 The next item of business is a statement by Lorna Slater on Scotland's biodiversity strategy. The minister will take questions at the end of her statement. Therefore, there should be no interventions or interruptions. I call on Lorna Slater to put her card in, I think. It is. I call on Lorna Slater, Minister, around 10 minutes, please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. We, Scotland, the UK, Europe, the world, are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. The facts are indisputable. Nature is declining, fast. It is estimated that one million species across the world are threatened with extinction, mass extinctions driven by our exploitation of the natural world. Here in Scotland, the picture is no different. Nearly half of our species have decreased in abundance, and 11 per cent are under threat of extinction, including some special species such as the northern damsel fly and large heath butterfly. There is a real risk of some iconic species being lost from Scotland. Chaff are now only breeding on isla and colonsie, and the great skewer with its globally significant population in Scotland has been ravaged by avian flu. Just today, we have had the publication of the marine and terrestrial species indicators, which show a little sign of species recovery. Species on land remain at broadly similar levels to the 1990s, well below historic populations. The indicators also show that Scotland's internationally important seabirds continue to decline. Even more worryingly, since the surveys used to assess seabird numbers took place, there has been a significant outbreak of avian flu, and it is expected that this will further impact Scotland's seabirds. Why does this matter? Firstly, it just does. Nature has an intrinsic value. The plants and animals that we share this world with enrich our lives with their diversity, beauty and character. However, this complex diversity and abundance of life is also central to our survival as a species. Our economy, jobs, health and wellbeing depend on it. It is essential to our food production and security, to our fishing industry. It protects our soils, provides us with clean air and water. It helps to mitigate against flooding, which has been brought into sharp focus over recent weeks. Crucially, our biodiversity is also essential in tackling the climate crisis. Across the world, ocean and land ecosystems remove around 50 per cent of the carbon emissions produced by us each year. Nature-based solutions, restoring our peatlands and native forests, for example, are key to our success in tackling the climate crisis. We need a net-zero, nature-positive future. 2022 was a key moment for biodiversity. After many delays, COP15 was held in Montreal in December. Flagged as biodiversity's Paris moment, this was once in a decade opportunity to agree a new set of global goals and targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. I led a small Scottish delegation participating in a packed programme of events and bilateral meetings, including a speech to the conference's high-level segment on behalf of sub-national bodies around the world. Through our engagements, Scotland was recognised for its excellent leadership of the Edinburgh process. Kicked off in 2019 at the request of the Convention on Biological Diversity's secretariat, the Scottish Government has been leading a consultation with sub-national bodies around the world that cities, regional and country governments on their role in addressing the biodiversity crisis. The process culminated in the Edinburgh declaration, which was signed by over 300 sub-national bodies. It called for a high ambition outcome from Montreal and the recognition of the critical role that sub-national bodies play in addressing the biodiversity crisis, as well as the allocation of the necessary powers and resources to sub-national levels of governance. Scotland forged new partnerships with declaration members—for example, with California and Quebec—on protecting 30 per cent of land for nature by 2030, with Paris, Madrid and Nagoya on urban biodiversity, with Parks Canada on the establishment of new national parks, with the European Parliament Delegation and European Regions Catalonia and Lombardy on 30x30 and Peatland Restoration, and with Sao Paulo on the establishment of a working group under the Edinburgh process on financing biodiversity recovery in cities. The Convention on Biodiversity's co-chair personally thanked me for Scotland's leadership of the Edinburgh process, saying that the Edinburgh process has driven action for nature in cities, regions and other sub-national governments around the world while raising awareness of the vital role that these Governments play in protecting biodiversity. This is a message that has been heard loud and clear by state parties at COP15 in Montreal supporting a high-ambition outcome from the talks. I want to thank the Scottish Government for their leadership on international biodiversity issues, overseeing the Edinburgh process and delivering the Edinburgh declaration. We are now supporting and exploring the next steps, with a focus on working with and supporting sub-national governments to deliver on this global framework. After some tense negotiations, I was delighted that COP15 agreed that the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The framework builds on a vision of the world living in harmony with nature whereby 2050 biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used maintaining ecosystem services. The framework includes 23 global targets for 2030, including some truly groundbreaking actions protecting 30% of our land and sea by 2030, eliminating, minimizing, reducing or mitigating the impacts of invasive species, preventing their establishment and eradicating or controlling them, sustainable management of areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry through biodiversity friendly practices, eliminating subsidies harmful for biodiversity in a proportionate, just, fair, effective and equitable way, bringing the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance close to zero through spatial planning and management. Our challenge now—everyone's challenge—the world over is to deliver on this agreement. On 13 December, I