Helping Nature to Help Us Natural solutions to living in a changing climate

RSPB Scotland

2

This document is an update of the

RSPB Scotland document, by the

same name, published in 2008.

That first version focussed on the

types of habitats that can help us.

This revised report focuses on

solutions that nature provides to

some of our most pressing

problems.

“The future depends on what

you do today.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

Chris Gomersall (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

3

Helping Nature to Help Us – an introduction

Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat to people, wildlife and our environment. In Scotland, we need to prepare now for the impacts of a changing climate and understand the best ways to adapt our society, economy and environment.

The way in which we help our natural environment adapt to climate change can bring huge benefits to society and the economy. If we look after nature, it

can cost-effectively provide the resource base and services we need in the face of a changing climate, and the threat from extreme weather events.

RSPB Scotland manages habitats and ecosystems to conserve wildlife, because we believe we have a responsibility to safeguard Scotland’s nature. We want future generations to enjoy the myriad benefits it provides, such as clean air, flood prevention, biodiversity, carbon storage and clean water.

RSPB Scotland understands that if we

help nature, it will help us to combat both the causes and consequences of climate change. It can provide us with a great variety of benefits, many of which we will need in the future – whatever happens to our climate.

We need to buffer ourselves against climate trends and extreme weather events by planning for flexible and sustainable ways to adapt our lives. This document outlines how nature provides these real world solutions and highlights examples from Scotland.

“The truth is: the natural world is

changing. And we are totally

dependent on that world. It provides

our food, water and air. It is the most

precious thing we have and we need

to defend it.”

― David Attenborough

Photo: Jim

Densham

Climate Change – the background to action

Climate change is already being experienced across the world and in Scotland it is already having an impact on the environment. As a nation we need to both fight climate change and prepare ourselves for the inevitable changes.

Limiting further climate change If we do nothing as a society to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we won’t be able to cope with the impact of a changing climate. We must limit further damage by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, and maximising the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) taken from the atmosphere and locked away in soil and vegetation.

Adapting to the impacts of climate change Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, there would still be enough in the atmosphere to create significant climatic changes in years to come. In Scotland, we must adapt our way of life to these changes and the knock-on impacts. The way we live will be different in the future – the question is, what’s the best and most sustainable way to prepare ourselves?

1. We must help wildlife adapt, because many species can’t keep up with the rapid pace of climate

2.

A The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 commits us to both preparing for a new climate and reducing our emissions. We must, therefore, preparechallenging climate lowprovide

change. Greater protection and care of the best sites for wildlife, and more sensitive management of the countryside, are essential to enable wildlife to become more robust and allow them to move to new areas of the country as the climate changes.

2. We must help society adapt. Being prepared for climate change and reducing the risk of hardship involves proper planning and action. Each sector of the economy and society will adapt at its own pace, but changes must be sustainable and avoid negative impact on wildlife and the environment.

A low-carbon Scotland The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 commits us to both preparing for a new climate and reducing our emissions. We must, therefore, prepare ourselves for living in a more challenging climate with sustainable low-carbon solutions. Nature can provide those low-carbon solutions.

Political Action

The Climate Change (Scotla2009 sets the basis for Gaction on climate change in the years ahead.

An Adaptation Programme by the Act to set out actions the Scottish Guse to help Scotland adapt to the changing climate.

In doing this Government must work ‘a way that achievement of sustainable development ‘.

The Act sets a duty on Public Bodies to deliver climate change targets and the Adaptation Programme. Importantlythe Act also requires that Public Bodies must consider how they can do this in ways which are ‘most sustainable

Scotland must be forward thinkingaction on climate change sustainable – solutions to meet our climate change targets.

The Climate Change

(Scotland)

Act 2009

The Scottish Parliament has set

an ambitious greenhouse gas

reduction target of 42% by 2020,

and an 80% reduction by 2050

4

Political Action

The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 sets the basis for Government action on climate change in Scotland in

.

Adaptation Programme is required to set out the policies and Scottish Government will

p Scotland adapt to the changing climate.

