying statistic that was first revealed in the 2017 report Where the Green Grants Went Scotland. This report highlighted a massive funding hole for the nation’s conservation efforts. This is despite Scotland being home to some of the UK’s most spectacular and critically endangered natural heritage. The report found that only 29% of grant giving foundations operating in the UK gave grants to environmental causes in Scotland.
The winning film, This is Scotland, highlights that just 5 per cent of available UK charitable grants go to protect Scotland’s nature. First launched in Edinburgh with some of Scotland’s most influential funders, winning the 2020 Charity Film Awards takes the message much further.
The Charity Film Awards celebrates the effective use of video by the third sector to change mindsets, raise awareness for the charity or fundraise.
65,000 people took part in the public voting stage to determine the shortlist. The Charity Film Awards panel of expert judges, which includes high profile names from entertainment, business, politics and media. The winners of the Charity Film Awards 2020 were announced in a virtual gala ceremony on Tuesday 21 April.
Celebrity Ambassadors for Charity Film Awards include; Mariella Frostrup, Quentin Willson, Jason Bell and Chris Warburton.
Dr Deborah Long, LINK’s Chief Officer, said: “We wanted to use our film to show everyone just how amazing Scotland’s environment and nature is. Now more than ever we know that nature makes us feel better – we are so pleased our film is reaching and inspiring people. What the film makes clear though is that we stand to lose so much if we fail to invest in its conservation and restoration. Without support and investment, our environment and the nature that lives there cannot continue to provide the wellbeing and livelihoods we depend on. This was really urgent before the Covid-19 pandemic and is just as urgent now. Reports at home and internally reflect ongoing decline in biodiversity, here and across the world, and the closing window we have to halt the loss and restore our landscapes and, habitats and species. This film reminds us all why Scotland is so special, why it’s a fantastic place to live and visit and what we stand to lose without coordinated and concerted effort. Thank you to everyone who voted for it and all those who supported it.”
Simon Burton, Co-Founder of the Charity Film Awards said: ‘In the digital age, charities’ use of video is fundamental to engage the hearts and minds of their communities. Scottish Environment LINK’s film is a great example of that in action.”
Watch our film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2BBjBEBlc&t=3s
ENDS
Editors’ Note:
Scottish Environment LINK is the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environment organisations, with over 35 member bodies representing a range of environmental interests with the common goal of contributing to a more environmentally sustainable society.
This is Scotland was developed by a partnership of Scotland’s leading environmental organisations including National Trust for Scotland, RSPB, RZSS, Scottish Wildlife Trust, WWF Scotland and Woodland Trust Scotland, thanks to support from Scottish Environment Link, Turcan Connell and Maramedia.
This is Scotland can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2BBjBEBlc
The Where the Green Grants Went Scotland report is available here:
https://www.greenfunders.org/where-the-green-grants-went-scotland/
The Charity Film Awards celebrate the very best films and videos that have been created by registered charities and CIC’s within the UK. For more information visit www.charityfilmawards.com
A Scottish Government reporter has today dismissed a landowner’s appeal against an order forcing the removal of a controversial vehicle track in scenic Glen Clova, Cairngorms NP.
The decision ends a long-running battle over the 1.5km track, which is visible for miles around and features spoil mounds up to 10 metres wide.
The landowner had launched an appeal in December 2019 against Cairngorms National Park Authority’s enforcement notice ordering him to remove the vehicle track, as it appears to be used to support field sports.
But today Allison Coard, a reporter appointed by Scottish Ministers, has dismissed the appeal and ordered the land to be restored “so far as is reasonably practicable” within one year.
Scottish Environment LINK Hilltracks Group, which continues to campaign for stronger public oversight of upland vehicle tracks, commended the reporter and the national park authority for their decisive action.
Helen Todd, who is Ramblers Scotland’s policy manager and co-convener of the LINK Hilltracks group, said: “This is a landmark result, and sadly one of very few examples of an authority feeling able to commit enough time and money to retrospectively tackle unauthorised tracks.
