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The situation referred to in the report has been resolved and no longer represents a conflict of interest. We take the comments raised by Audit Scotland very seriously and will be looking to apply these considerations across the programme and wider Scottish Government activities.

Scotland’s Biodiversity - a Route Map to 2020 was published in June 2015 to guide work towards the 2020 Aichi targets and complement the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy (SBS). The route map brings together the key work needed to deliver on the SBS. The Scottish Government is taking a range of steps to meet Aichi biodiversity targets three and seven for aquaculture, forestry and agriculture. These include:

(a) Aquaculture

The National Marine Plan sets out a national strategy for sustainable economic growth of marine industries including aquaculture. This takes into account environmental protection, and sets out policies with economic, social and marine ecosystem objectives. The aquaculture industry is regulated, and no subsidies offered, to minimise any impact on biodiversity.

(b) Forestry

Findings from the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland in 2014, have been used to inform the development of the SBS and the route map. Priority project 2: Restoration of Native Woodland’ in the route map, aims to improve the condition and extent of existing native woodlands and further increase new woodland planting. It aims to create 3,000 to 5,000 hectares of new native woodland per year and restore approximately 10,000 hectares of native woodland into satisfactory condition in partnership with woodland owners through deer management plans.

Support for new woodland creation and the sustainable management of existing woodlands, including native woodlands, is available under the Forestry Grant Scheme, part of the Scotland’s Rural Development Programme (SRDP). Improvement grants for woodland and habitats are available to land owners to improve and restore native woodland condition under the SRDP. £0.75 million is currently available each year under those improvement options.

On the National Forest Estate, Forest Enterprise Scotland used the Native Woodland Survey of Scotland to refine its methodology to identify appropriate management operations for each semi-natural woodland on the estate. Forest Enterprise Scotland has also begun the process of restoring over half of the plantations on ancient woodland sites to native woodland.

(c) Agriculture sector

The contribution of agriculture to delivering the biodiversity strategy and Aichi targets is described in priority project 11 of Scotland’s Biodiversity: a route map to 2020, which aims to promote measures to support biodiversity under the common agricultural policy (CAP). A range of on-going work by the Scottish Government will contribute to this including:

The 2014-20 Scottish Rural Development Programme includes a £350 million Agri-Environment Climate Scheme which supports a number of land management activities designed to benefit biodiversity, for example by protecting vulnerable priority species, supporting the restoration of important habitats and contributing to ecological connectivity. A range of improvements have been introduced to the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme aiming to enhance benefits to biodiversity, including new spatial targeting to ensure funding is available in the locations where it will deliver the greatest benefit.

In 2015, the Scottish Government launched a new £10 million SRDP Environmental Co-operation Action Fund. This will support the facilitation of landscape-scale environmental projects, including restoration of peatlands, deer management and control of invasive non-native species.

From 2015, farmers in receipt of CAP payments have been required to meet greening requirements. These include an Ecological Focus Areas (EFA) requirement, designed to benefit farmland biodiversity by requiring at least 5% of non-exempt arable land to be declared as fallow, buffer strips, field margins, catch crops, green cover or nitrogen-fixing crops. The approach adopted by the Scottish Government to implementing this requirement included a requirement that EFA nitrogen-fixing crops meet management conditions designed to benefit biodiversity. From 2015, protection for hedgerows has also been strengthened under CAP Cross Compliance rules, by requiring a 2 metre uncultivated buffer strip with no fertiliser or pesticides adjacent to each hedgerow.

The Scottish Government is commissioning a multi-annual monitoring project (reporting in 2020 with interim milestones) to monitor the environmental outcomes delivered by the Agri-Environment Climate Scheme and greening requirements, and to recommend how these could be improved in the post-2020 CAP.

The new SRDP farm advisory service, to be launched in 2016, will provide increased access to one-to-one advice for farmers on how to improve their environmental and business performance through the preparation of integrated land management plans.

The Future of Scottish Agriculture: a Discussion Document, launched in June 2015, set out the aspiration that Scotland becomes a world-leader in green farming. The document proposed a range of possible next steps to achieve this aspiration, which we are continuing to explore with stakeholders.

The Scottish Government made representation to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to ensure that services to Scotland were protected and improved. It was however for the ORR, as the independent regulatory body, to come to a determination on open track access on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).

In responding to the ORR’s consultation, the Scottish Government set out the following principles that any bid, and the ORR in assessing bids, for open access operation on the ECML should observe:

There must be no material abstraction of ScotRail revenue.

Fast journey times between Scotland and London are critical in facilitating the desired shift of cross border travel to rail as a more sustainable mode, but any open access operation has to a ensure that overall journey times on the route improve, and that there should be no worsenment.

That the open access operator pays their fair share for the impact on the infrastructure.

That there must be no diminution of frequencies of service and journey times to Scottish Stations as a consequence of any open access operation, and where possible there should be improvements.

That no service shall operate so as to unbalance the provision of internal Scottish services.

That new open access services should result in enhanced choice for passengers in terms of journey time, fare levels, passenger service and connectivity.

That there should be no significant disruption of efficient timetabling and connections on other services.

On 21 March 2016 Keith Brown, as Cabinet Secretary of Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, and Robert Goodwill MP, Transport Minister at the UK Government, announced that the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland would take forward work in this control period [2014-19] with Network Rail to identify any and all options with strong business cases, for consideration for implementation in CP6 and 7 [2019-29] that can improve journey times, capacity, resilience and reliability on routes between England and Scotland. The Department for Transport and Transport Scotland officials are currently in the process of setting up a joint working group with Network Rail as a vehicle for taking this commitment forward.

