Integration of Plant Health planning into the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy

Project Lead: Katherine Hayden
Project Date: 18 March 2019 to 31 August 2023
Reference Number:
PHC2018/12
Scotland Landscape
Pests and diseases represent a major emerging threat to biodiversity, in part due to increased global trade, climate change, and wider habitat degradation. The potential impacts include direct threats based on pest/pathogen impacts on focal species, as well as wider secondary effects for other interacting species and communities.
Compared to threats such as climate change and habitat fragmentation, plant health issues are poorly represented in international and national biodiversity strategies such as the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. Work is thus required to provide strategic guidance on the inclusion of plant health threats into the next iteration of the biodiversity strategies.

Impact: Direct guidance and input for plant health issues into the new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy; best-practice example of plant health integration into national biodiversity planning (model for other countries).
Publication Type (field_publication_type)
Forestry, Environment | Final Report and Policy Document

Integration of Plant Health Planning Into the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy

March 2024

The impacts of introduced plant pests and diseases have been substantial in recent times. With a changing climate and many known pests on the horizon, plant health impacts on biodiversity are expected to grow further in the years ahead. Thus, considering the nature of plant health threats to the natural environment and embedding mitigating actions into biodiversity strategies is of increasing importance.

Environment | Final Report and Policy Document

Plant Health and the Natural Environment Fellowship

Authors: Ruth Mitchell
August 2023

The Natural Environment sector underpins Scotland’s landscapes, biodiversity, rural industries and recreational activities, but plant health awareness is less well developed than in the forestry, horticulture and agriculture sectors. The PHC funded a fellowship with NatureScot, to address this gap.

Position:
Institution: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Position:
Institution: SASA
Position:
Plant Soil Ecologist
Institution: The James Hutton Institute
Position:
Institution: SASA