Scotland Presented with Pathway to Become World’s First Rewilding Nation
On Wednesday, December 4th, 2024, the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of over 20 organizations, presented a groundbreaking pathway to the Scottish Government, outlining a plan for Scotland to become the first Rewilding Nation in the world. The pathway, which was presented to Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, at a reception in Edinburgh on December 3rd, sets out a visionary plan for Scotland to lead the way in nature recovery by dedicating 30% of its land and seas to rewilding.
According to the Alliance, rewilding can help address the connected nature and climate emergencies, while also providing numerous benefits for local communities such as health, jobs, sustainable food production, and clean air and water. Karen Blackport, Scottish Rewilding Alliance Co-Convenor and CEO of Bright Green Nature, states that “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.”
The proposed pathway includes specific actions such as making nature recovery the primary purpose of Scotland’s protected landscapes and seascapes, establishing wild zones around rivers and coastlines, doubling native woodland cover, restoring peatlands, and restricting dredging and bottom trawling across Marine Protected Areas. In addition, the Alliance calls for recovery targets to ensure habitat restoration and increases in species abundance and diversity.
Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, stated that the event came at an important time for the Scottish Government, acknowledging that nature is under threat in an unprecedented way, with one in nine species facing extinction across the country. He praised the work of Scottish Rewilding Alliance members and emphasized the need for a whole government and society approach to address the nature crisis.
The Scottish Rewilding Alliance estimates that over 2% of Scotland’s land is currently being rewilded, with over 150 rewilding projects across the country. However, they note that government inaction on ensuring Marine Protected Areas are truly protected is hindering the recovery of Scotland’s waters.
The call for large-scale nature restoration has gained widespread support, with thousands of people and organizations signing the Rewilding Nation Charter, and a recent poll showing that 80% of Scots believe the Scottish Government should have policies in place to support rewilding. Steve Micklewight, Co-Convenor of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance and Chief Executive of Trees for Life, states that “As a country, we need to be far more ambitious. This is a chance for Scotland to be leading the movement for global change.”
The Rewilding Nation campaign has received high-profile support from actors Brian Cox and Leonardo DiCaprio. Scotland is currently ranked 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. The Scottish Rewilding Alliance is calling on people to sign the Rewilding Nation Charter at rewild.scot/charter to support the campaign for a nature positive Scotland by 2030.
