Nature is key to building a greener future for us all - Lorna Slater

Last week I was delighted to join volunteers from the Friends of Saughton Park group to launch the Scottish Government’s consultation on our proposed plans to reverse the loss of nature.

It was a bright and inspiring morning and I was very glad to be in Saughton, which in recent years has created new nature-friendly sites including a wildflower meadow, an orchard, a pond and a community garden – transforming the space for local people and families and supporting local biodiversity.

This space, and the many other parks and pockets of green space in Edinburgh, underline just how important nature can be for our health and wellbeing.

But the benefits of nature go beyond that. Our natural environment underpins the quality of air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and much of our economy.

Right now, there are one million species across the world that are at threat of extinction. In Scotland, nearly half of our species have been in decline and a further 10 per cent are under severe threat. If this continues it will have severe implications for all of us.

The climate and nature crises cannot be separated. They are the same crisis. Reforesting our hills and healing our rivers are essential to our climate targets. By investing in our natural environment we are protecting ourselves and future generations.

We have made a lot of important progress in recent years, especially with the groundbreaking £60 million nature restoration fund that I am proud to oversee. This consultation will build on that work by setting out our ambition and a detailed, cross-government delivery plan to restore Scotland’s natural environment.

It’s not just about what we do in Holyrood. There is a role for all levels of government. Earlier this year Green Councillors in Edinburgh successfully brought a motion that declared a nature emergency.

The motion emphasised the nature’s role in climate adaptation and resilience, and I hope it will prove to be an important part of the process of ensuring a greener city.

In built-up or urban communities like Edinburgh it’s important that children get to grow up with nature. That’s why projects like the one in Saughton are so vital.

The best change is done in collaboration with communities. So I want to hear from you. Please visit Consult.Gov.Scot to read more about our proposals and help us to shape them and to build a greener and better Scotland.