published the Draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. This build on the significant progress that we have begun to make in recent years. We are scaling up our peatland restoration rates with the aim of restoring 250,000 hectares of degraded peat by 2030. We have created over 10,000 hectares of new woodland in the past year, with 42 per cent of that being native species. Our new vision for agriculture aims to make Scotland a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture with nature and climate at its heart. We have committed to highly protect 10 per cent of our marine areas. Our groundbreaking nature restoration fund is providing multi-year funding to drive restoration at scale. Recently approved grants include funding to Cairngorms Connect, to restore natural rivers and floodplains at Inch Marshes and to the Argyll and Isles coast and countryside trust to restore Argyll's Atlantic rainforest. The strategy is clear that we need to go further and faster. It sets out our high-level ambition to halt decline by 2030 and to reverse biodiversity loss by 2045. This high-level vision is underpinned by a detailed set of outcomes that span across our land, seas, rivers, locks, wetlands and coasts. Those outcomes spell out what success in tackling the biodiversity crisis will look like. The strategy also details 26 of the most urgent priority actions that we need to take to achieve a nature positive feature. Those outcomes and actions are framed around five key aims—to accelerate restoration and regeneration, expand and connect our protected areas and improve their condition, support nature-friendly farming, fishing and forestry, some of our key industries, recover and protect vulnerable and important species, and to generate the investment needed to support nature recovery. The strategy remains in draft to allow us to incorporate the outcomes from COP15 and to ensure that we are properly aligned with our international obligations. The strategy is a starting point. It gives us our guiding vision and a pathway to a nature positive feature. It will be underpinned by a dynamic delivery plan, which sets out how we are going to achieve that vision. 2023 will be a critical year. We are working with stakeholders to develop the delivery plan and will consult on and publish our plan later this year. We will lay the groundwork for the introduction of statutory targets and the natural environment bill. We will set out how we will protect 30 per cent of our land and seas for nature by 2030, the cornerstone of global biodiversity framework. We will be creating highly protected marine areas and at least 10 per cent of our seas. We are currently consulting on the policy framework for highly protected marine areas. Once that consultation is completed, the selection process to identify the most appropriate areas so that 10 per cent of our seas are highly protected by 2026 will begin. We will consult on the draft fisheries management measures required for the existing marine protected areas, where those are not already in place, as well as for key coastal biodiversity locations outside of those sites. We will be forging ahead with land reform and the reform of agricultural subsidies, ensuring that those deliver positive effects for biodiversity. We will continue to deliver real change on the ground through our world-leading nature restoration fund with a new round of funding to be announced in spring 2023. Critically, Scotland will publish a new climate change plan by the end of 2023, which will set out how we will get back on track to delivering net zero. We are looking at what more we can do in terms of investment in nature-based solutions as part of that. Net zero and nature positive will increasingly go hand in hand. I will make two points to conclude. Firstly, on the need to continue to engage and mobilise stakeholders and communities on their role in delivering a net zero, nature positive future, it is not just for government to deliver our biodiversity strategy. A whole of society approach is needed if we are going to be successful. We need to understand what a just transition looks like for biodiversity in the same way as for climate and lock in the new opportunities around private investment and the generation of new green jobs and community opportunities. Secondly, on our level of ambition, Scotland can play a leading role in delivering the ambitious new global biodiversity framework, but none of us should underestimate the scale of the task ahead. For those who are not swayed by arguments about the intrinsic importance of nature, about the undeniably positive effects it has on our health and wellbeing, you may be persuaded when you consider that more than half of the world's GDP is thought to be dependent on nature in some way. If we do not make the transformational changes needed to how we use our precious natural resources, the impact on our people and planet is going to be irreversible and devastating. I look forward to working with members from across this Parliament hearing their views and contributions to this important debate and, in due course, engaging with the committees on these important issues. I note that the statement lasted considerably longer than the 10-minutes allocated, which will eat into the time that we have across business this afternoon. Nevertheless, the minister will take questions on the issues raised in this statement. I intend to still allow 20 minutes for that, after which we will need to move on to the next item of business. I invite members wishing to ask a question to press their request to speak buttons now or as soon as possible. I thank the minister for the first statement. First, I welcome many of the actions and policies that are adopted into the strategy from the consultation. However, there are areas where the strategy falls short and Scotland simply cannot fail here. As we all know by now, Scotland is ranked 212th in the world in biodiversity and tachnus—48 places from the bottom. There has been a 24 per cent decline in average abundance of 352 terrestrial and freshwater species since 1994, which in itself was not a high point. There has been a 14 per cent decline in a range for 2,970 terrestrial and freshwater species since 1970. Patelands are