In doing this Government must work ‘in a way that contributes to the achievement of sustainable

he Act sets a duty on Public Bodies to deliver climate change targets and the Adaptation Programme. Importantly, the Act also requires that Public Bodies must consider how they can do this in

‘most sustainable’.

Scotland must be forward thinking, with action on climate change that is

providing long-term solutions to meet our climate change

The Scottish Parliament has set

an ambitious greenhouse gas

reduction target of 42% by 2020,

and an 80% reduction by 2050

5

Natural Solutions

In readiness for living with climate change and a range of impacts, we need to work with nature and employ natural ecosystems to provide sustainable and cost-effective solutions. Nature can be our ally in response to climate change.

Damage to the natural environment degrades our natural resource base and society ends up paying, but when we do the opposite by conserving and restoring ecosystems, nature gives back valuable services to society and the economy.

A natural answer Scotland’s natural environment is the only part of the country’s economy which has a positive influence on the greenhouse gas balance statement. Vegetation extracts CO2 from the atmosphere and locks it up in plant

tissue or soil, for centuries. The sheer amount of carbon stored in Scotland’s peatlands and forests are prime examples of how natural processes can help us limit the causes of climate change.

However, damaged ecosystems, such as degraded peat bogs, can actually emit and lose carbon, thereby contributing to climate change.

It is imperative that we restore habitats in order to encourage this natural solution. By using nature to our advantage in the fight against climate change, we will also reduce the need for carbon-intensive technologies.

Adapting to change Scientists predict Scotland will experience a trend towards drier

summers and wetter winters, but also weather which is extreme and unpredictable. There will be more heavy rainfall, a greater risk of flooding as sea levels rise, and more heat waves that could lead to health consequences. Nature can provide sustainable ways of coping with these problems, and could save the Scottish economy millions of pounds.

Better quality of life Natural solutions are not only viable for dealing with climate change – they also provide us with ways to improve standards of living. Scotland’s unique landscape boosts the economy by attracting millions of visitors each year, green jobs provide significant employment, and just getting out and experiencing the natural environment has been shown to improve physical and mental health.

Scotland’s peatlands hold 10 times

the carbon stored in the UK’s

forests.

Andy Hay (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

6

Why natural solutions make sense

There are many good reasons why aiming for natural solutions makes good sense. For example, natural solutions:

• can provide multiple benefits rather than single outcomes, and thereby a greater overall benefit;

• can save money in the long term and are especially important in times of financial constraint;

• are normally low-carbon and will reduce CO2 emissions;

• provide sustainability and help to maintain the natural resource base;

• can be flexible and thereby adaptable to the uncertainties surrounding future climate impacts.

We need to act now to employ natural solutions to climate change impacts. However, as we respond, by changing the way we live and work, we must be careful not cause further environmental harm.

Case Studies

The following seven pages show examples of some of the things we need as a society and how nature can be employed to provide them. Each case study is illustrated with a real example from Scotland of where these solutions are working.

“If we want to prolong our own

existence, we have to preserve

the environment – the natural

world inside which we live.”

- Andrew Marr, Darwin’s

Dangerous Idea, 2009

Andy Hay (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

Photo: Jim

Densham

7

Halting climate change

Problem Natural habitats, such as peatlands, store vast quantities of carbon in vegetation and soils, but large areas of habitat and carbon-rich soil have been damaged, resulting in them emitting carbon which is contributing to climate change and a loss of peatland biodiversity.

Conventional approach A mix of solutions is required to tackle climate change with energy efficiency, renewable energy and public transport investment all making important contributions. Care is needed to ensure actions genuinely deliver benefits as some such as biofuels, can have negative carbon savings and damage wildlife.

Natural solution Protecting and restoring Scotland’s peatland and coastal habitats, native woodland and permanent grasslands can prevent the release of carbon to the atmosphere. Careful management of these habitats can then positively regulate climate change by taking carbon from the atmosphere and locking it away in vegetation and soils. Natural solutions provide a vital additional carbon benefit to augment the conventional carbon reduction measures and help deliver urgent targets.

