A once in a generation opportunity for Scotland's wildlife

This is Scotland’s chance to turn the tide for nature. The next Scottish Government will inherit an enormous opportunity. If passed by this Parliament, the Natural Environment Bill will become the Natural Environment Act, placing a legal duty on Ministers, for the first time, to set legal targets for nature’s recovery. Targets would need to be set for habitat quality, the status of threatened species, and the conditions needed for ecosystems to regenerate.

Introducing legal nature targets is the first of five actions we believe the next Scottish Government can take to help save nature.

Scotland is celebrated for its wild places: from rolling, rugged expanses of blanket bog, to our world-renowned seabird cliffs alive with Puffins and Gannets. But hiding beneath this beauty, our natural world is in crisis. One in nine species in Scotland is at risk of national extinction, and our country ranks among the most nature-depleted in the world.

Global biodiversity targets have been set every decade since the 1990s. All have been voluntary, and all have been missed.

It has never been clearer that good intentions are simply not enough. We need legal targets that cannot be ignored by decision makers.

Introducing legal targets could be a genuine game-changer. Once set, these targets will last beyond election cycles. Every future government will be legally required to act to meet them. Progress will be independently monitored, and Ministers will be held to account.

Importantly, strong targets will ensure action for nature is mainstreamed across government. This is not something which can simply be bolted on to existing priorities – action must be embedded into decision-making across the board.

The Scottish Government has made a raft of promises to nature: the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy sets a vision for halting nature’s decline by 2030 and regenerating biodiversity across the country by 2045. Internationally, Scotland joins in the global commitment to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 (‘30 by 30’).

But without legal underpinning, these goals are at risk of remaining just that, goals - well-intentioned, but undelivered. Statutory nature targets will give these commitments real force, making sure they translate into real change on the ground.

We cannot separate our lives from nature. We depend on it for the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Healthy ecosystems store carbon, reduce flooding, and improve our wellbeing. By restoring nature, we secure a safer, healthier future for people and wildlife alike.

The Natural Environment Act 2026 presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse the decline of Scotland’s wildlife and restore its wild places. RSPB Scotland is urging all political parties to recognise this imperative in their manifestos and is calling on the next Scottish Government to act decisively by setting ambitious, legally binding nature recovery targets within its first 12 months in office.

If we get this right, it will be a landmark moment for nature in Scotland – giving our species, habitats, and future generations the best chance they have ever had.

The Natural Environment Bill is currently at Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament. You can show your MSP that the recovery of Scotland’s nature matters to you by taking part in our new campaign.