Implementing the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Framework for Developing the Contribution of Nature-based Volunteering and Citizen Science
Getting everyone involved in volunteering helps people and nature. In recognition of this the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Delivery Plan 2024-2030 includes an action to produce a national framework for nature-based volunteering and citizen science. NatureScot worked with a range of organisations to create this Framework. We are now happy to share it and are asking groups and organisations to sign up and support it.
To sign up to support the Volunteering and Citizen Science Framework please email [email protected] with the name of your organisation and a few words about how your organisation involves volunteers and how you will develop this further. The NatureScot statement is provided below as an example.
- NatureScot involves volunteers across a range of our activities and projects. We also support a number of voluntary bodies who draw on volunteering for delivery, for example in collecting biodiversity data, tackling invasive species, improving greenspaces, and protecting and restoring species and habitats. Our staff are allocated 2 days each year to volunteer to benefit nature.
- The main focus of volunteering activity is at our National Nature Reserves (NNR) with roles ranging from short-term activities such as litter picking or tree planting, to residential placements of several months, to input by volunteers over many years. We are very grateful for the work that our wonderful volunteers do.
- Our new corporate plan commits us to increasing and diversifying our volunteer offer by 2030. We also want to do more to support community led nature recovery and will be looking to develop our partnerships with a range of bodies to do this.
How your organisation can take action in support of the Framework:
- Offer high quality nature-based volunteer opportunities
- Get involved with Volunteers’ Week to thank your volunteers
- Promote communications about nature-based volunteering
- Sign up to Make Your Mark, the inclusive volunteering campaign
- Contribute to the Actions required as listed in Annex A of the Volunteering and Citizen Science Framework as relevant.
- Provide an annual update to NatureScot on action taken / difference made (template to be provided by NatureScot).
List of signatory statements
Cairngorms National Park Authority
The Cairngorms National Park Authority celebrates and supports nature based volunteering in all its diversity. Home to one quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species, with nearly half of its area considered ‘wild land’, opportunities abound. We recognise the transformative impact volunteering can have for volunteers, organisations, the environment and society. Through our Volunteer Cairngorms programme we work with partners across the UK’s largest National Park to coordinate and publicise opportunities to volunteer, so volunteers can sign up through a single portal for a range of volunteering sessions. We also recruit and manage a growing team of Volunteer Rangers and Health Walk Leaders, and work directly with the voluntary and community sector to welcome disadvantaged members of our communities to engage with the special qualities of the National Park through volunteering. Volunteering is diverse and we offer a range of ways to give time from one-off app-based citizen science activities to regular formal commitments, reducing barriers wherever possible. We are committed to further growing and diversifying the opportunities we offer and the volunteers we engage in an appropriate and innovative way, helping address the climate, nature and health emergencies.
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority
Volunteers are an integral part of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority team, contributing their time, skills and energy to caring for Scotland’s first National Park. Working across the organisation and alongside delivery partners, they maintain paths, engage with thousands of visitors, monitor habitats and wildlife, and tackle invasive non-native species that threaten the Park’s ecosystems and put pressure on local communities.
In 2024/25, volunteers dedicated 13,000 hours to this work, maintaining over 50km of trails, clearing 850 water bars, ditches and drains, and transplanting 40,000 seeds, seedlings and trees – alongside wider activity that supports the landscape and the people who rely on it. Volunteering also brings real benefits for the people involved, helping build confidence, improve wellbeing and create lasting connections. We are hugely grateful for the commitment, energy and enthusiasm our volunteers bring.
As we look ahead, volunteers will continue to play a role in shaping the future of the National Park. In our National Park Partnership Plan, we have committed to welcoming and supporting a diverse range of volunteers by 2029 and to building the skills and confidence of those who freely give their time to make sure people and nature thrive.
