Campaigners present ‘vision of hope’ for Scotland to become rewilding nation

A campaign group calling for Scotland to be declared the world’s first “rewilding nation” has presented the Scottish Government with proposals for rewilding 30% of the country’s land and seas.

The Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of more than 20 conservation and nature-focused organisations, presented what it called its “vision of hope” to Scotland’s climate action minister, Alasdair Allan, during a reception in Edinburgh.

The alliance said rewilding 30% of Scotland can be achieved if ministers “show leadership” and commit to “meaningful action” to restore habitats including peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers and seas.

It said this can be achieved while maintaining and benefiting productive farmland.

Doing so, they said, would help tackle the connected nature and climate emergencies, and create benefits for people and local communities around health, jobs, sustainable food production, re-peopling, clean air and water, and healthy rivers and seas.

Karen Blackport, Scottish Rewilding Alliance co-convener and chief executive of Bright Green Nature, said: “This is about choice and opportunity. Declaring Scotland the world’s first rewilding nation would be a powerful statement of intent that we want to be a world leader in nature restoration.

“Our pathway sets out a route offering the Scottish Government the opportunity to show global leadership.”

According to the alliance, more than 2% of Scotland’s land is currently being rewilded through more than 150 projects – but it said Government inaction on marine protected areas (MPAs) is “holding back” progress at sea.

The alliance said declaring Scotland a rewilding nation would result in “meaningful action”, with ministers using legislation and funding to enable rewilding and empower local communities.

Its pathway to a rewilding nation sets out proposals for making nature recovery the primary purpose of Scotland’s protected landscapes and seascapes.

These include the establishment of wild zones around rivers and coastlines, a doubling of native woodland, a restoration of peatlands, and restrictions on dredging and bottom trawling across MPAs.

It also proposes targets for habitat restoration, which the alliance said will lead to increases in species abundance and biodiversity.

It would see ministers championing the expansion of the beaver population, and begin work on a managed lynx reintroduction in collaboration with stakeholders and communities.

The proposals also set out the role of people and communities, and include action for coexisting with wildlife, support for land managers and farmers, and investment in nature-based economies, jobs and skills.

Steve Micklewight, co-convener of the alliance and chief executive of Trees for Life, said: “As a country, we need to be far more ambitious.

“This is a chance for Scotland to be leading the movement for global change, reclaiming its voice on the international stage by embracing the rewilding nation’s vision of hope for people, nature and climate.”

The alliance said calls for large-scale nature restoration in Scotland are growing, and thousands of people have signed its Rewilding Nation Charter, which calls on Government to commit to urgent action.

At the presentation of the pathway, Mr Allan said: “We are extremely grateful, all of us, for the transformative work under way and for the partnerships that the Scottish Rewilding Alliance has helped to develop.

“Addressing the nature crisis requires a whole-Government and a whole-society approach – working together to achieve a nature positive Scotland by 2030.

“We also need to support nature to help address the climate crisis and to create a climate resilient Scotland. We know we must protect and restore the natural environment for future generations.”

The Rewilding Nation campaign has received high-profile public backing from actors Brian Cox and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The group also pointed to a recent State of Nature report that ranked Scotland in the bottom 25% of countries globally for the state of its nature, with intensive agriculture and climate breakdown having the biggest impacts on biodiversity.

Other threats, according to the report, include non-native forestry, pollution, and introduced species.