Scottish Parliament election: what the party manifestos say on the environment

Scotland will vote for its next parliament on 6 May and the five main political parties have released their manifestos in the lead up to the election day. To help LINK members and supporters we have produced this guide to help you compare each party’s pledges with the 12 asks in LINK’s Manifesto for Nature and Climate.

This table is a snapshot of commitments that have been made to improve Scotland’s environment in the face of the nature and climate emergency and each party manifesto contains further detail. We have included quotes that go some way to meeting our 12 asks although not all fulfil them completely.

LINK members called What the 5 main parties have said: on political parties to commit to: SNP Scottish Conservatives Scottish Labour Scottish Greens Scottish Liberal (read here) (read here) (read here) (read here) Democrats (read here)

A Nature Network for “We will ensure that “We would establish “Scottish Labour “We will... create a “Our intentions for the Scotland delivering every Local Authority Nature Networks supports… a Nature Nature Network for new national planning bigger, better, more area will have a across Scotland to Network for Scotland Scotland, connecting framework are to: joined up sites for Nature Network of better safeguard through the National habitats across the • Make sure access to nature. new, locally driven protected areas, allow Planning Framework.” country to ensure they green, open spaces, projects which aim to species to move are robust, coherent wildlife corridors and improve ecological between habitats and and proofed against woodland is available connectivity across ensure that our climate change. The to every community.” Scotland.” natural assets are Nature Network will be treated as part of our given statutory weight national infrastructure. in national planning We will work with documents and the UK Government to government policy, ensure Nature and will include areas Networks are seamless for rewilding.” where they cross between Scotland and England.”

An ambitious “We will publish a new “One in nine species in “Scottish Labour We will...Introduce “We will propose a Environment Act that biodiversity strategy Scotland are supports an ambitious legally binding nature Nature Recovery Law includes legally- within 12 months of threatened by Environment Act that recovery targets. tos et legal targets binding targets for the biodiversity COP, extinction. To prevent includes legally binding across government to nature’s recovery. and remain committed this, the Scottish targets for nature’s clean up our air, soils, to protecting at least Conservatives would recovery” seas and rivers. We 30% of Scotland’s land bring forward an will: by 2030. We want to ambitious Nature Bill to • Set legally binding go further still and will strengthen nature recovery review our current environmental targets, with an action targets when we protections on land plan and financial publish our new and sea for Scottish support for delivery.” strategy.” species and their habitats.”

A plan for ocean “Through the blue “We will review the “We will also support a “The Scottish Greens “We will start a Marine recovery where at least economy action plan, current Marine plan for ocean recovery will ensure at least 30% Recovery Plan to 30% of Scotland’s seas we will seek to Protected Areas with at least one tenth of our seas are restore more of our are highly protected reduce harmful in Scottish waters, with of Scotland’s Seas fully protected, and a third seas, encourage from extractive practices and a view to expanding protected, and a of this area will be marine biodiversity and activities by 2030. consequences such as their extent, and pilot further 20% highly highly protected, which boost ecotourism marine littering, the introduction of protected, from means fishing and businesses alongside marine plastics, Highly Protected destructive and other industries would traditional maritime pollution and reduce Marine Areas.” extractive activities by be excluded. This will industries. carbon emissions from 2030.” protect Scotland’s • Designate new marine activity – in unique marine marine protected areas particular, we will environment and where this is backed by explore the potential wildlife, and support scientific evidence. for low carbon fishing our economy and that • Support research to vessels to be deployed of coastal communities demonstrate how on inshore waters.” in particular as it will Scotland’s marine area deliver net benefits to acts to capture carbon fish stocks and support in the seabed and the growth of marine ecosystems.” sustainable fishing and seafood businesses, creating more green jobs.” Sufficient funding to “Invest an additional “We will develop a “As part of our plans “We will initiate a full address the climate £500 million in our Biodiversity Action Plan for a green economic spending review at the and nature emergency. natural economy to for land, air and sea, recovery, the Scottish conclusion of the *Note LINK’s specific help tackle the with adequate funding, Greens will invest in pandemic period to call for increased biodiversity crisis.” which the whole the restoration and guide the recovery in funding for Scotland’s country can coalesce protection of public services and the public environment around before it is too Scotland’s parks, green economy.The spending agencies. late. We also need spaces review, in particular, greater investment in and natural will climate adaption, environment. This will align the capital which create green programme with our recognises the risks of jobs across Scotland, climate change flooding with coastal particularly in rural priorities, not least protection, river basin areas. We will invest at ending fuel poverty.” management and least £895m over the flood prevention next five years in schemes. We must restoring nature whilst ensure that the investing in rural opportunity to communities, creating sequester carbon in over 6,000 green jobs.” our marine environment is adequately funded.”

