THOUSANDS have backed calls to declare a "national nature emergency" to prevent the extinction of several native species.
Nearly 7,000 people have signed a petition backing the move in just two days.
And MSPs will be challenged to back the declaration in a vote in the Scottish Parliament tonight (Weds) A motion is being brought to parliament following multiple warnings about the rapid loss of species abundance and distribution, and habitat loss and ecosystems in decline, with one in nine species facing extinction in Scotland.
Calls for legislation to allow for a “full nature recovery by 2045” will be debated at Holyrood.
Environmental and wildlife protection groups WWF Scotland, RSPB Scotland and Scottish Environment LINK have also urged MSPs to back it.
The Herald revealed in November, 2018 that at-risk animal species such as the red squirrel, some birds of prey and sea mammals are in jeopardy because of lack of action in ensuring vital environmental protections are provide in Scotland after the UK quits Europe.
Among the concerns of the Scottish Environment LINK (SEL) union of conservation groups was that there was no mechanism to replace the European Commission's LIFE-Nature Fund which has given £25 million over 25 years to Scotland to help with more than 25 vital conservation projects protecting the country's at-risk wildlife and landscape.
They said all were are at risk if no alternative funding is found through matching contributions from government or elsewhere if there is no way of continuing access to the fund through the Brexit negotiations.
READ MORE: Brexit threatens to wipe out Scotland's rarest animals and put at risk iconic landscapes
Broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham has also voiced his support, saying: “There is no doubt that we have precipitated a nature emergency so admitting as much would be a bold first step towards rectifying it.”
If passed, Scotland will become the first country to formally recognise the decline in species and that urgent action is needed to address it.
Commenting, Scottish Greens environment spokesman Mark Ruskell said: “Parliament must declare a nature emergency tonight, as just the first step in reversing the alarming decline in Scotland’s nature.
Scottish Natural Heritage's video devoted to red squirrels.
“I’m confident that MSPs can recognise the statement of fact that Scotland’s nature is in a state of emergency, so the next steps must involve halting the decline in species and building a network at land and sea to allow nature to recover.
“Scotland has a golden opportunity to take a leading role in halting biodiversity loss, but taking action can also stimulate a green economic recovery with targeted rural support and new jobs.”
According to the latest Nature of Scotland report some one in nine species are at risk across Scotland.
And there are plans to save more than 40 of the most vulnerable coastal and island species from the great yellow bumblebee and the natterjack toad to the Scottish primrose and the little tern.
A four-and-a-half-year partnership project, concerned about an "unprecedented rate of species decline" have compiled the Red List of species targeted by the project which are all under threat.
Some 19 are threatened by land use change, eight from climate change and the remainder through a combination of influences such as pollution, invasive non-native species and exploitation.
The Species on the Edge campaign, a partnership project by Scottish Natural Heritage involving Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, The Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, The Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Plantlife Scotland and RSPB Scotland aims to spark to life conservation action across Scotland’s coasts and islands.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel