Nature-based jobs and skills Action Plan
Update: May 2026
Introduction
Evidence shows that the workforce required to implement the nature-based solutions we need to restore Scotland’s Nature and support net zero by 2045 is currently insufficient in terms of numbers and skills. Our Nature-based Jobs and Skills Action Plan sets out how we’re working with others to help address this.
Our latest plan reflects progress up to April 2026 and includes the key actions for 26/27 set out below. The over-arching context for this work is provided by NSET (National Strategy for Economic Transformation), the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS) Delivery Plan and the principles of the Just Transition. Our Plan focuses on areas where there are specific gaps, where progress is possible in the short-term and where NatureScot can add the most value. We will publish summaries of progress with these actions (and other relevant activities) every 12 months.
Progress 25/26 Highlights
Engagement
- Careers events: We engaged with or supported 22 careers events. This included hosting two “Meet the Professionals” online webinars attracting over 150 students and our annual attendance at the STEM careers event at Dynamic Earth.
- NatureScot ran two workshops at CEMVO* Environmental Jobs Fair in February, with over 100 attendees. This provided a chance for people from minority ethnic backgrounds to speak to companies who valued diversity and were committed to providing a range of opportunities.
- Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations in Scotland
- We chaired the Make Your Mark Inclusive Volunteering Conference. This explored how co-creation and collaboration can transform volunteering across the heritage and nature sector and beyond. This was delivered in partnership with Investing in Volunteers, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland.
- We hosted a ‘campfire’ session at the annual ‘Learning Estates Conference. In partnership with Lantra and with a panel of teachers, we explored how we could use the outdoor learning estate to deliver outdoor learning and learning about the land and nature-based sector.
Supporting Skills Development
- In partnership with Fisheries Management Scotland, we helped secure £240,000 from Scottish & Southern Energy Networks Sustainability Fund to pay for 6 internships with Fisheries and Rivers Trusts across Scotland. These interns will help to deliver river restoration projects, providing upskilling and volunteering opportunities for local communities.
- We launched “Nature-positive Amenity Grassland” a new online course developed by NatureScot in partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. Aimed at groundskeepers and other managers of greenspace, this course will enable participants to learn about the core principles of managing urban grasslands to benefit wildlife and people.
- Peatland Action Programme delivered 20 training/sharing good practice events including three Peatland Habitat Impact sessions and four on-site contractor training sessions.
- Wildlife Management Team ran 14 Deer Impact Survey Best Practice days and seven NNR SBP days.
Research
We commissioned and published :
- “How Can Scotland’s Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System Better Support a Just Transition to Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture” SEFARI Fellowship Report (Luzada et.al. 2026).” This explored where farmers look for upskilling an support and whether there is enough capacity to achieve the just transition we need in land management.
- “Mapping current and future workforce and skills requirements in peatland restoration.” (Alison Cairns (EKOS) 2026.)
Action Plan 26/27 Key Actions
Theme 1: Strategic Engagement
- Engage with Skills Planning Reform Process through Rural Stakeholder meetings on Skills Planning & Apprenticeships
- Do more to champion ethnic diversity in nature based skills and jobs.
Theme 2: Engaging and Inspiring Young People
- Deliver rolling programme of STEM and Nature-based careers events to 4,000+ young people
- Develop and promote information and graphics showing the progression pathway into nature-based sectors through the education and skills system.
- Complete a Skills Audit of a Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention project and produce a graphic to raise awareness of the range of nature-based jobs involved
- Launch next round of the Working with Rivers training scheme with Fisheries Management Scotland
Volunteering
- Explore ways to connect a diverse range of potential volunteers with volunteer opportunities in NatureScot and more widely across the nature-based sector, through engagement with the Make Your Mark volunteering network.
- Deliver a national framework for volunteering and citizen science and grow our volunteer activity across NatureScot.
Apprenticeships
- Work with partners to promote new apprenticeship frameworks and increase the number of Land & Nature apprenticeships and apprentices
- Scope land and nature apprenticeship scheme with partners, including new NatureScot apprenticeships on NNRs
Theme 3: Understanding demand
- Support MSc. project to define ‘Nature Restoration skills and jobs’ as a starting point for skills mapping.
Equality, Diversity & inclusion (EDI) within nature based sector - partnership to action change
- Use our reputation and influence to advocate for improving EDI in the nature-based sector.
- Ensure EDI in all aspects of our projects and those we support or fund, and influence others to do the same.
Theme 4: Supporting skills development
Trial new approaches to upskilling in sectors where climate and nature actions will require new skills
- Launch and promote Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh (RBGE)/ NatureScot “Nature positive Amenity Grassland Management Online Course on RBGE “Propagate” Learning Platform
- Prepare “Plant selection for blue-green Infrastructure” online learning package
Supporting the development of skills for peatland restoration
- Support crofting communities to enable them to engage more actively in Peatland Action
- Develop training capacity and training the trainer capacity.
- Develop peatland restoration design capacity
- Develop contractor capacity
- Support talent attraction and develop and secure future workforce.
Annex 1 - A Sample of Nature-based jobs for net zero
| Sectors | Roles and skills |
|---|---|
Green finance The financing needed for nature based solutions to the climate emergency and other societal problems |
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| Investing in nature based solutions - Investment in nature-based solutions can deliver carbon reductions at a fraction of the cost of engineered solutions, at the same time as enhancing natural assets and delivering a range of ecosystem services. |
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| Transforming land use and future rural support - the Committee for Climate Change highlights the need for transformative land use change if Scotland and the UK is to meet its climate change targets. |
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| Urban Green Infrastructure and active travel targeted at improving disadvantaged areas makes our towns and cities more attractive for people to live and work in, and attracts jobs, businesses and investment |
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| Nature based tourism makes up about 40% of all tourism in Scotland, contributing £1.4bn to the Scottish economy, supporting approximately 40,000 jobs. Tourism is one of the key sectors that has been heavily impacted by Covid 19. |
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| Sustainable marine management |
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