Question reference: S6W-14223
- Date lodged: 24 January 2023 Registered interest
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Current status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 7 February 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commission its statutory environmental agencies to embed the control of the most prolific species, such as grey squirrels, into their operations long-term, in light of reports that non-native invasive species are now recognised as one of the top five drivers of biodiversity loss, and of it making the managing of them a priority in the latest draft of its Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045.
Answer
The control of invasive non-native species is already a priority in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy which states that a key aim for the Strategy is that by 2045:
“Harmful invasive non-native species (INNS) will be managed so that established INNS no longer degrade native habitats and species or impede their restoration and regeneration and new introductions are managed quickly and effectively”
The Strategy will be supported by a delivery plan which will set our approach to tackling INNS in Scotland, including the grey squirrel.
NatureScot, the key statutory agency for delivering the Biodiversity Strategy states in its business plan for 2022-23 that it will:
“Deliver invasive non-native species controls and reduce the biodiversity impacts of established invasive non-native species”
Work on the ground at present includes Scottish Government to support the work of Local Action Groups including the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI), an ambitious 5-year partnership project led by NatureScot that is tackling invasive non-native species alongside rivers and water courses in an area of 29,500km2 within northern Scotland.