“This ugly track is scarring the landscape in this historic, protected glen – and we look forward to seeing the hillside restored within the coming year.
“All Scottish landowners should take note of today’s decision, and the expensive restoration job that the landowner will now need to carry out.”
Beryl Leatherland, of Scottish Wild Land Group and co-convener of the LINK Hilltracks group said: “The case highlights the urgent need for the Scottish Government to introduce stronger controls over vehicle tracks in our hills – to boost local democracy, improve construction standards and protect precious environments from further damage.”
The Scottish Government has made hilltracks one of the top priorities in its forthcoming review of ‘Permitted Development Rights’, which governs which types of developments can bypass the full planning permission process.
Currently, landowners simply need to tell authorities before building tracks which are said to support ‘agriculture or forestry’ – and full planning permission is generally not required. Campaigners believe these tracks are often created to support shooting activities and therefore should be subject to a planning application.
Research published in 2018 by the Scottish Environment LINK Hilltracks group found that vehicle tracks continue to expand further into Scotland’s mountain landscapes, and that weak planning processes can lead to them being badly-sited and designed. Some tracks have even been built over the top of narrow, low-impact trails and historical routes, with little chance for the public to comment in advance.
You can view the full appeal decision and history here.
Contact details
For further details, or to request an interview with Helen Todd or Beryl Leatherland, please call the Ramblers Scotland press office on 0131 357 5854 or 07557 527607 (out of hours). Alternatively, please email scotland@ramblers.org.uk
New environment watchdog must have teeth, say charities
Scotland’s leading environment charities have welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement today of a vision and outcomes for an environment strategy, applauding the government’s commitment to restore nature and end Scotland’s contribution to climate change.
They have called on the government to back up this commitment with legally binding targets for nature recovery and an action plan for delivery.
The charities, members of Scottish Environment LINK, also welcomed the announcement of a new environment watchdog to oversee compliance with environmental law, but cautioned that the new body must have real independence and power to protect Scotland’s iconic nature.
More than 30 organisations launched the Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign in 2018, calling for an independent watchdog to enforce environmental protections after Brexit. The European Commission and Court of Justice previously played a key role in holding government to account on the environment, on issues ranging from air pollution to protections for marine animals.
The charities also welcomed the reiteration of the government’s commitment to embed crucial European environment principles in Scots law – another key demand of their campaign.
The charities believe the new watchdog must be independent of government and must have sufficient resources as well as the ability to investigate complaints from the public, charities and businesses, and to impose sanctions when standards are breached. Public support is strong – a recent opinion poll in Scotland found 81 percent of Leave voters and 91 percent of Remain voters supported a new body to provide continuing environmental oversight.
Charles Dundas, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK, said today:
“It’s fantastic to see such a bold vision for the protection of Scotland’s environment, which, as the Scottish Government says, is fundamental to our future. Now we need to see the strategy backed up with clear, binding targets for the recovery of our amazing nature.
“It’s also great news that the government plans to set up a new environment watchdog. We look forward to seeing the full details, and trust MSPs will scrutinise these closely. It’s essential that citizens are able to hold government to account. We need a watchdog with teeth: real independence, the power to enforce protections, and the people, expertise and funds to do the job.”
Scottish Environment LINK – a coalition of organisations involved in land and deer management, forestry, wildlife conservation, cultural heritage, community land partnerships, nature education and outdoor recreation – has welcomed the findings in the report published today by the independent Deer Working Group (DWG).
The independent expert body that was appointed by Scottish Ministers in 2017 has set out nearly a hundred recommendations in its 374-page report which if implemented in full, would go a long way to improving the ecological state of Scotland’s uplands by changing the culture of deer management in Scotland.
Mike Daniels Head of Land Management at the John Muir Trust said: “First we want to praise the authors of this report including the late Simon Pepper who chaired the Deer Working Group until his tragic death in 2018 – for their thoroughness and professionalism. We welcome the courage and clarity of the report which confirms that Scotland’s existing deer management procedures and practices need major reform.
