2025 Habitat Assessment Testing – how to get involved

https://www.nature.scot/doc/2025-habitat-assessment-testing-how-get-involved

We are developing the basic habitat assessments for farms and crofts in Scotland and have revised them following early testing in 2024.  We are looking for a further limited testing phase, from now until the 26th September 2025 and will pay you £100 for your time. If you are interested in testing our habitat assessments, the terms and conditions are noted below (you will get a chance to review these again when you sign up). Please note you will need to map the habitats on your farm before you can test any assessments – if you have already done this, and tested previously in 2024, you are welcome to test these revised assessments. If you are new to Farm Biodiversity Scotland you are welcome to join us:

Who can take part?

To take part you will first need to sign up to use the Farm Biodiversity Scotland Tool

We will contact you through Farm Biodiversity Scotland to confirm if your request to take part in the pilot has been successful.

If you are a current user of the Fam Biodiversity Scotland tool, go to settings on the mobile app or webpage and click the button to Learn more. Make sure to update your app to version 1.4.1.

2025 Habitat Assessment Testing advertisement
2025 Habitat Assessment Testing

You can take part if you have some of the following habitats or features mapped on your farm or croft and are prepared to do five basic habitat assessments. If you have less than five of these habitats or features, please get in touch with us to see what you can do.

  • Arable
  • Cropped Machair
  • Field Margin
  • Grazed Machair
  • Heath
  • Hedge
  • Improved Grassland
  • Mixed Woodland
  • Natural Woodland
  • Peatland
  • Semi-Improved Grassland
  • Unimproved Grassland
  • Upland Grassland
  • Upland Mixed habitats
  • Wet and Marshy Grassland

Note: Places are limited. If oversubscribed, we may not be able to include everyone. We’ll notify you if that happens.

What will I need to do?

To be eligible for payment, you must:

  • Read the Habitat Assessment guidance in the Help & Guidance section (app or web).
  • Complete at least five Basic Habitat Assessments on five different habitat types on your farm or croft by 26 September 2025. However, if you don’t have five different habitat types, please get in touch so we can discuss with you what you can do.
  • Provide feedback to NatureScot.      

What payment will I receive?

  • You’ll receive £100 if you complete the tasks outlined above.
  • You must claim your payment between 1 September and 31 October 2025 (a Claim Payment button will become available in Farm Biodiversity Scotland).
  • Payment will be made by 31 December 2025.
  • Bank details will be stored securely and then deleted after payment is made.
  • Note: this payment is outside of the scope of VAT and is not considered a subsidy by NatureScot in terms of the Subsidy Control Act 2022.