NatureScot's Gaelic Language Plan monitoring report 2024 - 2025

How many written communications have the organisation received from the public in Gaelic this year?

8 information requests. This is an increase from 3 in the 2023/24 reporting period, and includes a National Park consultation response and an FOI request.

How many posts did the organisation distribute on social media in Gaelic this year?

82 in Gaelic/bilingually plus 8 additional posts relating to Gaelic names for species. These were posted on X and Facebook, with video content also posted on Instagram. This is an increase from 78 posts in the 2023/24 reporting period.

How many press releases did the organisation publish in Gaelic this year?

9 bilingual news releases. This is an increase from 5 in the 2023/24 reporting period.

• 02/07/2024: Port-adhair Ìle a’ cruthachadh raon-laighe sàbhailte do steàrnagan-beaga
• 30/08/2024: Coilltean Caillte
• 10/10/2024: Gàirnealairean air am brosnachadh gus fois a ghabhail as t-fhoghar
• 07/11/2025: NàdarAlba a’ cur air bhog co-chomhairleachadh air beachd Pàirc Nàiseanta ùr na h-Alba ann an Gall-Ghàidhealaibh
• 23/01/2025: Dùthaich nam Boglaichean ga comharradh aig cùirm shònraichte nach fhacas a-riamh roimhe
• 09/02/2025: Tha Alba a’ comharradh 20 bliadhna de chothroman inntrigidh dhan bhlàr a-muigh
• 18/02/2025: Fèis Fiadh-Bheatha nan Eilean a’ tilleadh ann an 2025
• 06/03/2025: Luchd-ealain ionadail gan sireadh airson taisbeanaidhean ealain aig Fèis Fiadh-bheatha nan Eilean
• 22/05/2025: Seo dhut prògram Fèis Fiadh-bheatha nan Eilean 2025

How many staff received Gaelic skills training this year?

Workshops 

August 2024: recording of a Gaelic Awareness workshop with Ruairidh Maclean available as an e-learning resource for all staff.

January 2025: 2 x half-day Gaelic and nature workshops with Ruairidh Maclean. 38 NatureScot members of staff attended. Workshops were recorded and are available to all staff as an e-learning resource.

March 2025: 2 x half-day place-name workshops with Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba. 32 NatureScot members of staff attended.

Language learning

We continue to direct staff interested in learning Gaelic to register for a SpeakGaelic account and use this method of self-guided, online learning to work through materials at their own pace. 

Attendees to our new, monthly ‘cupa is cabadaich’ tea-break meetings for staff (more information in main report):

• Sep 2024 – 7 attendees
• Nov 2024 – 9 attendees
• Dec 2024 – 9 attendees
• Jan 2025 – 8 attendees
• Feb 2025 – 8 attendees
• Mar 2025 – 3 attendees
• Apr 2025 – 4 attendees
• May 2025 – 7 attendees

How many posts do you currently have where Gaelic is an essential skill?

1 post (0.6 FTE) – Gaelic Officer

How many staff currently within the organisation have Gaelic skills?

December 2024: We surveyed Gaelic skills within an organisation-wide staff survey. 67 members of staff indicated that they have Gaelic skills and that 18 of these people use these skills whilst carrying out their role within the organisation.  

How many organisational publications have been published bilingually (Gaelic and English) this year?

Make Space For Nature

As part of our ongoing Make Space For Nature campaign, our seasonal tips for reversing nature and biodiversity loss continue to be published bilingually - spring, summer, autumn, winter.

We produced Gaelic-only campaign videos for use on our social media each season. 

Scottish Outdoor Access Code

To mark 20 years of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC), in early 2025 we provided funding to partner agencies to create digital content celebrating the milestone year. Applicants were asked to explain how they would support the use of Gaelic within their content. As a result, two projects produced SOAC anniversary content in Gaelic – 1 video from YoungScot and 7 short videos from British Horse Society Scotland. We provided media assets (video tails and branding strips) in Gaelic, and supported both partner organisations with subtitles, translation and proofing of their videos.

NatureScot funding

In July 2024, NatureScot’s funding officers emailed casework projects to encourage use and promotion of Gaelic within their work.

