The activists were representing wildlife as MSPs debated the Natural Environment Bill because it cannot vote

Campaigners wearing puffin, bumblebee, wildcat and red squirrel costumes demonstrated outside the Scottish Parliament today as MSPs prepared to debate the Natural Environment Bill.

The activists were representing wildlife because it cannot vote and held signs reading ‘protect our home’, ‘restore nature’ and ‘nature targets now’. 

The Natural Environment Bill is seen by campaigners as a vital opportunity to set strong and meaningful targets for nature recovery in Scotland.  

One in nine species in Scotland is at risk of extinction, with almost half of species decreasing in number since the 1970s. Scotland ranks in the lowest 15% of countries globally for the overall health of its biodiversity. 

Puffins are a Red List species, meaning they are one of our most threatened birds. They are at risk of extinction in Scotland and worldwide.

The great yellow bumblebee, now extinct from the rest of Britain, is hanging on in the very north of Scotland, the Orkneys and the Outer Hebrides.

Wildcats are on the brink of extinction in Scotland, although the Saving Wildcats Partnership is providing a lifeline by breeding cats for release into the wild. Scotland is home to 80% of the UK’s red squirrels, but this iconic species is under threat from the invasive, non-native grey squirrel. 

The Scotland Loves Nature campaign calls on the Scottish government to set legally binding targets for nature recovery, as well as putting more funding in place to restore nature and helping communities to protect and restore their natural environment. 

The campaign was launched by Scottish Environment LINK to demand urgent action to restore Scotland’s nature. It is backed by more than 40 organisations including the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, WWF Scotland and RSPB Scotland.  

Deborah Long, chief executive of Scottish Environment LINK, said: “It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Natural Environment Bill. The nature we all love is in crisis, and we need urgent action to bring it back to health. If this bill results in strong nature targets it could galvanise that action and make sure future Scottish governments are required to do what’s needed to help nature recover. 

“The Scotland Loves Nature campaign has demonstrated how deeply Scotland’s people care about the nature around them. We’re calling on MSPs to take heed and support action for nature in this bill. Today we’re here representing the wildlife that can’t vote but desperately needs our help to survive.”

Photography for Scottish Environment LINK from: Colin Hattersley Photography - www.colinhattersley.com - [email protected]