Make space for nature text accompanied by illustrations of a blackbird, ladybird and frog

Campaign Supporting Information

Overview

Make Space For Nature is a public facing campaign run by NatureScot, aimed at driving behaviour change.  It provides seasonally relevant ways people can ‘Make Space For Nature’ physically and mentally, encouraging them to care for nature and adopt these habits as part of everyday life.

Aim

The campaign highlights the strong link between nature loss and climate change, and why we need to care for nature. It also instils a sense of hope if we all take immediate action.

Campaign

Campaign activity includes media releases and video content across social media (view a selection on YouTube), supported by radio advertising on local commercial radio stations in Scotland.

Social media text 

11 ways to help nature this autumn. Heading outdoors is good for you, whatever the season. Wrap up warm and embrace nature's autumn palette. From feeding birds and leaving out water, to litter picking and volunteering, we can all do something. More tips ▶️ www.nature.scot/makespace 💚#MakeSpaceForNature

Supporting facts

What does nature have to do with climate change?

  • The twin climate and nature crises are coupled and must be tackled together: we tackle both or we tackle neither.
  • Even if we limit climate heating to 1.5ºC, there will still be significant effects, increased weather events, wildfires and impacts on nature. Climate change drives the degradation of nature.
  • Nature in Scotland is under threat. One in nine (11%) Scottish species are threatened with extinction and since 1994 we’ve lost 15% of our wildlife in Scotland (source: State of Nature Report Scotland 2023).
  • Nature isn’t just nice to have. We all need nature to survive - from the air we breathe to the water we drink and the food we eat. 
  • So we aren’t just in a climate crisis – we’re also in a nature crisis. 
  • Nature is all life everywhere and it exists across all settings in the land and sea. Nature is our insurance policy against climate risks. 
  • By protecting nature and enhancing nature across all uses of the land and sea, we can recover what we have lost and store up to 30% of the necessary emissions globally, helping combat climate change.
  • We call these ‘nature-based solutions’. 

What is a nature-based solution?

  • As well as not burning fossil fuels, protecting and enhancing nature in all uses of the land and sea is essential to getting to and maintaining net zero. This also builds resilience to climate risks. 
  • Nature absorbs and stores a lot of carbon, but when it’s damaged that carbon can leak out. 
  • We have massive amounts of carbon stored in the soil underneath our feet, in our seabeds and in our plants. 
  • Scottish peatlands store 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon; this is equivalent to 140 years’ worth of Scotland’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Peat forms in waterlogged, acidic conditions. Layers upon layers of partially decomposed sphagnum mosses and other bog plants build up, forming peat. This peat-forming process is very slow - it can take 1,000 years to form just one metre of peat.
  • We’re already busy restoring our peatlands, increasing the amount of trees being planted, and protecting marine areas across Scotland.
  • Nature can also protect us from some of the impacts of climate change. More woodlands can help prevent flooding. Coastal towns can also be protected by sand dunes and types of grass that prevent erosion. More hedgerows on farms can protect our soil and crops and give animals a home. 
  • Natural restoration also includes urban spaces. Spending time in green spaces like parks and public gardens helps improve our mental and physical health, as well as supporting nature in the urban environment. Planting more trees alone improves the local air quality and can cool urban spaces by as much as 8°C. Trees also reduce rainwater run-off, meaning less sediments and contaminants enter the drainage systems.