Biodiversity
- What is Biodiversity?
- Why is biodiversity important?
- What is being done in Scotland to conserve biodiversity?
- What is happening at the local level?
- How is biodiversity threatened?
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity means, "the total variety of all living things", effectively the variety of life on the planet "our living bank balance".
It concerns the whole range of living things, from flowering plants to birds, from butterflies to mosses and lichens and even bacteria. Biodiversity also refers to the wide range of habitats which plants and animals depend upon. It is not just about rare or threatened species, it embraces all life, from the commonplace to the greatly endangered.
Why is biodiversity important?
Protecting the variety of life around us is increasingly important, not just for the intrinsic worth of plants and animals themselves, but also for the needs of humankind. Biodiversity affects our quality of life aesthetically and spiritually, it boosts local economies, and across the earth, there are many species upon which we depend. Biodiversity provides some of the raw materials for our food and drink, medicines, fuel, clothing and buildings. In short, biodiversity ensures our survival. But biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate, both globally and in the UK. In the last hundred years at least 100 species have become extinct in Britain alone.
Biodiversity is a measure of sustainable development helping us to gauge how we meet our needs today without impacting on the quality of life for our children and the needs of future generations.
What is being done in Scotland to conserve biodiversity?
The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 5 May 2004 and came into effect in two stages, on 1 October 2004 and 29 November 2004. The new Act introduces a wide range of protection and enforcement measures to safeguard and enhance Scotland’s natural heritage. This is the first major nature conservation legislation affecting Scotland in almost a quarter of a century and is the first nature conservation legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Act places a duty on every public body to further the conservation of biodiversity consistent with the proper exercise of their functions. It requires Scottish Ministers to designate one or more strategies for the conservation of biodiversity as the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, and to publish lists of species of flora and fauna and habitats of principal importance.
The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy "It's in Your Hands", published in 2004, presented a 25 year vision and framework for action to protect Scotland's biodiversity. The Strategy aims to "conserve biodiversity for the health, enjoyment and well-being of the people of Scotland now and in the future."
What is happening at the local level?
Angus Council has joined other bodies to form the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership.
Tayside, which covers the three local authority areas of Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross, is an area rich in species and widely differing landscapes, for example:
- it covers 10% of the land mass of Scotland,
- it provides winter quarters for more than half of the world's population of pink-footed geese,
- it houses a third of Britain’s breeding population of ospreys,
- it has the largest reedbeds in Britain, and
- it boasts the oldest living tree in Europe - the Fortingall Yew, which is between 3,000 and 5,000 years old.
The Tayside Biodiversity Partnership is made up of statutory bodies, local authorities, non-government organisations and individuals.
The broad aim of the Tayside Local Biodiversity Action Plan is:
"To co-ordinate the existing actions, as well as initiating and co-ordinating new actions, to conserve and enhance the regions biodiversity, taking into account both local and national priorities."
The most important word in the whole process is action. Without a concerted effort to conserve our local biodiversity nothing will be achieved. By highlighting a variety of species, projects and initiatives quickly follow and a very wide range of people can become involved biodiversity conservation.
The Tayside Biodiversity Partnership has produced a Local Action Plan (view the Tayside Local Biodiversity Action Plan) for habitats and has published some Species Action Plans and more are being developed. A number of publications and newsletters are available at the Partnerships website see www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk for further information.
The Partnership is also involved in a number of projects and surveys, some of which have on-line surveys, covering such species as:
Funds are also available for projects aiming to deliver biodiversity conservation and enhancement for UK species and habitats, subject to certain conditions. For guidance notes, application forms, deadlines etc see: www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk/Action_Fund.html.
Tayside Biodiversity Festival 2010
May 2010 saw the launch of the second "Tayside Biodiversity Festival" which ran throughout Angus, Dundee and Perthshire over the entire month. Over 50 events were held in during the 2009 festival including identification courses, guided walks, wildlife gardening sessions and practical workshops provided opportunities for everyone to explore the areas wealth of biodiversity. For more information on previous events please see the link below.
- Tayside's 1st "Biodiversity Festival" May 1st - 10th 2009 deemed a great success.
Natural Angus
Natural Angus (1.9 MB PDF)
is a perpetual calendar which highlights the wealth of biodiversity found in Angus throughout the year in our many spectacular habitats ranging from high in the Angus Glens down to the North Sea shore. Each month features a different habitat, species associated with it, events and photo opportunities and how you can be a part of protecting Angus’s unique biodiversity.
The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy urges local government to promote sustainable development and biodiversity conservation and Angus Council and Tayside Biodiversity Partnership have been able to produce this guide due to the kind assistance of Scottish Natural Heritage, VisitScotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
How is biodiversity threatened?
The main threats to biodiversity are Habitat destruction, non native invasive species and climate change. All of the afore mentioned can also lead to other major threats such as genetic pollution, over harvesting and habitat fragmentation. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network – last published the annual “Red List”, a global report on the status of biodiversity in 2009. The statistics from this report state that 21 percent of all known mammals, 30 percent of all known amphibians, 12 percent of all known birds, 28 percent of reptiles, 37 percent of freshwater fishes, 70 percent of plants, and 35 percent of invertebrates assessed are under threat. And this is just the tip of the iceberg since the majority of species in the world have not yet been assessed and the threats to ecosystems and species are increasing daily.
Habitat destruction
Most of the species extinctions from 1000 AD to 2000 AD are due to human activities, in particular destruction of plant and animal habitats. Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms which previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of harvesting natural resources for industry production and urbanization. Clearing habitats for agriculture is the principal cause of habitat destruction. Other important causes of habitat destruction include mining, logging, trawling and urban sprawl. Habitat destruction is currently ranked as the most important cause of species extinction worldwide.
