NatureScot’s Science and Evidence Needs
Introduction
NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency. Our role is to improve the natural environment and inspire everyone to care more about it. In the face of an unprecedented nature-climate crisis and dramatic declines in biodiversity, the Scottish Government has set out an ambitious new framework to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 and reverse it with large-scale restoration by 2045. Robust evidence is vital for delivery of the wide range of policies, plans and legislation that underpin these aspirations.
NatureScot’s science and evidence work involves gathering and commissioning information and using it to underpin our advice, decisions and actions. Our remit covers the natural environment, both land and sea and its interactions with and sustainable use by people. As such, our evidence spans and integrates the natural (e.g. biology, geology, geomorphology etc.) and social sciences (e.g. geography, economics, sociology etc.).
The range of evidence we use comes from a variety of sources, including from scientific studies / research, from interactions with the scientific community, from practitioners working in the field (including our own staff) and from the public engaged through citizen science.
This document sets out NatureScot’s priorities for science and evidence to underpin delivery of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. These broad areas of work will be the focus for our research spending through to 2030. Periodic review of the priorities will take place as scientific knowledge and methods evolve.
We hope this document will help:
- external partners understand what our priority evidence needs are so that they can identify where our needs align and where we can support each other through collaboration and partnerships
- potential funding partners identify where we can work together on research projects
- our staff understand our evidence needs across the different parts of NatureScot, to avoid any duplication, allow better collaboration and be able to advocate to our partners with a shared understanding of our science and evidence needs.
How will science and evidence help us achieve a nature positive future?
We know that nature loss and climate change are inextricably linked. If we are to succeed in tacking these twin crises, then solutions that involve uses of the land and sea, should enhance the state of nature and solutions for nature should enhance climate resilience. The new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS) sets out a clear ambition for Scotland to be Nature Positive by 2030 and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity across the country by 2045. Realising this ambition will involve the completion of many actions by NatureScot and our partners. Gathering evidence to help inform the delivery of these actions will be key and many individuals and organisations will be involved. For example, citizen science contributes a wealth of surveillance data and information about changes in the state of nature, including through the network of Biological Records Centres and other biodiversity recording schemes.
Since its foundation, NatureScot has engaged in, and used the fruits of, monitoring and surveillance work that we undertake ourselves and support others to do. The two terms are often used loosely and interchangeably, but we distinguish between ‘surveillance’ (observing change) and ‘monitoring’ (measuring or testing interventions) based on a clear theory of change (we do X, because we believe/assume Y to achieve Z). Increasingly, we are concerned with assessing uses of the land and seas in the context of the risks and resilience associated with a more chaotic climate both within and across years. To that end, we will continue to undertake both surveillance and monitoring especially where these contribute to our understanding of ecosystem health and key questions around why, where, when and how to intervene most effectively or respond to observed changes.
As one of the lead partners responsible for the SBS, the science and evidence needs identified are intended to help us to:
- To understand better the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, and how these may impact nature in the face of a changing climate.
- Ensure that we have efficient and effective monitoring and surveillance of protected areas, and of priority habitats and species to support decision-making and appropriate interventions.
- Develop our approach to evaluating the impact of management interventions so that we can adopt adaptive approaches as we scale up our nature-recovery work through landscape-scale restoration, nature-based solutions and the use of living labs.
- Ensure we are taking advantage of emerging technologies.
- Understand how we should frame problems to connect with the motivations and behaviours of all parts of society.
- Keep abreast of the latest research findings from around the world.
NatureScot’s priority evidence needs and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy
NatureScot’s science and evidence needs are aligned with the six strategic objectives identified in the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy:
Objective 1 - Accelerate restoration and regeneration
Objective 2 - Protect nature on land and at sea, across and beyond protected areas.
Objective 3 - Embed nature positive farming, fishing and forestry
Objective 4 - Protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats
Objective 5 - Invest in Nature.
Objective 6 - Take action on the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss.
Objective 1: Accelerate restoration and regeneration of our degraded landscapes and ecosystems
Large-scale ecosystem restoration on land and sea is at the heart of our efforts to tackle the nature-climate crisis. Healthy and restored ecosystems will massively contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions and help us adapt to the risks of a more chaotic climate. The restoration of ecosystems in urban areas is also important, requiring changes to the way we plan and manage the green and blue spaces of our towns and cities.
Our science and evidence needs required to underpin the restoration and regeneration of nature in Scotland are focused around:
1.1 Understanding of the impact of land management and climate change on soils which are key for the regeneration of healthy ecosystems.
1.2 Building on our understanding of how restored and regenerated freshwaters and wetlands can 1) be resilient to the increased amplitudes of water due to climate change which we already experiencing and 2) can function to protect society.
