Biodiversity

Over the last century, Scotland’s publicly-owned forests have been managed mainly to produce timber. Yet, the role of the forests and land owned by the Scottish Government has broadened to include recreation and the enhancement of the environment.

Under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, public bodies in Scotland, including ourselves, have a statutory duty to further the conservation of biodiversity across the country. Our Biodiversity Duty Report for the period 2021 to 2023 can be downloaded below. 

The word ‘biodiversity’ is a contraction of ‘biological diversity’ and is the short-hand term we use to refer to the incredible variety and variability of life – on the entire planet or in a particular area. Everything from microbes, plankton, insects and spiders to birds, reptiles, mammals and people!

The Convention on Biological Diversity defines biodiversity as: The variability among living organisms from all sources including, [...] terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.

The easiest way to think about biodiversity is to consider is the number of species. Nearly two million species of animals, plants and fungi have been described so far. There are thought to be between 10 million and maybe as many as 100 million species on Earth.

Even that may be an underestimate. Emerging research into bacteria and viruses indicates that there could be billions of species.

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. Biodiversity forms the foundation for the vast array of benefits (ecosystem services) provided to us by Nature.

These benefits include:

• nutrient and water cycling
• soil formation and retention
• provision of raw materials
• pollination of plants
• regulation of the climate
• pest and pollution control

And many other things that benefit humans. Declines in biodiversity can reduce the ability of an ecosystem to provide these benefits.

Virtually all of Earth’s ecosystems have been dramatically transformed through human actions.

The current loss of biodiversity is now faster than ever before in human history and there is no sign of this process slowing down. Many animal and plant populations have declined in numbers and geographical range. 

At a global level, the main threats to biodiversity are:

• climate change
• habitat loss
• degradation
• pollution
• invasive species
• overexploitation.

In Scotland, our biodiversity is impoverished due to historical land management practices. Most of our landscapes are now managed for particular purposes, such as the production of food or for hunting. This reduces the amount, variety and quality of natural habitats. Whilst these man-made landscapes are good for a few ‘generalist’ species, such as foxes, buzzards and crows, they support far less biodiversity than natural habitats.

Species extinction is a natural part of Earth’s history, but human activity has increased the extinction rate by at least 100 times