Jonny Hughes: Looking at the bigger picture to save wildlife

Published on Friday 3 July 2009 09:18

WILDLIFE continues to decline around the world. In Scotland, this pattern of decline is the same, despite the recent recovery of species such as ospreys and otters.

This loss of biodiversity is set to accelerate as climate change begins to bite, yet our over-exploitation of natural resources continues unabated. We urgently need a new approach to conservation.

Last night, at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) launched its Living Landscapes report, which calls for a "bigger picture" approach to conservation, focused on improving the health of whole ecosystems.

This may sound obvious but, to date, nature conservation has mostly been achieved through legal protection for a few lucky species and by designating protected sites.

Investing in the health of Scotland's ecosystems is not only about saving wildlife, it's also about job creation, tourism revenues, vibrant local economies and quality Scottish produce. We also mustn't forget that most medicines come from biodiversity. An impressive 16 per cent of European patent activity is related to biodiversity.

Roseanna Cunningham, minister for environment, recognised this economic imperative for better stewardship of Scotland's ecosystems at last night's launch, saying: "Scotland's natural environment is worth around 17 billion a year to the Scottish economy, so it is vital that we all act to protect it."

There are signs things are changing. We are heartened that the Scottish Government and its agencies are adopting bigger picture approaches through river basin management planning and green networks. But these programmes are in their infancy.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is playing its part. We currently represent 35,000 passionate members and manage 123 wildlife reserves, and we are actively looking for partnerships with other landowners to turn Living Landscapes into reality.

Jonny Hughes is the director of Conservation, Scottish Wildlife Trust and co-author of the Living Landscapes report