“If we were designing a new system of deer management today in the context of climate change, biodiversity loss and the depopulation of fragile rural areas it would bear little resemblance to the ‘traditional sporting estate’ model found in large parts of the Highlands.”
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of LINK Deer Task Force said “We welcome the publication today of this independent review of deer management in Scotland. We note and support proposals to update deer legislation to ensure modern and transparent systems of deer management, and proposed improvements to SNH powers to enable changes in practice on the ground.”
“The imperative for transforming of deer management laws and systems has been given increased impetus following the climate and nature emergencies announced recently by Scotland’s First Minister, and in the context that excessive deer densities in many areas are preventing significant public policy outcomes from being achieved. These outcomes include woodland expansion; peatland protection and restoration as vital carbon stores; enhancing the condition of protected nature conservation sites; and reducing vehicle collisions and the spread of Lyme disease”.
Charles Dundas, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK and Public Affairs Manager at Woodland Trust Scotland, said: “This report is a major step forward. We note especially the proposal to revise the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 which could open the door to transformative change and we would urge the Scottish Government to start working immediately to prepare for new legislation that could be introduced early in the next parliament.”
Some of the key recommendations in the report include:
• An upper density limit of 10 red deer per square km over large areas of open range in the Highlands – with that figure to be reviewed from time to time to help meet public policy objectives including on climate change.
• That, following its series of assessments of Deer Management Groups between 2014 and 2019, SNH should now concentrate on ensuring high standards of deer management on the ground to minimise damage to the public interest.
• That SNH should adopt a more flexible approach to how deer are managed locally rather than rely too heavily on existing formal deer management groups (which tend to be dominated by the landowners whose prime objectives are sports shooting).
• That, instead of prioritising numerical deer counts on the open hill range, SNH should focus on building information about the impacts of deer on woodlands, forestry, agriculture, natural heritage and other public interests.
• That SNH should treat as a high priority the challenge of changing deer management in line with climate change mitigation objectives.
• That the Scottish Government should develop a ‘cull approval system’ – in other words stronger national regulation of deer numbers – and revise the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 to allow such a system to be introduced.
Scottish Environment LINK along with several other organisations including the community landowning North Harris Trust, the Forest Policy Group and Nourish Scotland recently published its own proposals to bring deer management into the 2020s in the publication Managing Deer for Climate, Communities and Conservation.
The Deer Working Group report can be found here
For press enquiries, contact: Alan McCombes
m: 0771 744 2805
e: alan.mccombes@johnmuirtrust.org
Leading environmental charities have urged the Scottish Government to change its current review of permitted development rights (that allow certain building works and changes of use to be carried out without having to make a planning application) to ensure the legislation is fit to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises facing Scotland.
In their response to the consultation on ‘Proposed Programme for Reviewing and Extending Permitted Development Rights in Scotland’ Scottish Environment LINK have welcomed proposals that give permitted development rights for several new types of low-carbon and biodiversity-friendly infrastructure, such as habitat ponds and peatland restoration, but say that these positive gains will have no impact unless other climate damaging developments are reviewed.
Currently permitted developments allow certain developments which can result in high levels of emissions and damage sensitive habitats and landscapes, such as airport developments or hilltracks. Scottish Environment LINK believe these damaging developments should be open to scrutiny in order to ensure they are not harming our environment and preventing Scotland from meeting its net-zero emissions targets. Climate damaging developments cancel out the benefits from other positive types now being given permitted development rights, such a peatland restoration and electric vehicle infrastructure.
Clare Symonds, Convener of the LINK Planning Group said ”planning plays a crucial role in helping us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and restoring biodiversity losses, but any moves towards deregulating planning needs careful consideration. We do not want to be in a situation where the benefits of positive developments such as peatland restoration are negated by climate damaging developments also being given automatic planning permission. Developments that contribute to greenhouse gases or that reduce biodiversity should be open to public scrutiny and question. In a similar vein we also don’t want a ridiculous situation where the planning system gives developments such as airport operational buildings automatic permission to be built but requires an application for planning permission for a bird hide”.