This chapter is endorsed by:

Case Study: Flow Country

The Flow Country peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland as well as being internationally important for wildlife, store an estimated 407 million tonnes of carbon – over double the amount in all of the UK’s forests. Losing just 4% of that stored carbon, through damage to the blanket bogs, would equal Scotland’s total annual household and industrial carbon emissions.

During the 1970s and ’80s, tens of thousands of hectares of blanket bog were damaged when the bogs were drained and planted with non-native conifer trees, driven by inappropriate grants and tax breaks. This had huge consequences for wildlife and for the carbon locked up in the peat soils.

RSPB Scotland is actively involved in the restoration of damaged blanket bog at its Forsinard Flows nature reserve. The EU funded LIFE Peatlands Project and other partners have helped to pay for the removal of trees and the blocking of drainage ditches on the 21,000ha reserve. This work has helped to secure the carbon store and contribute to climate change targets. It brings employment and tourism and generates over £200,000 annually to the local economy.

Eleanor B

entall (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

8

Flood risk management

Problem

More heavy rainfall events in the future will increase the risk of flooding in rural and urban areas. These downpours could cause millions of pounds in damage and untold misery to those affected. Heavy rain is more likely to swell rivers and increase the likelihood of floodwater damaging farmland, roads and railways or buildings. Flooding also affects urban areas when heavy rainfall runs off hard surfaces and drains fail to cope.

Conventional approach

One approach to managing the effects of flooding is to build and maintain costly river embankments to contain raised water levels and quickly channel it to the sea. The response to heavier rainfall events could be to build higher defences at considerable cost with the risk that these will not be sufficient.

Natural solutions

Alternatively, in some rural areas we can reconnect rivers to their floodplains and use land to temporarily hold and slow the flow of floodwater through a river catchment, reducing peak river flows in downstream towns and cities. By planning at the scale of the river catchment, natural flood plains and other natural flood management features can work together with engineered solutions, such as barriers

and walls, to reduce flood risk and save costs.

Pressure on urban drainage can also be relieved if planners and homeowners use green areas to naturally allow water to soak away. Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems are grassy or wetland areas within our urban landscape designed to hold and slow the flow of rainwater before reaching watercourses or the sewerage system. When well designed, these can be valuable wildlife habitats in our urban landscapes.

This chapter is endorsed by:

Case Study: Insh Marshes

The RSPB manages almost 1000ha of wetland habitat as part of its Insh Marshes reserve on the River Spey floodplain in the Cairngorms. Insh Marshes supports many species of birds, invertebrates and plants and, as a result, has been recognised through various national and international conservation designations including as a National Nature Reserve. The area attracts an estimated 15,000 visitors each year who go there to enjoy its landscape character, special wildlife and to pursue recreational activities.

The floodplain or ‘strath’ is prone to flooding in winter and spring following heavy rains or snow melt. Insh Marshes stores flood water during these times and can help protect Aviemore and other downstream settlements from flooding. It is estimated that this avoids the need for additional engineered flood defences for Aviemore costing some £1.7 million to construct and maintenance costing over £80,000 per year1. Insh marshes and the Spey floodplain show how a range of services, including flood defence, conservation, agriculture, tourism and recreation, can be provided when we conserve the natural environment.

1http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Insh_Marshes_Case_

Study_tcm9-285680.pdf

Grahame Madge

(rspb-im

ages.com)

9

Coastal defence

Problem Rising sea levels combined with high tides and storms are increasing the risk of flooding to low-lying coastal areas. Development and hard sea defences along with sea level rise has caused the loss of coastal habitats, such as saltmarsh, which naturally protect inland areas by dissipating wave power.

Conventional approach The usual response is to build higher sea walls as water levels rise. This solution is expensive, often carbon intensive and requires frequent maintenance.