in such poor condition that they are emitting, instead of storing carbon, unresponsible for 20 per cent of Scotland's total emissions. Only around 64 per cent of Scotland's protected woodlands are in favourable or recovering condition, and out of 15 components in the UK marine strategy, 11 of them have not achieved good environmental status by 2020, with recognition that more action is required. Scotland's marine assessment 2020 highlighted declines in biogenic habitats in species such as Atlantic salmon. There has been a 38 per cent decline in the Scottish breeding seabird indicator between 1986 and 2016. Only 30,000 hectares of Scotland's unique Atlantic rainforest remain highly fragmented. Strengthening accountability for delivery highlighted as a key lesson learned for this new strategy. That is all well and good, but to make sure that the Scottish Government is accountable— I have your coming, Deputy Presiding Officer. What does the minister plan to do to ensure that we have collected vital baseline data that has been continually missed out and identified as knowledge gap by multiple environment organisations? Minister, I am going to have to ask you to respond to that. Is an allocation for members, Mr Whittle, an allocation of time for members, and I need to spread it evenly to allow everybody an opportunity to get in? I thank the member very much for his comments. I share the member's concerns. The data that he has highlighted is alarming, of course, and exactly why we need this biodiversity strategy and its delivery plans. Wherever we can, we need to, as the member rightly says, gather the correct evidence, both of the current state of nature and, as we go forward with our rolling delivery plans, to evidence that what we are doing is working. That is the point of having the five-year rolling delivery plans to underpin the biodiversity strategy, so that we can ensure that what we are doing is evidenced that we are succeeding and working towards our 2045 goal. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank the Minister for advance sight of her statement. To tackle nature loss, we need to be clear about what caused its decline in the first place. No-one sets out to kill off entire species or to risk our food security, but for decades that is exactly what has been happening. It is essential that any Government strategy to address nature loss has, at its heart, a plan to change the flawed system that got us here. That means requiring employers to account for the environmental and social costs of doing business so that CEOs and shareholders are no longer able to profit from the underpayment of workers and the pollution of our water, our air and our earth. Can the Minister explain how her Government will expand the public sector nature conservation workforce across our marine, our woodland, our peatland and other environments? I thank the member very much for her question. What the member highlights is clearly that it is not just the public sector that needs to work on nature restoration. This is something that everybody has to work on. That is globally, that is Government, that is businesses, that is workers, that is every member of the population needs to work together. That is actually a key part of the biodiversity strategy, is to make sure—and it is stated in the opening statements of the biodiversity strategy—that part of this is that everyone in Scotland not only lives in thriving communities but people understand their role and will play their part in stewardship of nature for future generations. The biodiversity strategy, as it is set out right now, is a vision. It is where we want to get to in 2045. When starting on this journey from where we are now in a nature crisis to a thriving abundant nature in 2045, I think it is important that we all see where we are going. Then we need to agree those delivery plans. In order to get to where we are in 2045, all of these things need to be taken into consideration. The member is quite right. A just transition in tackling the biodiversity crisis needs to be just as important as a just transition in tackling the climate crisis. Fiona Hyslop, to be followed by Liam Kerr. Can the minister set out what the relationship will be between the biodiversity strategy and the national planning framework for approved by Parliament last week, in particular for peatland restoration? What does the Scottish Government anticipate will be the impact of this on onshore land-based wind turbines on areas of peatlands, bearing in mind that peatlands cover 20 per cent of Scotland's land? Thank you very much to the member for the question. The new biodiversity strategy and national planning framework 4 are closely aligned, both recognising the significance of the twin crises that we face and the need to place climate and nature at the centre of our policy development and delivery. NPF4 signals a turning point for planning and tackling the climate emergency and improving biodiversity. Those are cross-cutting themes that run throughout. The continued growth of onshore wind and the restoration of our peatlands are not mutually exclusive, and we recognise the contribution that both make to the fight against climate change. There are a variety of measures that can be included within wind farm design to improve degraded peatland, and those measures have continuously developed as the industry has matured. Peatland restoration and enhancement, developed in tandem with improving habitats for important and protective species, allow projects to deliver multiple positive benefits to biodiversity, the natural environment and our renewable energy ambitions. I received an FOI that confirms that no financial analysis has been conducted on how to deliver the detailed set of outcomes referred to. The minister has previously stated that this is an emergency that requires an emergency response, so given that this has not been done, how soon, precisely, can we expect to see the financial data underlying the delivery of the programmes in this strategy? I thank the member for the question. Of course, a successful delivery of the strategy is, as we pointed out, crucial. The finance gap for nature in Scotland for the next decade has been estimated to be about 20 billion pounds. That