National Nature Reserves – signage and interpretation panels

The following interpretation panels were updated:

• Standalone panel in Gaelic at Craigellachie NNR
• Gaelic place-names and their meanings were installed on new signs on four Loch Lomond islands – Clairinish, Torrinch, Creinch, and Aber Isle.

Peatland ACTION – interpretation panels

We installed new, bilingual interpretation panels at the Peatland ACTION restoration site at Camster Estate, Caithness. 

Events

Our Royal Highland Show stall had 11 bilingual panels (panels consist of titles and images only). These panels were also used at the Wildlife Estate Scotland Assembly, the Scottish Land and Estates’ Conference and the ‘Helping It Happen’ awards’ ceremony.

Website

Excluding news releases, as of June 2025 we had 39 bilingual webpages. New pages created during this reporting period:

• Craigellachie NNR leaflet
• SOAC camping page
• SOAC 20^th anniversary branding
• Make Space For Nature campaign toolkit
• Volunteering with NatureScot
• Volunteering in the outdoors
• Native oyster education materials
• Birchwood
• Ecosystem services

Species on the Edge launched a standalone website in November 2024 and we provided Gaelic versions for the following three pages:

• Argyll and Inner Hebrides area page
• Outer Hebrides area page
• Outer Hebrides Wildlife Festival – about us

Blogs

We published 12 Gaelic-themed bilingual blogs, written by Ruairidh Maclean, on our Scotland’s Nature blog site, along with a bilingual blog about the Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund in August 2024 and a blog in December 2024 about the Great Yellow Bumblebee community project in Tiree.

As of November 2025, these 12 blogs from Ruairidh have been viewed a combined total of 15,495 times. The Gaelic versions have had 2,552 views and 12,943 views in English. The most popular blog from this time was August 2024’s King of the Forest post which racked up 5,757 views. It is encouraging to note that from January to June 2025 there has been a steady increase in the number of views to the Gaelic versions of the blogs. 

Media interviews 

5 Gaelic interviews were recorded for BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and An Là by our Gaelic Officer during this reporting period. Our Gaelic Officer was also interviewed for BBC Scotland’s Out of Doors programme in February 2025 about our Coilltean Caillte / Forgotten Woodlands project.

Species on the Edge

Species on the Edge is a partnership programme led by NatureScot, with seven nature conservation charities dedicated to improving the fortunes of 37 priority species found along Scotland's coast and islands.

During this reporting period we continued to provide strong Gaelic outputs, particularly in the Outer Hebrides and Inner Hebrides & Argyll project areas. This has been aided by the project’s bespoke Gaelic policy for the partnership (developed in January 2024).

Our outputs have included:

• Support for project staff with Gaelic email signatures, job titles, etc
• Gaelic webpages
• Gaelic names for each priority species (where known) on relevant species’ webpages
• Bilingual Argyll & Inner Hebrides newsletter
• Gaelic leaflets for two project areas – Outer Hebrides and Argyll & Inner Hebrides – and the generic project leaflet
• Bilingual stakeholder engagement in the run up to the Outer Hebrides Wildlife Festival (managed by Species on the Edge), including emails and posters in Gaelic, and a bilingual advert in Am Pàipear.
• A bilingual recruitment campaign in November 2024 for a Community Engagement Trainee in the Outer Hebrides and a Biological Recording Trainee in Argyll, and in February 2025 for a Project Officer in Argyll & the Inner Hebrides (including job advert, social media, and a stakeholder email). Gaelic was a desirable skill for all three of these positions.
• World Gaelic Week 2025 campaign on social media - 6 posts with Gaelic names and soundfiles for the project’s priority species
• Gaelic versions of species’ guidebooks for the short-necked oil beetle and solitary bees
• Bilingual short-necked oil beetle interpretation panel at Barra Airport and Eoligarry machair

Eisirean! / Native Oysters! project with the University of Glasgow

This is a University of Glasgow project exploring the restoration of native oysters for natural, economic and cultural benefits and the regeneration of coastal communities via science and language. Our Gaelic Officer and Marine Enhancement Officer have both contributed in-kind to this work since June 2024.

Our Gaelic Officer has produced Gaelic versions of 11 activity sheets for schools/children that explore native oyster habitats in Scotland. These resources were cascaded via Stòrlann and are available on our website and via the Outdoor Learning Directory.