Natural solutions We should allow protective habitats to re-establish between the coastline and the tide by moving hard embankments inland. Extra benefits of this ecosystem approach are provided by the saltmarsh, which extracts carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in sediments

This chapter is endorsed by:

Case Study: Inner Forth Futurescape

At the heart of central Scotland, the Inner Forth has a long history of industrial and agricultural use that has resulted in loss of valuable intertidal habitat over centuries. High tides, storm events and rising sea levels are more frequently combining to place the hard sea defences under pressure. The remaining mudflat and saltmarsh areas continue to be valuable for wildlife but these too are under pressure from development and from sea level rise.

RSPB Scotland has a vision for large-scale habitat creation across 2,000 ha of land within sight of the Forth in the Falkirk and Alloa area. It is centred on the coastal realignment and habitat creation work already underway at the RSPB’s Skinflats nature reserve. The aim is to work in partnership with local councils, SEPA, SNH, and land managers to create a network of new saltmarsh, mudflat and reedbed habitats. This will benefit wildlife, bring protection from coastal flooding, carbon storage in the saltmarsh and improved access and recreation.

Futurescapes is generously supported by

the EU LIFE+ Communications

Programme:

Andy Hay (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

10

Food supply

Problem Scotland is not self-sufficient in food but what we produce domestically makes an important contribution to our diet and Scotland’s food and drink industry is a key source of revenue. Climate change will affect what types of food we can grow and how much we can harvest in future. As the marine environment changes it is also likely to affect our fisheries. With a growing number of mouths to feed and global demand for food set to increase, maintaining our ability to produce food domestically is a sensible strategy

Conventional approach Modern agriculture and fisheries rely on technology, and costly and finite resources, such as chemical fertiliser,

to produce food at a competitive price. Not all of these practices aim to ensure the sustainability of the resource base on which they depend, for example keeping fish stocks healthy, or maintaining the supportive ecosystem services such as soil function or populations of pollinators.

Natural solutions Too often we take our food for granted and forget that we need the environment to gather it from or to help us produce it. For long-term food supply we need a healthy environment - be it field, hill or sea. Food producers should be sensitive to nature and natural functions, work with nature, and aim for long term sustainability in the resource base.

Case Study: Marine Stewardship Council certification

The chance that the fish on your plate may have contributed to unhealthy, damaged seas is enough to put anyone off their food. Choosing fish products with the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) ‘blue tick’ ecolabel gives assurance that it comes from a sustainable fishery which does not overfish the stock or harm marine ecosystems.

In Scotland, fisheries for stocks of herring, haddock, brown and velvet crab, mussel and scallop have achieved this industry ‘gold standard’. Now around half of Scottish fisheries are in the MSC programme so everyone involved along the supply chain, from the skippers to the processors and supermarkets has a vested interest in ensuring the stock, and the marine environment it relies on, thrives now and for the future.

Some fishermen believe it pays to be sustainable, as they voluntarily allow their businesses to be closely scrutinised by independent scientists in order to gain the credibility – and new markets – opened up to them by MSC’s ecolabel.

This chapter is endorsed by:

Andy Hay (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

11

Clean water

Problem On its journey from cloud to water treatment works, via river, loch or wetland, water becomes polluted often as a result of the way land is managed. This adds to the cost, energy and resources needed to treat and supply clean water to our homes. It can also spoil our enjoyment of water for leisure activities, such as swimming. In some areas of Scotland changing rainfall patterns could exacerbate the problems of water treatment. For example, heavy rainfall will speed up the transport of pollutants into watercourses while periods of drought will increase demand on drinking water supplies.

Conventional approach Water, collected in reservoirs or pumped from groundwater, is treated to remove pollutants and make it drinkable before it is piped to our homes. Once we have used the water it is treated again. Both of these

processes are expensive.

Natural solution Land managers could be encouraged or paid to make sure the water which passed over and through their land is not polluted on route. This would complement regulation already in place obliging farmers to protect watercourses from damage and pollution. Habitats created next to watercourses can reduce runoff, filter out pollutants from farmland and improve water quality.

In rural areas, dirty water from farmyards can be cleaned by filtering it through reedbeds, or constructed farm wetlands, before entering rivers. Restoring damaged peatland habitats has also been shown to reduce water discolouration which brings down water treatment costs.