NOTES:
LINK’s response to the PDR consultation can be read here.
The Scottish Government’s consultation document is available here.
For more information contact:
Vhairi Tollan, Advocacy Manager,
vhairi@scotlink.org, 07512828004.
Brexit trade deals could put iconic Scottish wildlife at risk at a time when 1 in 9 species in Scotland is at risk of extinction, say Scotland’s leading environmental charities. Otters, bottlenose dolphins, puffins, bats, Golden eagle and osprey are among a host of species that will face increased threats after 31 January.
Many of Scotland’s most important wildlife species and habitats benefit from high levels of protection originating from the EU.
The charities, members of Scottish Environment LINK and behind the Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign, fear that a rush to rapidly agree bilateral trade deals with other countries after 31 January could lead to the slashing of environmental standards, including crucial protections for Scotland’s wildlife. Swiftly agreed trade deals with countries such as the United States and China could lead to weaker regulations on animal welfare standards, food quality and environmental protections.
The US has banned mention of climate change from trade talks with the UK. It also wants the UK to move to a US system where things are assumed safe until harm or damage is proved.
The EU exit deal itself also poses a risk to Scotland’s nature and landscapes, say campaigners. Safeguards contained in Theresa May’s deal, aimed at preventing environmental standards being lowered, have been removed from Boris Johnson’s deal.
The Scottish Government has repeatedly said it will not water down environmental protections after Brexit. But campaigners fear that if standards are slashed in the rest of the UK, there could be huge pressure on Scotland to follow suit.
The charities also warn that without the option for people to raise complaints to the European Commission, existing protections may not be enforced, leaving wildlife vulnerable to further declines and destruction of habitats. Under the banner of Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign, they are calling for the Scottish Government to create a new, independent environment watchdog for Scotland, and to embed crucial environmental principles, previously applied through European law, into Scots law.
Charles Dundas, Chair of Scottish Environment LINK, said:
Brexit will leave the Scottish wildlife we all love open to a host of new threats if environmental standards are lowered, just when we most need to stop nature’s decline and help it recover. The Brexit deal and the pressure of new bilateral trade deals make it more urgent than ever that the Scottish Government acts to ensure our environmental protections remain intact.”
Ends
For media enquiries and interview requests please contact: Azra Wyart at: mediaandeventsscotland@gmail.com
Many people in Scotland suffer from a polluted environment, particularly those in poorer communities, and across Scotland environmental crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, toxic air and plastic pollution are becoming ever more pressing. There is a growing and increasingly complex body of environmental law in Scots law – some of it world-leading – and at the EU and international level that attempts to address aspects of these problems.
However, significant barriers of cost, uncertainty and technicalities exist for communities and individual citizens in Scotland, as well as environmental and social NGOs, who suffer from a polluted environment and want to do something about it.
This is why LINK’s Legal Strategy Group, led by Mary Church, is launching an Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, supported by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, as a means of enabling and supporting communities and non government organisations to take action to protect the environment.
This new centre has been set up to:
• deliver public legal education enabling individuals, communities and eNGOs to understand better and access their legal rights and responsibilities in relation to the environment;
• offer advice and assistance on planning and environmental law to individuals, communities and eNGOs;
• advocate for reform for a legal system that is fit for purpose, including compliance with the UNECE Aarhus Convention, as environmental law becomes increasingly complex and environmental problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss and air pollution become increasingly pressing; and
• pursue strategic litigation where necessary to secure progress on key environmental issues.
In working to achieve this long term purpose, our short term plan is to establish a stand-alone SCIO (a form of Scottish charity) with its own Board of Trustees to oversee the work of the Centre. When this is up and running, management of the Centre will transfer from LINK to the new body.
At the same time, our two new members of staff, Shivali Fifield, Development Manager and Ian Cowan, Programme Manager, will focus on developing and agreeing a strategy for the Centre’s development, including its phased establishment and growth.