‘Source to Sea’ animation

We produced a Gaelic version of a three-minute animation highlighting the ‘source to sea’ approach to managing our environment to tackle the climate and nature crisis.

Natural and Cultural Heritage Fund

We produced a video with Gaelic subtitles to celebrate the successes of the fund. As of November 2025, it has been viewed over 800 times. 

Multi-agency networks

We have continued to actively participate in the Gaelic Officers’ Network and Scottish Government’s Faster Rate of Progress group.

How is the organisation increasing the learning of Gaelic?

Workshops

In January 2025, 38 members of staff attended two half-day ‘Gaelic and nature’ workshops led by Ruairidh Maclean. With Ruairidh’s permission, we recorded the workshop and this is now available to all staff to watch as an e-learning resource at any time in the future. This compliments our existing ‘Gaelic Awareness’ recordings, allowing us to offer a good suite of online learning for all staff. 

In March 2025, 32 members of staff attended half-day Gaelic place-name workshops led by Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba.

Language learning

We direct staff interested in language learning to enrol for a SpeakGaelic account and use this method of self-guided, online learning to complete materials at their own pace.

Beginning in September 2024, we now run monthly ‘cupa is cabadaich’ tea-break meetings for staff. The sessions are led by our Gaelic Officer and provide an informal opportunity for people to practise their Gaelic skills and usually include a short presentation on varying topics (e.g. weather, days, numbers). Attendee numbers:

• Sep 2024 – 7 attendees
• Nov 2024 – 9 attendees
• Dec 2024 – 9 attendees
• Jan 2025 – 8 attendees
• Feb 2025 – 8 attendees
• Mar 2025 – 3 attendees
• Apr 2025 – 4 attendees
• May 2025 – 7 attendees

How is the organisation promoting a positive image of Gaelic?

Coilltean Caillte / Forgotten Woodlands

Arising from a recommendation made in our 2021 ecosystem services and Gaelic scoping exercise, Coilltean Caillte is a partnership project that has set out to map all Scottish place-names which denote woodland coverage. Some of these areas are still wooded but, of particular interest, are the current areas of open ground, with no records of previous land-use beyond linguistic clues – the ‘forgotten’ woodlands.

The project is a partnership between NatureScot, Forestry and Land Scotland, and Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA). Future Woodland Scotland was the main project funder. We also received funding from the Forest, Peat and Rural Land Management programme at the University of Edinburgh, and NatureScot.

We launched the project on Friday 30 August 2024, publishing 

• the full dataset with over 15,700 place-names
• a bilingual StoryMap that outlines the project
• research report
• a bilingual news release
• a case study on Glen Mallie Pinewood (as part of news release)

The project was picked up by outlets including The National and the Scottish Herald, and our Gaelic Officer was interviewed for BBC Radio nan Gàidheal and BBC Scotland’s Out of Doors.

We were incredibly pleased with the positive response and engagement generated by the launch. In November 2024, the Scottish Government’s Short Life Working Group on Economic and Social Opportunities for Gaelic described the Coilltean Caillte project as “a seminal demonstration of the way in which Gaelic’s historical relationship with Scotland’s landscape can be a key tool in advancing an urgent contemporary policy goal.” 

NatureScot’s Gaelic Officer and AÀA presented the project to Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s BOAG (corpus planning) group in November 2024.

As of December 2025, the StoryMaps have been viewed 9,761 times, and for a one-year period up to December 2025 the dataset itself has been viewed 33,552 times.

Gaelic skills for nature-based careers

On 30 October 2024 our Gaelic Officer and colleagues from our nature-based skills and jobs team attended Skills Development Scotland’s Siuthad! Gaelic careers’ fayre in Inverness. We took along our interactive Peatland ACTION digger simulator, a ‘bog in a box’, and we ran a stall on nature-based careers. 200 high-school Gaelic-learner pupils from across the Highlands were at the event.

Based on the pop-up banners that we produced in-house for Siuthad!, we produced an English and a Gaelic postcard/tile version for use on our social media channels during Green Careers Week in November 2024, highlighting the links between Gaelic and nature-based careers.