This chapter is endorsed by:

Case Study: Eye Water Diffuse Pollution Project

The catchment area of the Eye Water in the Borders is a priority catchment for diffuse water pollution, one of 14 in Scotland which have been selected for a more targeted approach to address this problem. The main diffuse pollution issue in the Eye Water catchment is caused by faecal microorganisms from farm livestock entering water upstream in the catchment when the animals have access to watercourses. As a result drinking water is contaminated, and Eyemouth Beach regularly fails to meet Bathing Water Quality Standards.

The Eye Water Diffuse Pollution Project is a collaboration between SEPA, the local farming community and the Tweed Forum. SEPA identified problem areas for water quality along the Eye Water and its tributaries and where livestock had access to watercourses. Tweed Forum visited farmers with significant issues in the catchment to see where action might be possible. Now 7,800m of streamside is protected with fencing to keep the livestock out of the water and to buffer streams from farm run-off. 12 hectares of new riverside habitat has been created, and 500 native trees have been planted and will help address the issue of diffuse pollution further downstream. Work continues to monitor water quality and revisit farms.

A farm in the Eye Water

catchment – before and

after habitat creation

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Energy

Problem To reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions we must start producing more energy from renewable sources. The Scottish Government is aiming for Scotland to generate the equivalent of 100% of its electricity demand from renewable sources by 2020. Providing heating for homes and businesses from renewable sources is more challenging.

Conventional approach The majority of homes, businesses and industry use fossil fuel for heating and those that are off the grid often use oil. Gas and oil, and electricity from non-renewable sources produce GHGs which damage the environment.

Natural solutions Nature can, not only help us meet our energy needs but also positively benefit our economy and create jobs. Sunlight, wind power and river flows can be harnessed to produce electricity and heat, and technology is developing to turn the energy of tides and waves into electricity. Woodfuel from sustainably managed woodland in Scotland can provide a renewable source of fuel for heat and power generators, but also motivate people to manage woodland and benefit native wildlife.

This chapter is endorsed by:

Case Study: Mersehead Biomass Boiler

The RSPB’s Mersehead reserve lies on the Solway and is a mosaic of intertidal mudflats, sand dunes, saltmarsh, grassland, woodland and arable farmland habitats. Wildlife at the reserve includes wintering Svalbard barnacle geese and pintails, as well as harbour porpoises, otters and natterjack toads.

The reserve’s main building, housing offices, accommodation, conference facilities and educational resources, is heated by a 25kW biomass boiler which runs on wood pellets in combination with solar water heating. In total this saves approximately £2000 per year in addition to the carbon savings. The wood pellets come from a sustainable source and are certified.

In the future the RSPB aims to do more to meet its energy needs from renewable sources. A number of RSPB reserves in Scotland, including Mersehead and the nearby Wood of Cree reserve, have woodland habitats which need to be managed for the benefit of wildlife. Wood felling and thinning as a result of these management practices could be used in future to heat reserve buildings and reduce the carbon footprint of running the network of reserves across Scotland.

Andy Hay (rs

pb-im

ages.com)

13

Health and wellbeing

Problem Obesity, mental health and other health issues are a growing drain on Scotland’s health budget and wider economy. Mental health alone cost the NHS in Scotland £877M in 2011/12 with 10% of the cost going on prescription drugs2. The Scottish Health Survey in 200113 found that 69% of men and 60% of women were overweight. More than a quarter of Scotland’s adults are obese. The same survey found that only 39% of adults did enough physical activity to meet recommended levels.

Conventional approach Prescription drugs and conventional healthcare have improved the population’s health significantly and have their place in addressing the issues we face today. However, this approach is costly and has tended to focus on illnesses once they happen, rather than trying to prevent the actual causes of poor health.

Natural solutions The natural environment has been shown to improve physical and mental health, and wellbeing, so planners should start creating more green spaces and green walks in urban

2 www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Quality-

Indicators/Publications/2013-03-26/2013-03-26-MH-

Toolkit-Report.pdf 3 www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0040/00402599.pdf

areas, especially in areas of high quality natural habitat. All healthcare staff – including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals - should be encouraged to promote walking and exercise for a variety of conditions related to poor health and lack of exercise, rather than relying solely on the conventional approach.