1.3 Testing the assumption that removal of pressures from an area of land or sea will increase the ecological resilience, health and biodiversity interest of that area and potentially of distant areas that may be connected by physical, chemical or biological processes (e.g. across nature networks, or by virtue of the connecting water environment from source-to-sea).
1.4 Building the evidence-base to inform ‘opportunity mapping’ - the identification of potential areas for restoration and enhancement (incl. pressure removal) to enhance resilience and deliver the greatest biodiversity and wider ecosystem service benefits.
1.5 Developing our understanding of relationships between the impacts of climate change and human activities to help us prioritise management interventions.
1.6 Gaining a better understanding of invasive species risks and impacts in response to climate change.
1.7 Better understanding of pressures and thresholds relevant to coastal and marine ecosystems, and interventions that build resilience.
1.8 Understanding the impacts of direct human activities and climate change on marine carbon stores.
1.9 Developing models that can inform the scope, scale and distribution of the cull of deer required to reduce damage to habitats, and place-based approaches to reduce exposure to climate risks (for example, reducing grazing pressure and establishing deep-rooting vegetation to stabilise steep slopes above critical infrastructure).
1.10 Development of metrics to inform sustainable grouse moor management.
1.11 Evaluating the impact of muirburn on a range of biodiversity e.g. amphibians and wider water management challenges.
1.12 Developing tools to map and detect change in restored habitats at landscape-scale.
1.13 Understanding the relationship between protected areas and their wider catchments.
Objective 2: Protect nature on land and at sea, across and beyond protected areas
Halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and adapting to climate change requires a step change in action to protect and restore habitats for the long-term and ensure they are well connected. Areas that are protected for nature through legal designation and other mechanisms, and the nature networks they form a part of, form a vital backbone for nature recovery across the wider land and sea. Protected areas provide benefits for society through capture and storage of carbon, provision of local employment opportunities and support to health and wellbeing. They provide a wide range of ecosystem services including pollinator services, water quality and flood management.
Our science and evidence needs to protect nature on land and at sea in Scotland are focussed around:
2.1 Measuring biodiversity loss at a local/regional level, to capture the impact of a changing climate, including opportunity costs and unintended consequences.
2.2 Identifying the broader benefits protected areas provide (e.g. carbon storage and sequestration, climate change mitigation and adaptation, other public benefits).
2.3 Establishing how the make-up of our Protected Area suite and associated features of interest may change over time under different management interventions and climate change scenarios.
2.4 Improving understanding of the relationships between protected areas and the wider environment.
2.5 Understanding the trade-offs and implications associated with designation and management of sites for single-species vs delivering wider biodiversity benefits.
2.6 Assessing the effectiveness of ecological connectivity in order to inform future action and monitoring.
2.7 Understanding the implications of hydrographic changes in Scotland’s seas for biodiversity (incl. distribution shifts and phenological mismatches) and associated sectors (fishing, aquaculture, leisure and tourism and the local coastal communities that rely on these activities).
2.8 Assessing the cumulative impact of developments on certain key species.
2.9 Modelling how 30x30 will support nature and identify the social and ecological merits of expanded nature networks.
2.10 Drive forward approaches to improve the use, accuracy, detail, processing and interpretation of Earth Observation techniques (incl. the role of LIDAR in habitat mapping) in conjunction with the use of Innovative Technologies to support our decision-making.
Objective 3: Embed nature positive farming, fishing and forestry
Agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, and forestry are all embedded in nature and must be managed more sustainably, in particular through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, increasing the productivity and resilience of these production systems.
Our science and evidence needs to support the embedding of nature positive farming, fishing and forestry in Scotland are focussed around:
3.1 Assessing how regenerative farming contributes to ecosystem health and therefore helps achieve maximum sustainable output of farming at a regional scale.
3.2 Developing a common understanding of the distribution and condition of priority habitats managed under agricultural land use, particularly those that have potential to be restored.
3.3 Understanding the trade-offs and cumulative impacts in managing increasing competition for space and resources in the marine environment.
3.4 Understanding of how regenerative agricultural principles can be applied within different farming and bio-regional contexts in the context of a Just Transition and the risks/ resilience associated with a more chaotic climate.
3.5 Identifying the public goods generated by farmers and crofters especially in rough grazing areas associated with pro-climate and nature activities and to aid design of fair reward systems.
3.6 Developing a set of standards and principles to increase the biodiversity potential of production woodlands.
3.7 Identifying risks to plant and animal health especially in natural or semi-natural settings arising from climate risks including pests, pathogens and disease.
3.8 Improving understanding of marine food webs - including the distribution, status and conservation needs of juvenile congregation and spawning areas of key prey species.