Endemic organisms that inhabit limited ranges are most affected by habitat destruction, mainly because these organisms are not found anywhere else within the world and thus, have less chance of recovering. This is also contributed by that many endemic organisms obtains very specific requirements for their survival that perhaps can only be found within a certain ecosystem, resulting in their extinction. Habitat destruction can also decrease the range of certain species populations.
The only solution for this issue is for governmental bodies at a local, national, and international scale taking action by addressing the underlying driving forces:
- Considering the many irreplaceable ecosystem services provided by natural habitats,
- Protecting remaining intact sections of natural habitat,
- Educating the public about the importance of natural habitat and biodiversity,
- Developing family planning programs in areas of rapid population growth,
- Finding ways to increase agricultural output than simply increasing the total land in production,
- Preserving habitat corridors to minimize prior damage from fragmented habitats.
Non-Native Invasive species
"Invasive non-native plant and animal species are the second greatest threat to biodiversity worldwide after habitat destruction. They can negatively impact on native species, can transform habitats and threaten whole ecosystems causing serious problems to the environment and the economy". Great Britain Non-native Species secretariat
What are non-native invasive species?
Plants, animals and micro-organisms that are not native to the UK have been introduced accidentally or deliberately over several millennia. Many non-native species have a positive impact on the country's economy, such as wheat in agriculture, Sitka spruce in forestry or the pheasant in the game industry. A small minority of non-native species have become invasive meaning that they are upsetting an ecosystems natural equilibrium.
How do they establish and become a problem?
This can be due to one or several factors including;
- Non-native species lose their natural predators, competitors, pests and diseases during translocation
- The biology of an invasive species can sometimes make them a better competitor than a native species occupying a similar ecological niche
- Human activity can often disturb a site, decreasing the population numbers of native species, giving space to new invasive species to colonise
- Non-native species are or have been introduced so many times that by chance they arrive in the perfect location at the correct time, establish, spread and become invasive.
These factors can allow non-native species populations to increase to a level where they become invasive, affecting other species, habitats or economic interests by carrying disease, predating native species, becoming pests on economically or ecologically important species, blocking waterways or damaging built structures.
Non-native invasive species in Scotland
An Audit of Alien Species in Scotland in 2001 reported 988 non-native species (not including fungi). However, only a small minority of non-native species become invasive, posing a threat to the environment and the economy. The majority of non-native species are beneficial to man e.g. most of our crops and domestic animals. In Tayside non-native invasive plant species such as Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam are particularly troublesome.
Invasive non-native species in Tayside
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American Mink |  |
Grey squirrel |  |
Japanese Knotweed |
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Himalayan Balsam |  |
Giant Hogweed |  |
North American signal crayfish |
All of the above species are Invasive non-native species found in Tayside. All invasive non native species present a significant risk to biodiversity in Scotland. For more information see;
How do we control non-native invasive species?
Many invasive non-native species require management to limit their deleterious effects and control work is currently being carried out by a wide range of organisations in Britain.
This work ranges from action at a local scale for example on Local Nature Reserves, through catchment-scale or island-scale work and work at a national or even international level. It also critical that individual land owners and managers protect their private interests thus preventing nuisance for owners of neighbouring land.
Advice on non-native plant and animal species control can be found at the following websites;
- Plantlife - This site lists all problem plants in the UK, including pond plants and has good photographs
- NetRegs - this environmental legislation site has guidelines on how to manage different invasive species
- The Tayside Red Squirrel Project - This Tayside group can give advice on Grey Squirrel control in Tayside.
- Scottish Natural Heritage - This website has detailed information on non-native scottish problem species, their affect on the environment and how they are being managed.
- GB non-native species secretariat - detailed government site that tells you all you need to know about invasive species.
U.K Legislation
There are many detailed laws relating to the control of non-native invasive species. Briefly summarised, it is illegal to allow any animal which is not ordinarily resident in Great Britain, or is listed on Schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to escape into the wild, or to release it into the wild without a licence. It is also illegal to plant or otherwise cause to grow in the wild any plant listed on Schedule 9 of the Act. Offences carry penalties of up to £5,000 fine and/or 2 years imprisonment.
Surveillance and Monitoring
Surveillance and monitoring of non-native species are key components in the control of non-native Species.
Surveillance for newly arrived species provides intelligence on what species are entering and becoming established in Britain as well as indicating what are the main means of entry.
Monitoring the status of more established non-native species is also important to establish if they are becoming invasive over time.
In the UK we have the huge advantage that there is a strong history of volunteer recording on a wide range of species. However, there is currently no comprehensive monitoring scheme for non-native species per se.
Climate change
Environmental conditions play a key role in defining the function and distribution of plants and animals, in combination with other factors. Changes in long term environmental conditions that can be collectively coined climate change are known to have had enormous impacts on plant and animal diversity patterns in the past and are seen as having significant current impacts. It is predicted that climate change will remain one of the major drivers of biodiversity patterns in the future. All species are likely to be not only directly impacted by the changes in environmental conditions, but possibly indirectly through their interactions with other species. While direct impacts may be easier to predict and conceptualise, it is likely that indirect impacts are be equally important in determining the response of species to climate change.
The scientific consensus in the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report is that "Anthropogenic warming could lead to some impacts that are abrupt or irreversible, depending upon the rate and magnitude of the climate change." "There is medium confidence that approximately 20-30% of species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if increases in global average warming exceed 1.5-2.5°C (relative to 1980-1999). As global average temperature increase exceeds about 3.5°C, model projections suggest significant extinctions (40-70% of species assessed) around the globe."