World Gaelic Week 2025

We released a Make Space For Nature podcast with Ruairidh Maclean, titled ‘Named By Nature’. During the 24 minute conservation, Ruairidh shares his unique path from lowland Scotland to Tasmania and back again, and we discuss the profound ties between the Gaelic language and Scotland’s nature.

As of November 2025, the podcast had been downloaded 616 times and is the 4th most listened to episode in our Make Space For Nature series.

We also undertook these activities during WGW:

• Three intranet posts (Mon – about WGW; Tues – resources; Thu – how to say ‘NàdarAlba’ and ‘Tèarmann Nàdair Nàiseanta’)
• ‘Cupa is cabadaich’ for staff
• Internal and external promotion of our podcast with Ruairidh Maclean
• Daily Make Space For Nature winter tips (7 x videos in Gaelic) on our social media
• Sharing of WGW content on Instagram stories

Social media

Over the course of this period, our Gaelic social media posts have included campaigns such as 

• Nature Restoration Fund project videos (July – August 2024)
• Deer management video series (August 2024)
• Festive ‘Nature Words of the Year’ (December 2024)
• Make Space For Nature ways to help nature in late-winter (February 2025 during WGW)
• In Our Nature spring flower animations (April 2025) – these are predominantly in English, with the purpose of exploring literal translations of Gaelic names for species

In October 2024 we created a YouTube playlist to collate all of our Gaelic videos. 

Internal communications – intranet

We continue to produce monthly feature pieces on our intranet homepage entitled ‘Gaelic – it’s in our nature’. Each month our Gaelic Officer writes an article on a Gaelic-themed nature topic, exploring the inseparable links between the language and Scotland’s nature. The articles have been well-received by staff, and often link to other learning resources. Topics have included – seaweed, hazel woods, wildcats, and machair.

We refreshed our staff guidance on Gaelic during Communications’ Month in October 2024. A part of this we produced a news article and a quiz for staff.

Internal communications – Viva Engage

Our Gaelic community on Viva Engage continues to grow. In this period, we have shared 65 posts (an increase of 14 from 2023/24), and as of June 2025 it had 75 members (an increase of 16 members, though content can be viewed by all staff). We use the community to share a wide variety of content, from blogs and project updates to language learning resources and news stories.

Internal – staff conference

At our all-staff conference in December 2024, our series of In Our Nature animations exploring literal translations for plant names was played.

Outer Hebrides climate change working group

Our Gaelic Officer attended a meeting of this partnership group in November 2024 and gave a short talk to promote NatureScot’s commitments to Gaelic. We extended an open offer to work with the member organisations going forwards.

Has your public authority identified any particular issues relating to equality of opportunity with regard to the development of Gaelic language?

We have no evidence of such issues.

Are there any equalities policies, procedures or measures that have been implemented by your public authority, or are in the process of being implemented, that are relevant to advancing the equality of opportunity in the development of Gaelic language? Can you tell us about them?

The following appears on all of our job adverts: ‘Although Gaelic Language is not a pre-requisite for this post, as part of our commitment to our Gaelic Language Plan, Gaelic Language is a desirable skill for all posts within NatureScot’.

Equal Respect: Gaelic language plan commitments delivered to an equal standard in both Gaelic and English.

We demonstrate equal respect to both languages when delivering Gaelic Plan commitments.

Active Offer: Practical measures to ensure that staff and public are kept regularly informed of all opportunities that exist to use Gaelic in relation to the work of the public authority.

Website

• A link to our Gaelic landing page can be found on our homepage (under ‘quick links’) and it appears on every subsequent page that users visit.
• A link to the Gaelic landing page within the main menu of the website.
• A statement on our contact us page.
• When a Gaelic version of a webpage is available, this is linked at the very top of the webpage.

Social media

• As listed above, we regularly post in Gaelic on these channels. 

Internal comms 

• We use our intranet and Viva Engage channel to promote opportunities.

Third Parties: Ensure that Arm’s Length Executive Organisations and other contractors help with the delivery of the public authority Gaelic language plan.

This happens to an extent with our facilities management contractor in Great Glen House (Inverness).

Normalisation: Gaelic plan commitments are normalised within the structures of the public authority over time, with opportunities to grow Gaelic within existing budgets constantly assessed.

