We launched the Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign in 2018, calling for a Scottish Environment Act that would:
- Embed key EU environmental principles in Scots law
- Create an independent and well–resourced watchdog to enforce environmental protections
- Set clear, legally binding targets to stop and reverse the loss of our natural environment
Our first two demands – environmental principles and a watchdog – were in response to the UK’s impending departure from the European Union, and the need to maintain the crucial environmental protections that came with EU membership.
Our third demand – targets for nature recovery – recognises that existing protections are not enough, and that we need transformative action to stem the loss of Scotland’s unique wildlife and habitats.
The Scottish government hasn’t yet brought in a Scottish Environment Act. But at the end of 2020 it brought in the EU Continuity Act, which embedded key environmental principles in Scots law, and set up a new watchdog, Environmental Standards Scotland.
The EU Continuity Act was a major victory for our campaign. However, the new watchdog is not as strong as we hoped it would be, and the organisations behind the Fight for Scotland’s Nature campaign, members of Scottish Environment LINK, continue to push for it to be given more teeth.
Read our blog from January 2021 assessing the strength of EU Continuity Bill and the watchdog.
While maintaining or replacing EU environmental protections was crucial, this on its own was never going to be enough to stop the loss of Scotland’s species and habitats.
Now we’re calling on the Scottish government to set clear, legally binding targets to halt and reverse the decline of our amazing nature, so that it can recover and thrive for generations to come.