NatureScot's Strategic Evidence Needs
Published: 2019
Preface
Government and its agencies make repeated references to evidence led policy and advice. Whilst this is laudable, the reality can be quite challenging as evidence is so often contested. Decisions can stray considerably from what the evidence points to, sometimes for sound ethical, economic or social reasons. In its broadest sense, ‘evidence’ is the available body of facts and information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid. The word is derived from Latin evidentia, meaning ‘obvious to the eye or mind’. Taking that meaning literally, clearly we need first to assemble facts and information to support a proposition or piece of advice.
How welcome therefore to see this document from NatureScot. Developed by staff and involving extensive and detailed discussions with NatureScot’s Board and Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) members, this is a significant contribution to the wider evidence base on which we can take key decisions on sustaining and improving nature and the environment. I am especially pleased that the SAC has been so actively involved in developing this document, serving as peer science reviewers as well as critical advisers on lacunae in topic coverage.
No doubt this document will require periodic updates as scientific knowledge and methods progress. For NatureScot, as it develops its science underpinning the Corporate Plan and strategic framework for a nature-rich future, this document is vital in guiding the research and wider evidence-gathering communities on priorities.
Professor Bob Furness FRSE Chair of NatureScot’s SAC
NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency. Our role is to improve our natural environment in Scotland, and inspire everyone to care more about it. This is our core purpose and reflects the role given to us in Delivering for Today, Investing for Tomorrow: The Government’s Programme for Scotland. We recognise the important contribution that nature makes to a successful Scotland, and have set out our ambition in Connecting People and Nature, our Corporate Plan for 2018- 22.
Working in partnership helps encourage greater investment in nature, delivering projects that achieve far more than we could deliver on our own.
Our Vision
Our vision is that all nature in Scotland – our key habitats, all our greenspace and our native species – is maintained, enhanced and brings us benefits. It’s our job to achieve a balance in the sensitive management of our natural world in order to maintain and enhance biodiversity. A healthy environment is the basis of our quality of life and underpins our economy so it is vital that it is improved to benefit us now and for future generations.
Our Outcomes
We have identified, and are focusing on four key Outcomes:
1. More people across Scotland are enjoying and benefiting from nature
2. The health and resilience of Scotland’s nature is improved
3. There is more investment in Scotland’s natural capital and its management to improve prosperity and wellbeing
4. We have transformed how we work
Strategic Evidence Needs
This document will help us prioritise our own research work and inform our discussion with partners on collaborative work we can undertake, to provide the required evidence to support the delivery of our Corporate Plan, Connecting People and Nature.
|
What do we need to know? |
Why? |
When? |
Who do we need to work with? |
NatureScot Outcomes |
Research type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Conservation priorities for marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats and species (including assessment of the vulnerability to change of species currently identified as priority and the impact of any ongoing action) |
We need to ensure we are taking the most appropriate actions to protect vulnerable habitats and species. Project 9 under the Biodiversity Route Map 2020 aspires to “Deliver focused action for priority species in Scotland”. However, the route map report 2016/17 identifies the need for a “strategic framework” to ensure a more joined-up and coordinated approach to species conservation in Scotland. |
2020 |
SG, SEPA, MS, RBGE, eNGOs, SF FR |
2 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
Better understanding of connectivity between marine protected areas and the wider marine environment |
Effective management of protected areas and surrounding seas. |
2022 |
SG, MS, SEPA, eNGOs, SMRU, fishermen |
2 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
How we can use new technologies to improve our understanding of habitats and species |