Mary Church, Head of Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland and Convenor of LINK’s Legal Strategy Group said:
“As the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, toxic air and plastic pollution become ever more pressing, Scotland’s environment urgently needs defending in the corridors of power and the courts of law. Our new Environmental Rights Centre will play a vital role in supporting citizens and NGOs to stand up for the environment, and help break down the barriers to public interest litigation.”
Shivali, the Centre’s new Development Manager, said:
‘As a lifelong environmentalist and campaigner against inequality, I’m really excited to be appointed as the development manager for the ERCS. There has never been a more important time to have an independent organisation that can advocate for the right to live in a clean and healthy environment for everyone. I look forward to building links with community groups, organisations and existing networks to ensure that the ERCS will be that advocate.’
Ian, the Centre’s new Programme Manager, said:
“Scotland does lots of things really well – but environmental justice has never been one of them. After 7 years of working freelance to help community groups address the gaps, I’m delighted to be a part of the team that will now systematically take on that task, so that people all over Scotland can at last fully secure their environmental rights.”
Find out more about ERCS via our website here
Stay in touch with our plans here
Contact:
Email: Information email
Tel: 0131 225 4345 or 01738 630804
Mobile: Deborah Long +44 7470 715304
A coalition of environmental, community, wildlife, forestry, and outdoor recreational groups is urging the Scottish Government to bring in enhanced statutory regulation to ensure the nation’s deer population is managed effectively and sustainably for the benefit of communities and the natural environment. This is especially urgent, says the coalition, in the light of the accelerating climate and biodiversity crisis.
Eighteen organisations representing over half a million members – seven directly involved in land and deer management across thousands of square kilometres of Scotland’s uplands – have published a joint paper, Managing Deer for Climate, Communities and Conservation, setting out the case for a new approach to deer management that prioritises public interest objectives, such as reducing carbon emissions, supporting local communities, and improving biodiversity.
The wide and heterogeneous range of organisations – from the community-run North Harris Trust to Ramblers Scotland; from the RSPB to Nourish Scotland – have come together to call for a reduction in deer densities, an end to over-reliance on deer fencing, and the broadening out of deer stalking beyond its traditional core of participants.
The paper has been issued ahead of the publication of a report to the Scottish Government by the independent Deer Working Group which is expected any day now. The report is likely to trigger a national debate about current and future deer management practices.
Mike Daniels of the John Muir Trust, one of the key authors of the paper, said: “We believe that there is a growing appetite for change in how Scotland’s uplands are managed into the 2020s and beyond, and delivering sustainable deer management is a critical component. This large and diverse group of organisations believes that we can achieve far greater national and community benefit from our uplands by doing things differently.
“For many decades, there has been a scientific consensus that unsustainably high deer densities have a destructive impact on vast areas of our land. We welcome recent steps by the Scottish Government to start addressing the problem, and we have launched this paper to set out the reasons why our politicians should now make some fundamental changes to the way we manage our deer population.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of LINK Deer Task Force said: “Sustainable deer management should not be regarded as just a marginal issue. It should actually be much more of a central consideration as to how we best manage tens of thousands of square kilometres of Scotland’s uplands to get the maximum public benefit, and it should be well integrated with other forms of land use policy. High deer impacts and other grazing pressures are damaging peatlands, halting woodland regeneration and expansion, and causing other costs to the public.
By resolving these pressures, we will in a far stronger position to meet our climate change targets and reverse the alarming long-term decline in the biodiversity of our uplands. In this paper we have also set out the compelling economic case for a step-change in our approach towards deer management”.
The full text of the paper can be downloaded here: Managing Deer for Climate, Communities and Conservation
See also this scientific report by Tom Edwards for Scottish Environment Link’s Deer Task Force
A FAQ is also available here: https://www.scotlink.org/publication/faqs-managing-deer-for-climate-communities-and-conservation/
EDITORS NOTES
Contact: Alan McCombes m: 0771 744 2805 e: alan.mccombes@johnmuirtrust.org
The paper Managing Deer for Climate, Communities and Conservation has been published by Scottish Environment Link, the forum for Scotland’s voluntary environmental community. It has been supported by several other organisations which are not affiliated to LINK.