is why we are working hard to find ways to bridge this finance gap through leveraging responsible private finance. Investing in nature is a growth area globally, and Scotland is well-placed to take a leading role by offering investors the opportunity to play a part in enhancing ecosystems while generating sustainable returns. To aid this, we are preparing an investment plan, which will set out our assessment of the investment required to deliver a nature positive future and the actions needed to mobilise public, private and philanthropic finance. We are facing twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, and sub-national government, cities and local authorities all have a responsibility to address that. Can the minister provide more detail about the Edinburgh declaration and the role that the Scottish Government played in leading on that? It was inspiring to meet and hear from so many signatories to the Edinburgh declaration and participants in the Edinburgh process while I was in Montreal. To get such positive feedback on the part that the Scottish Government has played in highlighting the role of sub-national governments, cities and local authorities in addressing biodiversity loss and supporting that high ambition outcome from the talks. In keeping with the principles of the Edinburgh process and the Edinburgh declaration, so far, more than £11 million from the Nature Restoration Fund has been directly allocated to Scottish local authorities. Some of the projects progressed include addressing coastal erosion in Montrose, climate-resilient woodland planting in Dundee, wetland creation in South Ayrshire and Scottish Borders and river restoration in Renfrewshire, among many others. The woodland trust has called on the Scottish Government to raise the proportion of native trees in future planting to at least 50 per cent from the previous 40 per cent target. That is something that Labour supports. The Green Manifesto Committee is at 60 per cent, so could the minister clarify just what the Government's current position is? Is the target 40 per cent, 50 per cent or 60 per cent and will that target be included in the biodiversity strategy delivery plan? Thank you very much to the member. Yes, I would absolutely expect targets to be included in the biodiversity strategy delivery plan, and I'm happy to write to the member with more detail on the exact figures that he's looking for there. Jenny Minto to be followed by Willie Rennie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The SEAC Committee has heard evidence from several environmental groups in relation to Westminster's retained EU law bill. It was highlighted that that invasive non-native species is one of the top five drivers of biodiversity loss globally. It is therefore critical to prevent that spread. As I understand it, current regulations are a mix of reserved and devolved powers. Can the minister please explain how the Scottish Government aims to ensure that these mixed-up powers do not impact on the important work that communities, individuals and organisations are doing to eradicate invasive non-native species to improve Scotland's biodiversity? The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by and fundamentally opposed to the UK Government's plans to potentially dismantle laws protecting nature as outlined in the retained EU bill. Scottish Government officials continue to work with their UK Government counterparts as part of the programme to identify devolved, retained European Union law across devolved and reserved competencies, and therefore what powers Scottish ministers might need to use to prevent deregulation to protect devolution and to uphold our high environmental standards. In respect of powers relating to invasive non-native species, those powers are largely devolved to Scotland. However, key reserved powers relate to controlling the trade and import of invasive species into Scotland. Notwithstanding those difficulties, we will continue to work closely with the other devolved Governments and the UK Government to tackle the threat posed by invasive species and the GB, Great Britain, invasive and non-native species strategy will be published shortly. Farmers have got an important job to do on biodiversity, but we still do not have an agricultural bill for the agricultural support scheme. Is the minister going to be encouraging her colleagues in the rural affairs department to speed up the delivery of the agricultural bill so that farmers can get on with the job of helping with biodiversity? I thank the member for that question. The cabinet secretary for rural affairs and islands announced in a parliamentary statement on 8 November the proposed timeline for transition to the new agriculture support scheme with the introduction of new conditionality informed by the national test programme by 2025. That will be followed by a phased launch of the future framework, starting with the enhanced payment to reward farmers and crofters for taking meaningful action for climate and nature in 2026. Delivering biodiversity protection and restoration is a key aim of this process. However, we are not waiting until 2025. In the interim period, the agri-environment and climate scheme will continue to support farmers. Today, my colleague Marie-Gujan announced that more than £14 million has been awarded through the agri-environment climate scheme to 680 rural businesses with projects that protect the environment and mitigate the impacts of climate change, and that a new round of axe funding is open for applicants. Does the Scottish Government support the reintroduction of species native to Scotland that were eradicated by humans? Beavers and seagulls have already been successful that we have reintroduced. For example, Eurasian Lynx is a medium-sized wildcat extinct in Britain for around 500 years, but it is a study of trees-for-life landscape in Scotland. The big picture on assessing the social feasibility of potential Lynx reintroduction found that Scotland could support a viable population. Does she agree that Lynx would help to maintain ecosystem balance and diversity by regulating deer numbers while posing no danger to people and very little to livestock, as shown in the many European countries with Lynx populations? I