Legislation and policies “We will bring forward “To deliver this, we “Scottish Labour will “We will: Introduce a “We will introduce a to decarbonise and a Circular Economy Bill would bring forward support reduction Circular Economy Bill Circular Economy Law build a Circular to advance Scotland’s a Circular Economy Bill targets for the circular with targets to reduce including targets that Economy. ambitions for the early in the next economy, which adopts our overall reduce the emissions circular economy Parliament. This will set similar models to those consumption of raw produced in creating through measures new targets used in the Climate materials, our carbon everything we which will encourage for reducing our raw Change Act.” footprint, and a duty to consume, and use reuse of products and material usage, produce Resource other parts of our reduce waste. The bill especially those that “Scottish Labour Reduction Plans.” programme, to will tackle our reliance are single use or supports measures that achieve: on single-use items and difficult to recycle. deliver a circular “We will....Move • Comprehensive include measures to Alongside this, we will economy, including towards a circular assessment, tackle textile invest in our recycling introducing a Circular economy whereby all monitoring and pollution/fast fashion.” capacity and fund the Economy Bill and packaging and products reporting of Scotland’s creation of a Centre for obligations on the sold in Scotland must material, land, carbon Circular Economy producers of waste be readily able to be and water footprints. Excellence to drive the and annual material reused, repaired, or A duty to produce a rollout of best practice flow accounts. This recycled, with Resource Reduction in business, public includes the producers responsible Plan, updated every sector, the third sector introduction of deposit for the costs of five years.” and communities. We return schemes and managing their will establish a regulatory action to products throughout Circular Economy eliminate plastic their lifecycle.” Awards Scheme to cigarette filters, as well recognise innovation in as supporting global reuse and waste campaigns to tackle reduction. We will abuses in the global ensure that public fashion supply chain.” procurement is used to incentivise the delivery of our environmental targets and enhance our circular economy.”

Support future farming “We will support “Scottish Conservatives “Farmers and crofters “We will… Deliver a We will use the recent with nature at its farmers to produce would reverse cuts to need clarity as a new new Agriculture Bill conclusions of the heart. more of our own the Agri-Environment agriculture support that enshrines the expert working groups food needs sustainably Climate Scheme and system is developed to principles of climate on agriculture support and to farm and croft agree a multi-year help tackle the climate and nature recovery as a starting point in with nature, including extension until the new crisis. We will maintain into a new agricultural driving the through enhanced agricultural policy current levels of support scheme. transition to a more animal welfare and is implemented.” funding until 2024 and • Make emission sustainable food health approaches and from then we will put reductions and climate production system.” better adoption and in place a new scheme mitigation measures a deployment of that gives farmers and compulsory “We will expand and technology and crofters certainty. The requirement for all diversify the Farm innovation, as new financial support subsidies, delivering Advisory Service to recommended by must recognise significant change at no provide new jobs, the recent work of farmers’ knowledge, extra cost. training and skills, that farmer-led groups set recognising their • Replace current support sustainable up in the last experience in reducing grants with Land land use.” parliament. A single emissions and Management implementation board protecting Scotland’s Contracts, which will with representation landscape and work support farmers to from all farming towards sustainable deliver a range of sectors and types will farming practices. We public benefits be believe that the new including organic established to drive agricultural support farmland conversion, this work forward.” package offers agroforestry, a valuable opportunity agroecology, soil “We remain committed to deliver on baseline conservation and to supporting active environmental peatland restoration, farming and food commitments, and flood management, production with direct incentivise actions that wetland creation, payments. By 2025, deliver food landscape restoration however, we will shift production, climate and public access, half of all funding for and biodiversity renewable energy, farming and crofting outcomes in a rewilding and species from unconditional to complementary reintroductions.” conditional support fashion.” and there will be targeted outcomes for biodiversity gain and a drive towards low carbon approaches which improve resilience, efficiency and profitability.”