This chapter is endorsed by:

Case Study: Baron’s Haugh & Dalzell Estate

Close to the heart of Motherwell, yet a world apart, Baron’s Haugh and Dalzell Estate is the perfect place to enjoy nature and history side by side. The RSPB nature reserve and the North Lanarkshire Council owned estate sit together next to the Clyde. The area is a real gem for wildlife, including kingfishers and otters, and for visitors too. Four hides, look out on the ducks and wetland birds on the haugh, whilst a network of paths take visitors through the woods and parkland. Historical features seem to be round every corner.

A dozen or more entrances to the site allow free and easy access, and most paths are suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs. The variety of habitats and land uses in the area mean that a large variety of wildlife can be experienced and enjoyed close to an urban centre. And thanks to the huge effort of volunteers, both formal volunteers led by Countryside Rangers and RSPB staff, and dedicated visitors who pick up litter, the Estate and reserve can remain a special place able to lift the spirits on every visit.

Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

14

Making natural solutions commonplace

Natural solutions work but we need a vision, commitment and action to make them more commonplace throughout Scotland. Scotland’s Climate Adaptation Programme can help to achieve this.

The goods and services provided by nature (ecosystem services) can come from land and seas managed for nature, such as nature reserves, or from rather unlikely places. Rural and urban land used primarily for other purposes, e.g. farmland and urban parks, can be managed with nature in mind – often in new and exciting ways.

To increase the capacity of nature to provide us with these services and natural solutions we must look after it and help it. The following actions are needed and should be addressed through Government action. Scotland’s Climate Adaptation Programme provides the ideal place to recognise the value of nature and address the following priorities.

Helping nature Firstly, we need to ensure that our natural environment can itself, be resilient to a changing climate and has the capacity to adapt. We recommend following Scottish Environment LINK’s 5 guidelines – See Box on the next page.

A healthy environment From a healthy environment will flow the goods and services we need – ecosystem services. We must have nature in mind when making decisions and act to improve our environment. We need to:

• Reduce pressure on the environment by implementing in full all existing environmental and biodiversity legislation;

• Climate-proof all Government policies and strategies as they are developed or reviewed to ensure they will be fit for purpose in the future and will not harm our environment.

Managing ecosystems The way to secure ecosystem services is to protect our ecosystems, habitats and greenspaces, and actively manage them for the long-term.

Scotland cannot afford to give up on its network of wildlife sites, because we need them as a resource to help wildlife and society adapt, now and in the future.

Despite limited land area in Scotland and limited resources at sea, we currently tend to plan and use our towns, seas and parcels of countryside to maximise just one benefit, with little flexibility or resilience. As a society we want more from our limited land and in

the future it is clear that most land will need to play more than one role.

We need to:

• Invest in our designated wildlife areas to improve them and ensure they are all classified as being in a favourable condition;

• Work at a larger scale through landscape-scale projects - to buffer our existing ecosystems from climate shocks and to provide natural solutions at the scale needed;

• Designate sufficient Marine Protected Areas to boost the natural resource base, and plan the use of our seas in a sustainable way;

• Rethink how we manage urban and rural land to optimise the steady supply of a range of natural services and benefits, and improve our wellbeing;

• Help land managers to be more sensitive to nature and deliver the natural solutions that society needs, e.g. through the SRDP4;

• Do more to monitor the environment to detect impacts and trends as the climate changes and to inform policy.

4 Scottish Rural Development Programme

15

Conclusions

We must change the norms of how things are done if we are to thrive in a future with a shifting climate. The need to adapt to a changing climate and extreme weather events is already being felt. We need long-term, flexible and sustainable solutions to solving problems and to fulfilling our needs, now and in the future.

Nature can provide solutions to many of the challenges we face – challenges which will be exacerbated by a changing climate. To provide these natural solutions, services and goods, we need to do all we can to bring Scotland’s environment, nature and natural ecosystems into a healthy state.