National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is fully supportive of the Framework for Nature Based Volunteering and Citizen Science, recognising the need for growth in the number and diversity of people volunteering in the land and nature sector. We will continue to support high quality nature-based volunteer opportunities through the projects that we fund, promote best practice in planning and developing volunteering opportunities (Volunteers good practice guidance | The National Lottery Heritage Fund), and highlight and share insights on the impact of support for nature-based volunteering in Scotland.
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Across Scotland, volunteers are at the heart of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) work to save nature. They support us in many ways – from caring for our nature reserves and monitoring species, to engaging communities, offering specialist skills, and helping drive positive change through campaigning.
Volunteering with RSPB can be as flexible or as long‑term as people need, from one‑off activities to roles that build deep experience over many years. Together, our volunteers make a vital contribution to our conservation goals and are a valued part of our wider workforce. We are immensely thankful for the time, expertise and passion they bring, and we are committed to expanding and diversifying our volunteering offer so that even more people can play a role in protecting nature.
The Conservation Volunteers
TCV The Conservation Volunteers) connects people together to protect and restore nature, delivering lasting benefits for both. In Scotland, we offer a wide range of nature-based volunteering activities across the central belt for people from different backgrounds, ages and abilities to help protect and enhance our local greenspaces and biodiversity. Through mobilising and supporting volunteers, we provide opportunities for local people and communities to take direct practical action for biodiversity, and empowering others to do more for nature on their doorsteps. Across Scotland, hundreds of local community and voluntary groups belong to TCV’s Community Network, which provides information and resources to support grassroots environmental action. We are also committed to providing a diverse range of training and learning opportunities, and can help you discover your ‘inner scientist’ and that hidden passion for nature. We are always looking for ways to further develop our volunteering offer to ensure even more people across Scotland have the chance to get involved and take action for nature.
Find out about volunteering opportunities near you on the TCV Scotland website.
Volunteer Scotland
Volunteer Scotland are pleased to be signatories of the Nature-based Volunteering and Citizen Science Framework. Volunteers are essential in maintaining and growing Scotland’s rich and diverse natural environment and wildlife, and this framework will be crucial in bringing together the key organisations for driving increased volunteering participation. Volunteer Scotland are eager to fulfil the aims of the framework and hope that beyond increasing volunteering participation, nature-based volunteers will also receive greater recognition for their role in sustaining Scotland’s world-class natural environment
West Lothian Council
West Lothian Council is proud to support nature-based volunteering through its Parks and Woodland Service, led by the Ranger Service and Ecology & Biodiversity teams. By investing Nature Restoration Fund (NRF) resources into projects that actively involve communities, we aim to help restore nature while strengthening people’s connections to it.
In 2023–24 alone, over 1,200 volunteers contributed their time to activities including habitat restoration, site monitoring, maintenance, and community events. Their involvement is vital—not only for improving biodiversity, but also for deepening ecological understanding and supporting the Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) 2025–2035 vision to repair human connections with nature.
Nature-based volunteering and citizen science sit at the heart of our LBAP, supporting multiple cross-cutting goals and actions. Alongside organised volunteering activities, we encourage wider participation through tools like iRecord and Merlin, helping individuals play an active role in recording and protecting local wildlife.
A key step forward has been the creation of a Volunteer Working Group, bringing together council services, third sector organisations, NGOs, and community groups. Meeting at least twice a year, the group focuses on:
- Coordinating volunteer efforts
- Sharing knowledge and resources
- Addressing challenges and improving opportunities
Partners are committed to collaboration, promoting opportunities through the Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian, and applying the principles of the Volunteer Charter.
We also recognise and celebrate the incredible contributions of volunteers through initiatives like Volunteer Week, helping to showcase achievements, inspire participation, and grow our volunteer community.
We will continue to:
- Support and strengthen the Volunteer Working Group
- Expand inclusive volunteering opportunities that build skills and connections to nature
- Grow citizen science through partnerships, including with The Wildlife Information Centre
- Promote opportunities through events and a more centralised platform to make volunteering easier to access
Working together, we strive to create a stronger, more connected future for people and nature within West Lothian.
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