Transformative new technologies enable us to do more, better, faster and ultimately cheaper than in the past – resulting in business efficiency and improved service delivery. Earth Observation: Understand the current status and changing state of terrestrial and freshwater habitats at the local scale (protected areas), within their biogeographical context (landscape and network scale) and throughout Scotland as a whole including habitat condition, mapping dynamic ecosystems such as crops and coasts, mapping upland habitat, damage detection. DNA and environmental DNA (eDNA): Rapid assessment of species status in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. This enables us to accurately infer the current or past presence of plants and animals, e.g.: • Site specific and across wider geographic areas • Monitor species at any stage of their lifecycle • Harness new citizen science opportunities |
2020 |
Defra Centre of Excellence Earth Observation, JNCC, SG – collaboration through the Remote Sensing Working Group, SF/FR UK DNA Working group, UK DNA Users Group (DEFRA, NatureScot, NRW, NE, SEPA, EA etc) DEFRA Centre of Excellence |
2 |
Methodological |
|
Improved understanding of predator-prey relationships |
Effective management of protected areas and protected species. |
2020 |
SG, MS, SEPA, eNGOs, SMRU |
2, 3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
Understanding the cumulative impact of our licensing decisions |
Make sure our adaptive management approaches are compatible with maintaining national population levels. |
2020 |
Licence applicants and partners such as RSPB, GWCT etc |
2, 3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
What do we need to know? |
Why? |
When? |
Who do we need to work with? |
NatureScot Outcomes |
Research type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The benefits of nature for people (for specific locations) |
|
|
SG, NHS, SF/FR and main research providers |
1,2,3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
Understanding/quantifying the benefits of nature for workforce productivity and other aspects of the Economic Action Plan |
Scotland is currently 19th out of 36 ranking of OECD member countries for productivity. Thus, demonstrating the connections between people, nature and productivity is key to increasing investment by others in nature. We can use this understanding to work with businesses, to influence placemaking in key locations and to utilise in our casework and upstream planning work. |
2022 |
Scottish Forum for Natural Capital, Businesses, developers, Scotland’s Futures Forum, Scottish Council for Development and Industry, City Deals, Crown Estate, Business in the Community |
1,3 |
Scholarship |
|
What do we need to know? |
Why? |
When? |
Who do we need to work with? |
NatureScot Outcomes |
Research type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How climate and nature are likely to change (biodiversity and geodiversity) | Understanding how climate and nature are likely to change is key to informing management of habitats and species and understanding the effect on specific ecosystem services. Understand impacts of IPBES drivers on the State of Nature report features. | 2020 2022 | SG, SEPA, MS, LAs, SF/ FR SG, SEPA, MS, SF/FR, eNGOs | 2 | Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
Improved understanding of the direct and indirect interactions of marine fisheries and aquaculture on Priority Marine Feature species and habitats to inform management advice both within and outwith MPAs and to influence fishery management/policy (ecosystem approach) |
Inform future advice on development or expansion and future regulation. |
2020 |
SG, MS, SEPA, eNGOs, SMRU |
2, 3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
The best ways to use modelling and decision support tools to address pollution, physical habitat modification and climate change impacts on habitats and on wildlife management decisions |
Help make better informed decisions to restore natural processes that underpin and sustain our biodiversity and geodiversity. Understanding and quantifying the nature and scale of wildlife impacts on other interests (environmental, economic and social). |
2022 |
SG, SEPA, EELG, SF/FR, main research providers |
2,3 |
Methodological |
|
Understanding the most likely impacts on the environment from future options for rural land support |
Changes to the Common Agricultural Policy are the most significant changes in a generation and we do not understand what the impact on the environment may be, particularly for species and habitats that depend on low intensity farm management. |
2022 |
SG, SEPA, main research providers, NFUS, SLE, SF/FR |
2,3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
What do we need to know? |
Why? |
When? |
Who do we need to work with? |
NatureScot Outcomes |
Research type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The type of mechanisms/ approaches we need to use to encourage land managers to do more for nature |
Changes to the Common Agricultural Policy and how land managers may respond to these. |
2022
|
