Scottish Biodiversity List - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Scottish Government tasked NatureScot with the revision of the Scottish Biodiversity List (SBL) to ensure that it helps to prioritise resources and conservation action towards the species and habitats than can help reverse biodiversity loss in Scotland.

Some of our stakeholders told us that they did not find the previous list useful in helping them to prioritise their conservation work, so we worked to ensure that the revised list does this more effectively, and more clearly links to the vision set out in Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy; to reverse nature loss and restore Scotland’s nature by 2045. 

The previous list was long and needed significant specialist knowledge to apply. For example, it contained 240 species of single-celled algae which need a microscope to identify. It also gave conflicting messages; of the almost 2,000 terrestrial species listed, only 626 needed conservation action.

The revised list has been developed from scratch. It is shorter and more targeted; focusing on the species and habitats that need conservation support now, and where people can do something to help them. It helps to prioritise resources and action towards the plants, animals and habitats that can help restore and regenerate Scotland’s nature.

Many of the species that do not appear on the revised list are plants, lichens, fungi, mosses, algae and moulds (reduced from 1,415 species to 80).  However, two thirds of the species added are from these groups.

The revised list has 62 new species and habitats that didn’t feature in the previous list. This includes flowering plants such as aspen and mountain willow, insects such as the white-faced darter dragonfly and fungi such as the bog waxcap and wooly tooth.

The purpose of the list is to support public bodies to carry out their biodiversity duty effectively. The list is also used by other organisations, people and communities to help identify priorities and inform actions to restore and regenerate biodiversity. 

In this way, the list will help deliver the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and Scotland’s contribution to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 

For terrestrial species and habitats, a series of criteria were developed to help with rationalising the list. The criteria cover elements such as degree of international responsibility, links to the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, urgency of action needed, whether it is a keystone species and if targeted action is feasible.

For marine species and habitats, we used the existing Priority Marine Features criteria, as agreed with Scottish Government. The criteria cover elements such as the importance of Scottish waters to the species or habitat, whether it is in decline or at threat of decline, and its functional importance, such as a key prey or predator species, or a habitat that creates structure or increases biodiversity.

A review of Priority Marine Features is planned for the National Marine Plan 2 consultation. The Scottish Biodiversity List will be amended, if required, then.

The focus of the list is to support public bodies to carry out their biodiversity duty effectively. The list does include some endangered species, but it is not a list of the rarest species in Scotland. 

The Scottish Biodiversity List identifies the plants, animals and habitats that are of the most importance to biodiversity in Scotland and need conservation action now to restore them back into a healthy and thriving state. However, not being included on the list does not diminish any international obligations nor necessarily exclude any action such as research to fill data gaps or reducing our impacts on habitats and species that are less common.

Unfortunately, we know that climate change means that some species may become locally extinct in Scotland. For example, species that depend on long-lasting snow patches. Scottish Government may decide to revise the Scottish Biodiversity List in the future, as we gain further understanding on the impacts of climate change on species and habitats.

Changes include additions and removals of habitats and species, as well as habitat and species names changes so that the list better aligns with the Priority Marine Feature list. The Scottish Biodiversity List continues to include marine birds. 

To help with prioritising action, many of the marine species that are part of a marine habitat, or associated with it, are not listed separately, as conservation action is more usefully focussed on the habitat. For example, conservation action for the habitat native oyster beds will automatically provide conservation action for the native oyster species, alongside any other species present.

For the revision of the terrestrial species and habitats we talked with species and habitat experts from a wide range of partners working in biodiversity conservation and land management, as well as our own experts within NatureScot. 

We invited 45 stakeholders to engage as part of the process to develop our advice for the revision of the list. This included organisations and groups such as SE Link, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Scottish Crofting Federation, Scottish Land & Estates and Fisheries Management Scotland, among others.

For the revision of marine species and habitats, we aligned the Scottish Biodiversity List with the Priority Marine Feature list, which was published in 2013 after a full public consultation at that time. We highlighted our plans to align the two lists to marine stakeholders. The focus of engagement with marine stakeholders will be around future revision of the PMF list. 

Here are some comments we’ve received on the revised list:

Jo Pike, CEO Scottish Wildlife Trust said:

“All wildlife is important, but we welcome the publication of the updated Scottish Biodiversity List as a way of identifying species and habitats that are most in need of support. As evidenced by the Scottish Government’s pledge to protect 30% of Scotland’s land and sea for nature by 2030, we have no time to waste in scaling up action for our threatened species and habitats. A healthy natural environment is our life support system, so we hope the Scottish Biodiversity List will drive Government policy across sectors and empower land managers to give biodiversity a much-needed boost.”

Deborah Long, CEO Scottish Environment LINK said:

“LINK and our members have been pleased to work alongside NatureScot to revise and update the Scottish Biodiversity List, which identifies those species and habitats most urgently in need of action in today's nature crisis. With an agreed list of threatened species and habitats, Scotland is better equipped to slow and halt the loss of species by 2030 and connect, restore and build the resilience of our unique and precious nature by 2045, exactly as set out in Scotland's Biodiversity Strategy.”

Anne McCall, Director RSPB Scotland said:

“Scotland is one of the most nature depleted countries on earth, and our native wildlife species remain, on average, in decline. The Scottish Biodiversity List identifies the species and habitats most in need of conservation action to halt declines, restore populations and build resilience to future challenges. It should and will become a key touchstone for the whole sector and, working alongside wider Ecosystem Restoration initiatives, be a key guide for the delivery of our shared vision for thriving Scottish biodiversity. We thank NatureScot for taking a collaborative approach to its development, and involving stakeholders, like RSPB Scotland, who will be central to delivery and achieving that vision.”

Not necessarily. We revised the Scottish Biodiversity List to more closely reflect the aims of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy and its delivery plan. There are some habitats or species that need further research or survey to help us understand what conservation action is needed and we recognise the importance of this work. 

Projects that increase understanding of a species or habitat not currently on the list could still receive funding support. We plan to engage with funders to make sure they have a good understanding of how to use the list.

The Scottish Biodiversity List is not a list of the rarest or most iconic species and habitats, and it does not give any additional protection. It is a list of the species and habitats that need conservation action now.

Gulls are facing serious declines of between 44 and 75%, so it’s important we act now to restore their populations. Ospreys and red kites, although important for nature, are not facing declines and are in fact steadily growing in numbers, so they are not currently a priority for conservation action.

Some species, such as native oysters, do not appear on the list, but the habitat they are part of does, such as native oyster beds. This means that we believe conservation action is best focused on the habitat that supports the species, rather than the plants and animals that live in that habitat.

No. The previous list contained animals suggested by the public, such as roe deer, badger and robin, without any specific conservation actions being required for them. These species were included for being iconic, native and widespread, therefore useful in raising awareness of biodiversity among the Scottish public.  The revised list does not have this function; it focuses purely on the animals, plants and habitats that need conservation action to support nature recovery in Scotland.