Stepping up for Nature
Nature is in big trouble, and the need for us to step up and help has never been more urgent. The UK has committed to meet a set of ambitious international goals by 2020 - to stop biodiversity loss and reverse its decline. That means doing more to help the millions of other species with which we share this planet.
Think big
Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, failed to meet the 2010 target to halt biodiversity loss. That has taught us some hard lessons. But there is now a new target to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2020. Despite having less money, we cannot afford to fail again.
It should now be clear to everyone that meeting these goals means beginning now, thinking big, and that everyone has to take responsibility.
Internationally, we are working to restore rainforests in Africa and Asia, and to save albatrosses in the southern oceans. Here in the UK we have a network of over 200 nature reserves, and we are working with farmers and crofters, landowners and communities across Scotland to protect and enhance vast swathes of our countryside.
The consequences of failure are huge but this is an exciting time. The Scottish Government has the opportunity to be a leader in solving the problem of creating a healthy economy while revitalising the natural environment. Getting this right will benefit us all.
Get stuck in
These pages set out a roadmap of the opportunities and goals we must meet over the next nine years. As new opportunities arise where the Scottish Government can and should do more, we will announce them here.
We will soon be offering everyone simple actions they can do in their gardens and local communities to help wildlife. We will work with our supporters, members of the public and businesses to Step Up for Nature and do their bit to save wildlife, however and wherever they can.
Millions of personal actions will help wildlife on the ground. But together, they will represent something much bigger - a vast movement of people who are determined to bring the nature we love back from the brink.
The message is simple - we must work together, with vigour and urgency, to create a world where wildlife flourishes in harmony alongside human activity. Nature is amazing. Let’s step up and save it – together.