SG, SEPA, main research providers, NFUS, SLE, SF/FR |
2,3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship |
|
The best ways to engage with people to encourage them to connect with and benefit from nature |
Improving our understanding of people, behaviours, attitudes and barriers to inform how we engage with disconnected groups. Evidence and good practice to inform policy and the development of more effective interventions and behaviour change programmes. Identifying approaches to involve more people in engaging with and enjoying protected areas. |
2021 |
SG, main research providers |
1,2,3 |
Scholarship; Methodologica |
|
Ways to increase uptake of adaptive measures and improved nature-based management to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resilience of Scotland’s society to climate change |
We have a public sector duty under the Climate Change Act and SCCAP to work with others in this area. This provides the opportunity to promote nature based solutions (including Natural Flood Risk Management, Building with Nature, Mitigation, Blue and Green Carbon Sequestration etc) where safeguarding nature is seen as an essential prerequisite for society |
2020 |
SG, SEPA, EELG, LAs, MS, SF/FR |
1,2,3 |
Scholarship; Methodological; Knowledge Exchange |
|
How to maximise the benefits for nature from a network approach (including the contribution from/enhancing effectiveness of protected areas) |
Inform the development of a network approach in Scotland. Inform decision making on land use change and support mechanisms for farming and forestry. Develop an ecosystem approach to protected areas, informing management and demonstrating the value of protected areas |
2020 |
SG, SEPA, EELG, LAs, eNGOs, main research providers, NFUS, SLE, Confor, SF/ FR |
1,2,3 |
Scholarship; Methodological; Knowledge Exchange |
|
Ways to improve the understanding and influence of the natural capital concept |
The concept of natural capital is becoming increasingly influential in public policy in terms of being referred to in Government’s Economic Strategy and other high level policies. In order to retain influence, demonstrate leadership and demonstrate application and relevance of natural capital, we need to research several areas. Notably, we need to improve our understanding of natural capital, fill in some of the research gaps, improve understanding of how natural capital concepts can be used at a practical level, and quantify benefits for people from nature. |
2021 |
SG, Scottish Forum for Natural Capital business, industry, investors, Scottish National Investment Bank |
2,3 |
Primary data gathering; Scholarship; Methodological; Knowledge Exchange |
|
The approaches we can use to work with multiple groups of people to tackle difficult issues in wildlife management |
Respond to Cabinet Secretary request that we find common ground on long-standing conflicts in conservation. |
2021 |
SG, MS, NFUS, SLE, eNGOs |
2,3 |
Scholarship; Methodological |
|
What do we need to know? |
Why? |
When? |
Who do we need to work with? |
NatureScot Outcomes |
Research type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Understanding where our interventions in the Planning and other regulatory system make the biggest difference for people and nature |
|
2021 |
SG, LAs, SEPA, MS, SF/FR, industry |
2,3,4 |
Primary data gathering; |
|
What our customers think of our services. Understanding customer satisfaction |
This is a key requirement of regulatory reform. |
2020 |
SG, SEPA, MS, LAs, licence holders, owner occupiers, general public |
1,2,3,4 |
Primary data gathering |
*NB We anticipate that Universities and the Scottish Government Centres of Expertise would be potential partners in all Research Areas. MASTS – Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland – will continue to be a key partnership for marine and coastal research.
Key to Organisation Acronyms
Confor – Confederation of Forest Industries
DEFRA – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
EA – Environment Agency
EELG – Environment and Economy Leaders Group
eNGOs – Environmental Non-Governmental Organisations
IPBES – Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
JNCC – Joint Nature Conservation Committee
LAs – Local Authorities
MS – Marine Scotland
NE – Natural England
NFUS – National Farmers Union, Scotland
NHS – National Health Service
NRW – Natural Resources Wales
RBGE – Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
RSPB – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
SEPA – Scottish Environment Protection Agency
SF/FR – Scottish Forestry/Forest Research
SG – Scottish Government
SLE – Scottish Land and Estates
SMRU – Sea Mammal Research Unit
Disclaimer: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has changed its name to NatureScot as of the 24th August 2020.
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