The full list of supporting organisations, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
- Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group
- Butterfly Conservation Scotland
- Cairngorm Campaign
- Forest Policy Group
- Froglife
- John Muir Trust
- National Trust for Scotland
- North Harris Trust
- Nourish Scotland
- Ramblers Scotland
- Reforesting Scotland
- RSPB Scotland
- Scottish Badgers
- Scottish Raptor Study Group
- Scottish Wild Land Group
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
- Trees for Life
- Woodland Trust Scotland
A landowner is appealing the Cairngorm National Park’s decision to force the removal of a controversial vehicle track in scenic Glen Clova in Angus.
A Scottish Government planning official will conduct a site visit on Friday 20 December to view the track, which sparked national headlines in October this year – including coverage from the BBC and the Herald.
Helen Todd, who is Ramblers Scotland’s policy manager and co-convener of the LINK Hilltracks group, said: “It is deeply frustrating that a landowner is challenging the order forcing them to restore this unauthorised track, which is scarring the landscape in historic, protected Glen Clova.
“Ministers have committed to review the unfair, inadequate planning process for such tracks next year – and this case shines a spotlight on why change is urgently needed throughout the whole of Scotland.”
Beryl Leatherland, of Scottish Wild Land Group and co-convener of the LINK Hilltracks group said: “We feel confident the landowner’s appeal will fail, but it will result in yet more costs and delays while this retrospective process takes place.
“This case yet again highlights the urgent need for stronger controls over vehicle tracks in our hills – to support local democracy, boost construction standards and save our uplands from further damage.”
You can view the full planning papers here.
NOTES
[1] For further information contact Danny Carden, Communications and for Ramblers Scotland and LINK Hilltracks subgroup member, 0131 357 5854 / 07557 527607,danny.carden@ramblers.org.uk
A coalition of environmental organisations have welcomed improvements in the functioning of deer management groups while warning that a step change is needed if climate and biodiversity targets are to be met.
A report published last week by Scottish Natural Heritage suggests that there has been “significant progress” in deer management planning and evidence of improvements on the ground in reducing deer densities in some areas. The report, however also noted that three out of five key Scottish biodiversity targets are “unlikely to be delivered” because of high deer densities and that there has been “insufficient progress” in protecting and restoring native woodlands.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of LINK Deer Group said: “We welcome the report’s findings that the majority of land managers are complying with the basic requirements of the Deer Code, and acknowledge the positive leadership of SNH within the constraints of a voluntary system.
“It’s also clear from the report that much more needs to be done. Across our upland landscapes in particular, high deer impacts and other grazing pressures are damaging peatlands and halting woodland regeneration and expansion. These issues are closely connected to meeting the obligations of the Scottish Government’s climate emergency and halting drastic biodiversity decline.
“We need a sense of urgency to protect and restore our woodlands and peatlands and that means tackling the destructive impact of our historical legacy of unsustainably high deer densities. We look forward to the more wide-ranging report from the independent Deer Working Group and would like to see SNH given greater powers and resources to drive forward the scale of the change required.”
The SNH study was commissioned by the Scottish Government to report specifically on the progress of deer management groups between 2016 and 2019. Among other conclusions, it states: “Three of the five Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS) Route map 2020 targets in which deer management has a role are unlikely to be delivered. The native woodland condition and restoration targets show insufficient progress and should be a priority for future focus.”
A separate review into deer management in Scotland is expected to be delivered to the Scottish Government shortly by the independent Deer Working Group.
This statement is supported by the following members of the Scottish Environment LINK Deer Group:
- John Muir Trust
- RSPB Scotland
- Scottish Wildlife Trust
- Trees for Life
- Woodland Trust Scotland
NOTES:
Contact: Alan McCombes m: 0771 744 2805
e: alan.mccombes@johnmuirtrust.org
