PHC2022/06 builds on an outcome from a previous PHC project (PHC2019/05) which created GIbase 1.0: A database of green infrastructure plant species in England and Scotland, which was built by searching local authority planning portals for plant specifications associated with Green Infrastructure projects.

This project will extend the database, creating GIbase 2.0., establishing search functions for planning portals across Scotland, automatically generating notifications of projects that meet specific criteria relating to project scale and type. This will allow both higher resolution data to be recorded and also ensure that GIbase 2.0 captures the most current schemes under development or in early-stage planning.

This project will Map the diversity and abundance of plant species used in green infrastructure across Scotland, and record this data in GIbase 2.0. It will use the UK PHRR to create relative risk profiles for each plant species, and, for commonly planted species, create high quality data sheets using published research, providing a valuable asset to policy-makers, local planning authorities, Green Infrastructure designers and developers.

This project was selected for funding from the Project Call: “Enhancing preparedness against pests and diseases: plugging evidence gaps for Scotland”.

Three projects (PHC2019/04/05/06) were conducted in 2020/21 that investigated large-scale biosecurity risks to Scotland from several supply-chains and planting approaches. This project was commissioned, within the original scope of the aforementioned projects, to conduct further research with a strong likelihood of strengthening and expanding their findings. This project seeks to engage with hard-to-reach actors and the wider sector through their membership organisations.

PHC2021/08 will implement an Action Research approach, delivered through workshops co-designed with network organisations, to better understand current plant biosecurity risks in several sectors, to identify their plant health knowledge needs, and to begin to embed biosecurity training within existing organisations, programmes and processes.

The outcomes of the project will be:
• An enhanced understanding of the knowledge and training needs of different sectors and the identification of biosecurity actions that will fill some of the gaps identified by PHC2019/04/05/06
• The identification of further training needs and potential approaches to address the problems identified
• A legacy of close working relationships between the PHC and several network organisations, key to future plant biosecurity research or training delivery activities

Large scale infra-structure projects such as transport networks and major housing projects typically include extensive landscaping and planting programmes. These operate at a large scale, often require instant visual impacts (semi-mature shrubs and trees) and face significant cost pressures. The modest scale of domestic production creates challenges in obtaining material from local sources, which can favour low-cost large-scale plant imports with associated risks of pest and disease entry. This project will fill in key knowledge gaps with those responsible for selecting, procuring and planting plants and trees on a large-scale to provide an understanding of how/whether biosecurity features in their decision-making and make recommendations for any changes required to improve bio-secure practices.

Impact: Provide Scottish Government policy with an assessment of the major biosecurity pitfalls and opportunities arising from large-scale landscaping plantings.