Increasing the contribution from agriculture and forestry

Most of Scotland's land is managed and that management is most likely to be either agricultural, forestry or sporting.  That means that most of Scotland's terrestrial biodiversity is also managed.  Support for agriculture and forestry is through the Common Agricultural Policy  .  This provides for two funding streams, Pillar 1 which covers direct payments to farms and Pillar 2 which covers targeted payments through the Rural Development Programme. 

Many habitats such as machair grassland and associated species such as corncrake rely upon low intensity land use.  Such High Nature Value Farming   is a feature of Scottish agriculture. 

Targeting support

The principal means of supporting biodiversity is the Scotland Rural Development Programme  .  This includes a funding mechanism called Rural Development Contracts Rural Priorites   which divides Scotland into 11 areas, each with its own priorities. The priorities in turn have a list of managment packages available (e.g. Native woodlands and associated habitats & species). Each package can be delivered through a list of options (e.g. woodland creation - naturally regenerated native woodland). Some options are specifically designed to help Scottish biodiversity. Uptake of the options is voluntary, requiring applications for assessment from land owners and managers.

A second source of funding under the Scotland Rural Development Programme is Rural Development Contracts Land Managers Options  .  These are not competive and are available up to a maximum threshold for each business.  A number of Land Managers Options  are available including options targeted towards improving biodiversity.

Targeting where there are problems

There are occasions when nutrient enrichment has reached a level where it can have a negative impact upon biodiversity.  Changing working practices, in part due to an increased awareness of "green" issues and the work of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency  ensures that such incidents are relatively uncommon and dealt with efficiently.