Our Gaelic Plan commitments are normalised throughout the organisation and we feel that we have good momentum in expanding our use and promotion of the language in line with available resources. NatureScot has an annual budget for its Gaelic Plan and assosciated projects. 

Logo: Aim to render the corporate logo in both Gaelic and English at the first opportunity and as part of any renewal process. The logo should demonstrate equal prominence for both languages.

NatureScot’s logo is bilingual.

Signage: Prominent signage will include Gaelic and English as part of any renewal process.

Our signage is renewed infrequently, but we remain committed to using Gaelic.

Promotion: Positive message that communication from the public in Gaelic is always welcome.

We have information on our contact us webpage to say that we welcome communications in Gaelic.

Written communication: Written communication in Gaelic is always accepted (post, email and social media) and replies will be provided in Gaelic in accordance with the general policy.

This is correct. Supplied above is the data on written communication from the public during this reporting period, and we have a message on our website and customer care page.

Reception and phone: Where Gaelic speaking staff are capable of providing this service, they are supported to do so and the service is promoted to the public.

We do not currently have any Gaelic speakers within our reception staff. Gaelic is a desirable skill within all of our vacancies.

Public meetings: Opportunities to hold public meetings bilingually or in Gaelic are regularly explored and promoted.

We have not held bilingual public meetings during this reporting period.

News releases: High profile news releases and all news releases related to Gaelic are circulated in both Gaelic and English.

We produced 9 bilingual news release during this reporting period (listed above). 

Social media: Gaelic content distributed regularly through social media, guided by the level of actual and potential users.

82 social media posts in Gaelic.

Website: Gaelic content should be available on the public authority’s website, with emphasis given to the pages with the highest potential reach.

8 additional webpages available in Gaelic, bringing our total to 39 bilingual webpages (exluding news releases).We have also provided Gaelic versions of 3 Species on the Edge webpages during this time. 

Corporate Publications: Produced in Gaelic and English, with priority given to those with the highest potential reach.

National Park consultation documents, and our 2025 Equality and Mainstreaming Report foreword.

Language utility: A process is in place to ensure that the quality and accessibility of Gaelic language in all corporate information is high.

We have a contract with a professional Gaelic translator. Our Gaelic Officer proofreads all documents prior to publication. Our Gaelic Officer successfully completed a Professional Development Award in Gaelic Translation with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig during this reporting period.

Exhibitions: Opportunities to deliver public exhibitions bilingually or in Gaelic should be explored on a regular basis, with priority given to those with the highest potential impact.

Bilingual panels at our 2024 Royal Highland Show stall. These panels were also used at the Wildlife Estate Scotland Assembly, the Scottish Land and Estates’ Conference and the ‘Helping It Happen’ awards’ ceremony.

Internal audit: Conduct an internal audit of Gaelic skills and training needs through the life of each plan.

Survey completed in December 2024.

Induction: Knowledge of the public authority’s Gaelic language plan included in new staff inductions.

This continues to be in place.

Language training: Gaelic language skills training and development offered to staff, particularly in relation to implementing the public authority’s Gaelic language plan.

See above.

Awareness training: Gaelic awareness training offered, with priority given to senior staff, other key decision makers and staff dealing directly with the public.

See above.

Recruitment: Recognising and respecting Gaelic skills within the recruitment process throughout the authority.

Gaelic is a desirable skills for each of NatureScot’s job vacancies.

Recruitment: Gaelic named as an essential and / or desirable skill in job descriptions in order to deliver the Gaelic language plan and in accordance with the Bòrd na Gàidhlig recruitment advice.

Gaelic is a desirable skill for each of NatureScot’s job vacancies. Gaelic is an essential skill for our Gaelic Officer role. As of June 2024, our current vacancies webpage is available in Gaelic. 

Recruitment: Bilingual or Gaelic only job adverts for all posts where Gaelic is an essential skill.

This does happen, but did not occur during this reporting period as no Gaelic essential vacancies were advertised.

Gaelic Orthographic Conventions: The most recent Gaelic Orthographic Conventions will be followed in relation to all written materials produced by the public authority. 

We follow GOC in all aspects of our work in Gaelic.

Place names: Gaelic place name advice from Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba is sought and used.

We are members of the AÀA partnership and follow their advice on place-names. We also partner with AÀA on research projects, such as Coilltean Caillte.