Lorna Slater has admitted that a key biodiversity strategy has been delayed amid claims interested groups are being “denied the opportunity to have their say”.
The Scottish Government has been accused of “welly-dragging” over the hold-ups – with the blueprint now not set to be published until the end of the year.
Earlier this year, Ms Slater confirmed an investment plan is being drawn up to lever in “responsible private finance” to plug a £20bn funding gap for nature.
The biodiversity strategy is set to include commitments on restoring and regenerating biodiversity by 2045.
But Ms Slater, the Greens minister who leads the government policy on biodiversity, has admitted that the final strategy is to be delayed with another round of consultation to take place.
She said: “Our original intention was to consult on the final draft biodiversity strategy and delivery plan in Spring 2023 with a view to publishing the final strategy and delivery plan in in Summer 2023.
Read more: Ministers to lever in 'private finance' to plug £20bn nature funds gap
“The time frame was put back by three months to allow key elements of the proposed Natural Environment Bill to be included in the consultation.
“The expanded consultation will be launched shortly with a view to final publication of the strategy and delivery plan later this year. “ The LibDems have criticised the delays and called on ministers to commit to long-term nature restoration projects.
LibDems climate emergency spokesperson, Liam McArthur, said: “Scotland is a beautiful country and we should be working to protect and enhance its natural assets.
“If the government is serious about boosting biodiversity and tackling the climate crisis, they need to stop their welly-dragging.
“The draft strategy was finished months ago but stakeholders and organisations are being denied the opportunity to have their say.
"They will hoping that these Scottish Government proposals are less bedevilled by problems than the well-meaning but hapless deposit return scheme or the now abandoned plans for marine areas that were so hated by coastal communities.”
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He added: “I want to see a government that recognises we live in partnership with nature and demands better for our planet.
“They should be investing in long-term peatland restoration projects; rewarding sustainable agriculture through payment schemes and ensuring that EU biodiversity and climate change funding is fully replaced."
It comes as an SNP MSP Jackie Dunbar calls on the UK Government to act faster on nature restoration.
Despite biodiversity being devolved to the Scottish Parliament, the SNP has pointed to the European Parliament passing its Nature Restoration Law, which calls for binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems.
The legislation n comes on the same week that Rishi Sunak failed to agree the Horizon Europe deal with the EU – which the SNP claim is blocking Scotland from the vital research and development programme.
Read more: Scotland ‘must do more’ to protect vital habitats and species
SNP MSP Jackie Dunbar, who sits on Holyrood’s Net Zero Committee, said: “Seeing progress like this from our European neighbours really highlights Scotland and the EU’s shared vision for biodiversity and nature restoration – a vision that Brexit Britain is failing to live up to.
“While the Tory UK Government – backed by a Labour Party lurching further to the right every day – stumbles on with its regressive approach to Brexit, we in Scotland are using the limited powers of devolution to stay aligned with high European environmental standards.
“To help tackle the global climate and nature emergency, our SNP Government is not only playing its part, but is ensuring that Scotland is leading the way in the UK on nature restoration – by investing £250 million to restore peatland, planting more trees than any other part of the UK every year through our biodiversity strategy to 2045 and co-chairing the Under 2 Coalition playing a leading international role alongside nations, states and regions.”
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