The Scottish Government wrote on 24 February 2016 to the Chair of the Wildlife Crime Penalties Review Group, Professor Mark Poustie, with a formal response to the report. The letter can be read in full at:

The ten recommendations were wide ranging in their scope. Some of the recommendations will require primary legislation and the appropriate vehicle for that will need to be identified, while others will require extensive discussion with other parties to establish the next steps. We will take forward work in these areas in the new parliamentary session.

The United Kingdom is party to the Convention on Biological Diversity which agreed the so-called ‘Aichi targets’ at its 10th conference of parties in Nagoya in 2010. Target 11 requires that at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascape.

Protected areas in Scotland already exceed this target, with some 18% of Scotland’s land-mass designated as either a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Site of Special Scientific Interest under the EU Habitats and Birds Directives and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, respectively.

The Scottish Marine Protected Area network presently covers 20% of the marine environment and represents the range of biodiversity found in our seas. Each site has a strict level of protection though the marine licensing system, and there is an on-going programme to deliver requisite fisheries management measures across the network.

The Scottish Government’s national indicator to improve the condition of designated sites continues to show progress as provided in the recent official statistics publication for Scotland on the proportion of Scotland's protected sites in favourable condition. The main findings showed that of the more-than 5,000 Scottish natural features on protected nature sites, 80.4% are either in favourable condition, or unfavourable but recovering towards a favourable condition. This figure represents a 1.1 percentage points rise in the proportion of natural features in favourable or recovering condition between 2015 and 2016. There has been a nine percentage points increase since assessment reporting began in 2005.

The Scottish Government does not support large, indiscriminate culls of mountain hares in Scotland and recognises the concerns that have been expressed about the status of mountain hare populations in Scotland. The Scottish Government acknowledges that mountain hares are a legitimate quarry species and that there may be local requirements to control mountain hares to protect gamebirds and young trees. Any control of mountain hares should be undertaken in accordance with obligations under the EU Habitats Directive.

Given the concerns about possible over-exploitation, information on the management of hares has been reviewed by independent experts from the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Scientific Advisory Committee. This review was published in October 2015 and is available at: . The review identified the need for improved monitoring and data to assess national trends of mountain hare populations.

This work is underway in the form of a collaborative four year study (2014-17) involving SNH and scientists in the James Hutton Institute and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, on trialling various methods of counting hares. The study has the aim of developing a reliable and cost-effective means of assessing mountain hare population density.

SNH is also working with Scottish Land & Estates to encourage greater transparency in the reasons why estates cull hares and to encourage estates to collaborate and develop a more measured and coordinated approach to sustainable hare management.

Scotland's biodiversity strategy, Scotland's Biodiversity: It's in Your Hands, was published in 2004 and sets out how the government will conserve biodiversity for the health, enjoyment and wellbeing of the people of Scotland now and in the future. Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy (SBS), the ‘2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity’ was launched in 2013 and focuses on our desired outcomes for 2020. It is Scotland's response to the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2020 and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity 'Aichi' targets. It shows how the Scottish Government, its public agencies, Scottish businesses and others can contribute to the strategy's aims as well as supporting sustainable economic growth. It has adopted an ‘ecosystems approach’ which focusses on the need to protect ecosystems in order to support nature, wellbeing and a thriving economy.

In order to streamline effort, Scotland’s Biodiversity - a Route Map to 2020 was published in June 2015 to guide work towards the 2020 Aichi targets. The route map brings together the key work needed to deliver on the SBS, grouped under ‘Six Big Steps for Nature.’ Each of these steps include a range of actions that that are practical, delivered in partnership with others, and focus on delivering real improvements to biodiversity on the ground. There are 12 priority projects; 64 route map actions and 8 areas of supporting work in the route map. Both planning and implementation of the work in the route map has been through a cooperative approach with the Scottish Government, its agencies, environmental non-government organisations and others with a key role or interest in looking after Scotland’s biodiversity. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has a role in leading the delivery of the route map.

In order to monitor progress towards the Aichi targets SNH provides a six monthly update on progress with the SBS and route map. The most recent of these was published in December 2015 and it provided a selection of achievements in the first six months of route map action presented as Route Map Highlights.

These were:

Peatland restoration, ongoing on 5,580 ha through 107 agreements with land owners/managers.

National Peatland Plan published in August 2015.

Forestry Grant Scheme launched – first awards in November 2015.

INNS control ongoing in native woods in the National Forest Estate.

Physical restoration work ongoing on 14 water bodies across 5 catchments.

The Natural Capital Asset Index update presented to the World Forum on Natural Capital in November 2015.

The Outdoor Learning Directory was officially launched in September 2015 to provide a portal to services supporting outdoor learning provided by Scottish Government agencies with an environment and heritage remit.

The latest NHS greenspace demonstration project at Ailsa and Ayr hospital was formally opened in October 2015.

Doubled the number of citizen science and action projects being advertised from 40 - 80.

Five estates joined the ‘Heads Up for Hen Harriers’ project.

Volunteers being recruited to help deliver the wild cat monitoring programme.

Environmental Cooperation Action Fund launched in October 2015.

Final plans for management of 11 Marine Protected Areas and 10 Special Areas of Conservation published.

A further report on progress will be prepared for June 2016. With the support of SNH, the Scottish Government is closely monitoring progress towards the 2020 Aichi targets.

Since 1 January 2016, Scottish Natural Heritage have not been advised of any European beavers that have been shot or required an autopsy to be undertaken.

No European beavers have been autopsied since January 2016.