Scotland steps up efforts to bring Biodiversity Net Gain into focus

Scotland is still determining its approach to a national Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) plan, as evidenced at the Reshaping Scotland: Nature Restoration in Action conference hosted by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). Rather than having a formal BNG policy in place, Scotland appears to be taking a “slow and steady” mindset as it continues to develop its strategy in this area.

The annual members conference was part of CIEEM’s mission to support ecologists and environmental managers in the UK, Ireland, and abroad. BNGAI by AiDASH helped to sponsor the event, which was held on October 4, 2024, in Perth, and attracted more than 120 attendees.

Major themes of the conference included:

• Ecosystem Restoration and Species Re-introductions
• Developing a Scottish Biodiversity Metric for the Planning System
• Nature Networks – Restoring Ecological Connectivity Across Scotland
• A Focus on Peatlands
• Nature Restoration at Scale

After attending the various sessions, here are the key takeaways I gathered from the conference.

Biodiversity decline needs urgent attention

Like England, Scotland has seen drastic decreases in biodiversity. This has prompted the Scottish government to create a framework supporting goals to stop the loss by 2030 and restore and regenerate favourable levels of biodiversity across freshwater and seas as well as land by 2045.

Project development presents its own set of challenges, as planning officials must tackle large numbers of projects needing approval what is often a lack of skilled staff. This shortage of ecological capacity has left planning officials struggling to effectively review and process the volume of Biodiversity Net Gain reports required; some officials are currently only able to get through around 50 applications per day. However, it was noted that a well-designed BNG framework could actually help drive greater efficiencies by standardizing assessments and identifying opportunities for conservation and collaboration.

Drive to “get BNG right”

Peter Taylor and Craig Smith, from NatureScot, the Scotland Government’s nature agency, are leading the development of the Scottish biodiversity metric for the country’s planning system. They offered insights into the agency’s approach and progress to date during a workshop to gather ecologist feedback.

Taylor and Smith described the planned approach as being policy-driven rather than legislative. They also stressed that NatureScot wanted to take it slow to ensure the metric aligns with Scotland’s needs and also to learn from the experience in England.

Part of their strategy will be to create a framework for additionality that aligns various initiatives around carbon reduction, peatland restoration, and Biodiversity Net Gain.

Already, the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Post-2020: A Statement of Intent lays out the government’s intention to tackle the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. The document reports that the government aims to “extend the area protected for nature in Scotland to at least 30% of land area by 2030 and possibly more.” The report notes that Scotland has “already achieved 37% protection of Scotland’s marine environment.”

Restoring peatlands is crucial

NatureScot estimates that up to 80% of Scotland’s peatlands have been lost. That’s a tremendous loss considering what healthy peatlands offer in maintaining a healthy planet. Peatlands can store twice as much carbon as the forests of the world, for starters. And further peatland benefits include flood control, support of wildlife habitats and biodiversity, as well as the ability to clean water.

The Scotland Government recognizes the urgency of peatland restoration. In fact, it made a £250 million commitment over 10 years toward restoration efforts in its Peatland ACTION programme.

The Defra Statutory Biodiversity Metric calculation tool used in the UK includes some specifics regarding peatlands. However, it does not offer the breadth and depth of considerations needed to handle these wetland ecosystems in Scotland.

Any successful BNG strategy in Scotland will need to get peatlands right. Accordingly, the government will create and incorporate a comprehensive peatland strategy into its version of the calculation tool. 

Learn about the BNG application and planning templates AiDASH BNGAI provides and its capacity to streamline the BNG application process.

Lauren Weller
Senior Ecologist and R&D / Compliance and QC Lead – EMEA

Lauren is currently working on the application of AI to geospatial and earth observation data to solve environmental challenges. Her previous work experience includes data management and analysis of water quantity and quality for farm-based research projects, environmental management and due diligence of mining and exploration projects throughout the African continent, and environmental consulting and advisory to the mining industry. Additionally, she maintains a strong interest in soil health and sustainable agriculture — specifically the role of carbon in agricultural landscapes, and the science of teaching and learning.