Objective 4: Protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats
Scotland is home to significant populations of species which are at risk from the threats outlined in the SBS. Climate change will mean that the profile of species and populations in Scotland will need to adapt but, where feasible, we must make every effort to prevent the extinction of globally threatened species.
Our science and evidence needs to protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species in Scotland are focussed around:
4.1 Understanding more about the impact of climate change on our vulnerable and important species and habitats. This includes understanding the scale at which we need to look at these impacts and hence the scale at which we need to act and who needs to be involved.
4.2 Applying fisheries activity data (intensity, temporal and extent parameters) at appropriate scales to allow for better understanding of pressure-impact relationships and management effectiveness.
4.3 Identifying the potential risks and opportunities for species movement in response to climate change, including conservation translocations.
4.4 Understanding more about what has already been done in terms of adaptive management and ensure we are learning from our own and others experiences nationally and internationally.
4.5 The development of more agile and dynamic management systems that allow for (near) real time responses e.g. based on the presence or absence of vulnerable species and habitats, or abrupt events such as wildfires or marine heatwaves.
4.6 Improving knowledge on source pathways, impacts of, and effective responses to pollutants, plastics, biotoxins and noise on aquatic species.
4.7 Understanding and mitigating the impacts of gear types for fisheries bycatch and entanglement of sensitive marine species. To include consideration of fisheries / gears with (potentially) very low rates of occurrence.
4.8 Developing robust technological approaches to monitoring underpinned by clear and testable theories of change. For example, the use of eDNA in monitoring freshwater and marine habitats.
Objective 5: Invest in Nature
The finance gap for nature in Scotland for the next decade has been estimated to be £20 billion. The biggest gaps relate to biodiversity protection and enhancement (£8 billion) and climate change mitigation through bio-carbon (£9 billion). It is crucial that ways to bridge this finance gap and provide certainty for investment routes which are developed.
Our science and evidence needs to enable investment in Scotland’s nature are focussed around:
5.1 Understanding the economic and social risks associated with ‘business- as-usual’, i.e. current approaches to uses of the land and sea and the associated effects on nature.
5.2 Understanding how the benefits arising from nature restoration can be assessed, especially at a landscape scale. And build a knowledge base of investment vs outcomes.
5.3 Developing a coherent spatial plan which targets investment at the right locations to maximise social and ecological impact and avoid duplication of effort.
5.4 Identifying and bringing together the evidence required for the development of codes and standards to enable investment in ecosystem services including Natural Flood Management and attenuation of flows and to reduce drought risk (e.g. through wetter/moist soils and habitats).
5.4 Identifying and bringing together the evidence needed to develop funding streams to support the creation and management of blue/green infrastructure, based on good evidence, shared monitoring data and delivering on shared priorities.
5.5 Continued development and oversight on definitions of green skills and jobs and the value to the Scottish economy.
5.6 Identifying the social and economic benefits that arise from different restored habitats.
5.7 Defining and measuring greenspace quality and nature richness in urban areas.
Objective 6: Take action on the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss
The IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (May 2019) identifies both direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity loss. The five direct drivers emerge from the indirect drivers, the ‘societal values and behaviours that include production and consumption patterns, human population dynamics and trends, trade, technological innovations and local through global governance’.
Our science and evidence needs that will help us understand and take action to tackle the indirect drivers of biodiversity loss are focussed around:
6.1 Developing effective communications approaches around coastal and marine environment status, benefits, and future needs.
6.2 Exploring the barriers to widespread investment in blue and green infrastructure and path networks including shared outcomes, preventative spend and associated policy, procurement and funding drivers.
6.3 Collecting and using quantitative and qualitative data to track and understand changing public behaviours and attitudes including nature connectedness and the consequences of this for specific examples of policy and practice.
6.4 Understanding effective community engagement and co-production in landscape scale working and nature-based solutions.
6.5 Understanding how principles relevant to governance and shared stewardship of Scotland’s natural environment, can be applied to empower people to participate in decision-making forums.
6.6 Developing an evidence base that helps us describe and quantify the contribution of nature to well-being, including the consequences of degraded nature.
6.7 Developing and promoting understanding of the key trends, drivers and implications of biodiversity loss across the educational system to build ecological literacy and connection with nature for young people.
6.8 Improving our understanding of supply chain effects on biodiversity in marine and terrestrial systems in Scotland and overseas arising from consumption in Scotland, including the effects of certification schemes.
6.9 Research to underpin the development of better tools to enable the following to be embedded in decision-making at a range of scales: ecosystem services and natural capital; cumulative effects; and equity in the distribution of costs and benefits.
