Biodiversity
Humans rely on biodiversity to survive, it's that important for us. It provides the air we breathe, the clean water we drink and the food we eat.
Healthy habitats, iconic species, rare plants and ancient monuments - these all contribute to a vital sense of place and belonging.
Whether they’re found on the doorstep of our cities or in the furthest reaches of our uplands. We're ensuring the natural and cultural heritage on the land we manage is protected, conserved and enhanced.
And it is vital that we do so.
To keep below the 1.5°C global warming target we must protect and restore nature on a massive scale.
The natural environment removes around half of human greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere each year. We rely on the resilience of nature to keep absorbing the emissions we produce.
We protect and conserve habitats by:
- tackling invasive species
- monitoring key species
- recording the historic environment
The way we manage our forests and land also helps to reduce Scotland’s environmental footprint and mitigate the disruption caused by a changing climate.
Our environment underpins everything we do, and we work to create a balance in every area we manage. Scotland’s rich and diverse forests are important natural assets. As custodians, their continuing health and improvement is a vital part of our work.
We are committed to safeguarding our most special places, both large and small, by:
- undertaking sustainable land management to benefit people and communities
- enhancing biodiversity through landscape-scale management
- contributing to the Scottish Government’s climate change targets
Forest resilience
Climate change is creating new threats to nature in Scotland. These threats mean we're taking action to ensure the forests we manage are as robust as possible.
Peatland restoration
Peatland restoration is about restoring the habitat to its best possible condition. The goals of every restoration project involves: habitat, carbon store, soil conservation, and hydrological behaviour.
Renewable energy
The Scottish Government has committed to achieve Net Zero by 2045. One part of reaching this goal is renewable energy. Energy sources like wind and hydro create green electricity for everyday life.
The climate emergency
Scotland’s forests and land are key in fighting the impact of the Climate Emergency and biodiversity loss. See how we're using nature-based solutions in everything we do.