Scotland’s Adaptation Programme has to address the risks posed by climate change. We believe that it must prioritise action which will increase our reliance on natural solutions to the challenges we face because of a changing climate.

If we help nature, it will help us to adapt to climate change and thrive in an uncertain future.

5 Guidelines to help

the natural

environment adapt

from Scottish

Environment LINK:

• Improve our understanding of

changing marine and

terrestrial environments - to

assess the impacts of climate

change, the responses of wildlife

and habitats, and the

effectiveness of our adaptation

measures.

• Reduce pressures not linked to

the climate – that the

environment is already struggling

to cope with.

• Build robust wildlife

populations – resilient to a

changing climate, and able to

move through the countryside.

• Identify and manage

important wildlife and habitat

areas – to ensure new and

existing areas are fit for wildlife in

the future.

• Deliver conservation action at

a landscape scale – to provide

wider areas of the urban, rural

and marine environment that are

more resilient to change and

permeable to wildlife.

http://www.scotlink.org/files/policy/PositionPapers/LINK5_ClimateAdaptPrinciples.pdf

"They always say time changes

things, but you actually have to

change them yourself."

- Andy Warhol

Photo: Jim

Densham

16

Further reading

RSPB, Naturally at your service: why it

pays to invest in nature

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Valuingnatu

re_tcm9-230654.pdf

RSPB, Think Nature: How to give life to

sustainable development

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/thinknature

_tcm9-218670.pdf

RSPB, Bringing Life Back to the Bogs

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/flowcountry

_tcm9-286460.pdf

RSPB, Natural Health

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/naturalhealt

h_tcm9-161955.pdf

RSPB, Scotland’s Land Use Future

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/Scotlands%

20land%20use%20future1_tcm9-

264606.pdf

RSPB, Futurescapes

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/futurescape

s_scotland_tcm9-261752.pdf

RSPB, Climate Change, wildlife and adaptation: 20 tough questions, 20 rough answers http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/climatechange20questions_tcm9-170121.pdf

RSPB, Natural Flood Management in Action

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/naturalfloodmanagementinactionposter_tcm9-196387.pdf

CIRCLE-2, Adaptation Inspiration Book

http://www.circle-era.eu/np4/InspireBook.html

TEEB – The Economics of Ecosystems

and Biodiversity http://www.teebweb.org/

UK National Ecosystem Assessment

http://uknea.unep-

wcmc.org/Resources/tabid/82/Default.aspx

European Commission, Science for

Environment, Thematic Issue:

Ecosystem-based Adaptation, March

2013.

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration

/research/newsalert/pdf/37si.pdf

Scottish Environment LINK, Preparing

Scotland’s Environment for a Changing

Climate

http://www.scotlink.org/files/publication/LIN

KReports/LINKAdaptWkshopReport12.pdf

Graham A, John Day J, Bray B, & Mackenzie S, Sustainable Drainage Systems http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/SuDS_report_final_tcm9-338064.pdf

LWEC, Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Impacts Report Card 2012 -13

http://www.lwec.org.uk/resources/report-cards/biodiversity

MCCIP, Marine Climate Change Impacts Annual Report Card 2010-2011 http://www.mccip.org.uk/annual-report-card/2010-2011.aspx

For more information, contact:

Jim Densham,

Senior Land Use Policy Officer (Climate)

RSPB Scotland,

2 Lochside View,

Edinburgh Park,

Edinburgh

EH12 9DH

Tel: 0131 3174100

Email: jim.densham@rspb.org.uk

Registered Charity England and Wales

Number 207076, Scotland Number

SC037654

RSPB Scotland is part of the Royal Society

for the Protection of Birds, the UK-wide

charity which speaks out for birds and

wildlife, tackling the problems that threaten

our environment. Nature is amazing - help

us keep it that way

Front cover photos:

Ptarmigan – Tom Marshall (rspb-images.com)

Bumblebee – Ben Hall (rspb-images.com)

Coastal Storm – Nick Upton (rspb-images.com)