thank the member very much for his question. Reintroductions of native species have an important role to play in nature restoration here in Scotland and across the world. I am incredibly pleased with the progress that we have made with the reintroduction of beavers over the last year, and we will continue to work with NatureScot to support this important piece of work. With regard to Lynx, the Scottish Government has no current plans to reintroduce Lynx into Scotland. It is, of course, for NatureScot as the relevant licensing authority to evaluate any applications received by it on a case-by-case basis. Mark Ruskell, to be followed by Edward Mountain. Thank you. Grazing pressure from deer continues to halt Scotland's ambitions, to restore native woodland and regenerate our environment. Can I ask the minister whether the use of section 10 powers by NatureScot this week represents a shift in gear on the Scottish Government's approach to deer management and what further action is planned ahead of the natural environment bill? Thank you very much to the member for the question. The Scottish Government is absolutely clear that effective deer management is vital if we are to bring populations in balance with nature and effectively tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. We are committed to implementing the recommendations made by the deer working group, including new legislation, to be brought in during this Parliament. In the meantime, we are making full use of the existing intervention powers wherever they are required. Last week, NatureScot used powers available to them under section 10 of the Dears Scotland Act to carry out a deer call on an estate in Sutherland, where deer are having a significant impact, including on the four sites of special interests and SSIs. I would like to express my thanks to the staff involved in the challenging but essential work. NatureScot is also represented on the deer project board and is working alongside the board on priority actions for deer in Scotland outwith legislative change. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I remind members of my register of interest in the iron and managed land. Minister, you suggested that the Government planted 10,000 hectares in the last year. That happens to be 5,000 hectares below the target, or 30 per cent. In the last six years, your 15,000 hectares below the target and this year, the budget has been cut per hectare planted by 14 per cent. How are you going to get more trees planted when you haven't got a good record of doing that in the past? Through the cabinet secretary. Thank you to the member for that question. Ramping up and scaling up both our tree planting and peatland restoration are key goals for the Government and big parts of our biodiversity strategy. Last year, we met butthouse commitments by establishing more than 4,000 hectares of new native woodlands across Scotland. Last year, the figure was 4,360 hectares of new native woodland created. That means that around 42 per cent of all new woodland created was native species, so important for biodiversity. In 2022-23, £63.5 million was allocated to supporting 15,000 hectares of tree planting for 2022-23. During COP16 in December last year, the Scottish Government announced biodiversity funding, which I welcomed, not least being a champion for the corncrate bird. Can the minister outline the projects that have been supported by the Scottish Government's nature restoration fund and what impact the fund is having with protecting Scotland's nature and biodiversity? Thank you very much to the member for that question. The nature restoration fund is Scotland's largest-ever fund for nature. Since we launched it at COP26 in Glasgow, we have already invested over £20 million. That is having a real impact across Scotland, restoring rivers and floodplains, regenerating our forests and recovering our wildlife populations. 31 applications have been offered funding in the latest round of the Scottish Government's nature restoration fund. Projects to restore rivers in the Cairngorms and protect the rainforest in Argyll are among the initiatives that will share £7.6 million. That round has been focused on supporting large-scale projects, including multi-year ones that run up to 2026. 100 projects have previously successfully bid for funding from the NRF. A full list of projects granted NRF competitive funding can be found on the NatureScot website. Local authorities across Scotland have also been allocated £11.5 million from the fund since its inception. That is just part of our commitment to invest at least an additional £500 million in the nature economy over the course of this Parliament. I have a couple of other members who want to ask supplementaries. I would ask them to be very brief and for the responses to be similarly brief. I will invite Douglas Lumson first and then Fergus Ewing. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Liam Kerr asked earlier when the financial data underpinning the strategy would be published. We never got an answer, so can I ask again when, Minister? We are currently going to be finalising the publishing of the vision of the strategic strategy and then we will be looking at doing the delivery plans, so they will come out in the next few months. Does the minister know that Caper Caleigh has been under threat for about as long as I have been in MSP, which is really quite a long time, and that for almost all of that period it is faced predation by a variety of predators, all of whom regard Caper eggs as breakfast, lunch and tea rolled into one? Is she aware that, just recently, NatureScot has recognised that predators must be controlled, including foxes? Can she confirm that she will instruct NatureScot to carry out that predation and to do so immediately with enthusiasm and dispatch? I applaud the member's general enthusiasm and, of course, his enthusiasm for supporting Caper Caleigh. It is something that is being looked at very closely by Scottish Government officials, NatureScot and Cairngorms National Park, and we are working together on a plan to protect this precious iconic species. Thank you, minister. That concludes this item of business. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business.