Protections for our “We will ban the sale of “Peatland covers more “Scottish Labour “Ban peat extraction “License of the practice peatlands including peat related gardening than a fifth of Scotland, would...increase and sale for of muirburn in the implementing a ban on products.” yet around 80 per cent peatland restoration to horticultural use.” uplands.” peat extraction and of Scotland’s natural 20,000 hectares each sale for horticultural AND peatland is degraded. year, alongside AND use as well as a ban on To prevent further measures to end burning of peatlands. “We ... remain damage, we would end commercial peat “Ban the burning of committed to peat extraction for use extraction.” peatlands and license implementing the in compost and we any other proposed licensing of driven would aim to increase AND burning.” grouse shooting.” peatland restoration “Going further than the to 20,000 hectares Werritty report, annually by 2024-25.” Scottish Labour will support the comprehensive licensing of grouse moors as soon as possible, with robust criteria to end the unsustainable practices of driven grouse moors and to promote the sustainable development of our uplands, in the interests of everyone.”

Establish Regional Land “We would ensure “We will develop “We will… Establish Use Frameworks by Regional Land Use Regional Land Use Regional land use 2023. Partnerships Frameworks by 2023, partnerships in every sufficiently represent with input from a wide part of Scotland by the agricultural sector range of stakeholders 2023 to help deliver and support the to set out regional land nature networks and delivery of new use priorities and restore our agricultural policy.” funding requirements.” environment.”

A new Deer (Scotland) “We will implement “We will support land “Overgrazing “Address grazing “Implement the Act to bring deer the recommendations managers in controlling by deer can damage pressure in the uplands recommendations of management into the of the Deer Working our deer population to our native woodlands, by increasing the deer the Deer Management 21st century. Group and modernise reduce damage to our and we support management grant, Review to control deer management natural environment.” modernising deer implementing the numbers and restore legislation.” legislation and the recommendations of biodiverse landscapes.” implementation of the the Deer Management Deer Working Group Working Group, and recommendations.” encouraging a reduction in sheep numbers via existing agricultural support schemes.” At least 50% of all “We will increase our “We would increase “At least 50% of all “Just 18% of Scotland is “Expand woodland woodland expansion targets for new new tree planting in woodland expansion currently forested, but using at least 50 to be with native woodland creation Scotland to 18,000 should be with native our vision is to increase per cent native species, species and at least by 50%, from 12,000 hectares annually by species and at least this to 40%, and for at increasing Scotland’s 10% through natural hectares up to 18,000 2024-25. However, 10% delivered through least 60% of this to be forest cover by an regeneration. hectares per year by quality and biodiversity natural regeneration.” native woodland. We additional 36 million 2025.” are also important, so will: Target the Scottish trees every year.” we would increase the Forestry Grant proportion of new programme at native planting that is of woodland creation, native species, while including productive ensuring that mixed and broadleaf Scotland’s forests are woodland as well as productive.” woodland where nature and recreation is prioritised.”

An end to wildlife “We will legislate to “Scottish Labour will “We will:Deliver a fully “We will guarantee crime by fully close loopholes in the carry out a full review resourced a Wildlife sufficient resources for resourcing a full-time law protecting of Scotland’s outdated Crime Investigation the police’s Wildlife Wildlife Crime Unit foxes and other wild animal welfare Unit to investigate Crime Investigation within Police Scotland. mammals.” legislation, with a view wildlife persecution Unit” to strengthening and enforce protection, wildlife protection law and and animal welfare.” ensure there are adequate wildlife crime officers in all regions.”

Protections for our “We will ensure that “We would also protect “Establish Land freshwater species and trees, woodlands and Scotland’s iconic Management Contracts habitats, including by natural resources play salmon rivers.” to reward farmers and limiting development a key role in flood land managers on floodplains to give prevention schemes, in financially for more space for our riparian repair activity delivering natural flood rivers and coasts to and to address air management naturally regenerate. pollution.” solutions.”

“Deliver a Scottish Water investment programme that protects and enhances the environmental status of rivers and beaches…”

Other: to enshrine a “we will incorporate “The Scottish “Introduce a Human “We will also aim to Human Right to a four more United Parliament agrees that Rights (Scotland) Act to fully incorporate the Healthy Environment Nations Human Rights now is the time to fully enshrine fundamental Right to a Healthy and treaties into Scots Law: enshrine in law a rights, including the Safe Environment human right to a right to a healthy and into Scots Law in line - The International healthy environment. safe environment.” with the UN framework Covenant on Economic, Scottish Labour has a principles, and the Social and Cultural plan to deliver this.” Aarhus Convention.” Rights - The Convention on . the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women - The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination - The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

This world-leading human rights legislation will reduce inequality and advance the rights of everyone and ensure human rights are embedded in every aspect of life in Scotland.”

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