Biodiversity Audit
To be used by farmers and crofters to baseline map the habitats and features on their land and then manage their land to promote biodiversity.
NatureScot has been asked by the Scottish Government to develop a biodiversity audit for farmers and crofters. Maintaining and improving biodiversity on farmland is a key part of the Scottish Government’s Agriculture Reform Programme to deliver its Vision for Scottish Agriculture.
The biodiversity audit that NatureScot is developing, takes a four-step approach:
Step 1 – map the existing habitats and features on farms and crofts
Step 2 – measure the condition of a range of the habitats
Step 3 – manage through options to maintain or increase the condition of the habitats
Step 4 – monitoring the habitats
More details can be found on the steps further down this page.
Throughout 2023 and 2024 we tested the first two steps of the NatureScot biodiversity audit, working with a range of farmers and crofters across Scotland. We have developed and tested these through a digital tool – Farm Biodiversity Scotland – which is free to use and will be available from early 2025.
Farm Biodiversity Scotland as a digital tool, will enable farmers and crofters to complete a habitat map as part of the requirements of the Whole Farm Plan biodiversity audit.
We also tested step 2, looking at a basic and a more advanced habitat condition assessment. At present it is not mandatory to have a condition assessment for habitats as part of the Whole Farm Plan, and we will continue to develop these for the future as part of this project.
Whole Farm Plan – biodiversity audit
From 2025 a Whole Farm Plan will be a mandatory condition for accessing future funding, this will involve all farmers and crofters undertaking a number of audits and plans relevant to their agricultural activities, giving them a complete view of their business’s current performance.
By 15 May 2025 all farmers and crofters who want to receive the Basic Payment Scheme must have completed at least two of these audits and plans. We have developed the Farm Biodiversity Scotland Tool as a method for creating a habitat map to meet the current minimum standard for the biodiversity audit. This is one of the ways you can prepare your biodiversity audit for the Whole Farm Plan for May 2025.
Early in 2025 we are releasing Farm Biodiversity Scotland to all farmers and crofters. It is a digital tool that provides an easy way to complete the simple mapping needed to meet the minimum standard, where all the land managed on a permanent basis should be mapped with at least one habitat per land parcel or field.
NatureScot owns the tool, it is free to use, and we have developed it with farmer and crofter input. It can be used on both the website and as a mobile app. The maps created in this way can then be provided to the Scottish Government to meet the Whole Farm Plan requirements.
As part of the NatureScot biodiversity audit project, we developed some supporting videos that give more information on how to identify grassland, uplands and woodland habitats:
Farm Biodiversity Scotland Tool
The Farm Biodiversity Scotland tool will be available for use in early 2025. Come back in January when we will have the links for you to sign up ready for the release.
NatureScot’s Biodiversity Audit
Step 1 – Mapping
We have created a list of habitat and feature types, which is very similar to the Farm Environment Assessment approach in the current Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS). Farmers and crofters will create a habitat map for the whole of their farm or croft, allocating a habitat category for all the land within their business and including boundary and other linear features where present.
Step 2 - Measuring the condition
In the same way that we developed habitat assessment scorecards for POBAS, we developed a simpler version to give us a broad-based condition assessment of key habitats and features on each farm. They have a rating based on ‘red, amber, green’ to represent poor, moderate or good for biodiversity; these are our basic assessments. We have tested a range of these during 2024. Not all habitats will have an assessment; some habitats will just be recorded as a presence or not. We are also testing some advanced assessments which look at habitat condition in more depth. Simple recommendations for improving habitat condition are also provided. We will continue to develop these assessments and provide access to them through our Farm Biodiversity Scotland platform. A habitat assessment at the moment is not a mandatory part of the Whole Farm Plan.
Species on your farm or croft
The Farm Biodiversity Scotland platform also allows farmers and crofters to record the presence of key species they see on their land. We will be developing this further having had feedback from those that have tested this, but this seems to be a welcome addition to the NatureScot biodiversity audit.
Testing in 2024
We want to provide an audit that everyone can do, if they wish to. So, the feedback we received from the farmers and crofters testing the audit, particularly those new to biodiversity, is crucial to making it simple and accessible to use. The testing consisted of three levels of mapping and habitat assessments from a simple habitat map to more in-depth condition monitoring. These responses from farmers and crofters form an important part of the continuing advisory role we play with the Sc
The next stages of the Biodiversity Audit development:
Step 3 – manage through options to maintain or increase the condition of the habitats. We plan to look at how the biodiversity audit can direct farmers and crofters to the series of management options that are relevant to their habitats and features. This will provide further insight to the Agricultural Reform Programme Tiers.
Step 4 – monitoring the habitats.
As the cycle of mapping and measuring continues, monitoring the impacts and success of measures that are put into place should be simple and clear. The Biodiversity Audit will provide guidance and advice on how this might be completed, as part of the Agricultural Reform for the future.]
If you need more information you can email [email protected]
Find out more
Biodiversity Audit Project and Farm Biodiversity Scotland App - Privacy Statement
Piloting an Outcomes Based Approach to Farming (POBAS)
Natural Capital Assessment Tool - A Whole Farm Approach
Developing a Landscape Scale Natural Capital Tool for Scotland
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