18 Aug 2026
Photo by Bob Brewer Scotland’s seabirds remain in long-term decline, with average numbers now around half what they were in the 1980s, according to new statistics published by NatureScot on 13 August. A steep long-term fall The Scottish Biodiversity Indicator for Seabirds, which draws on data from the UK Seabird Monitoring Programme, assessed 19 of the 24 […]
05 Aug 2026
Photo credit: Chris Gallagher The Scottish government has launched a £15 million fund to strengthen flood resilience in the communities most at risk. The money, announced on 2 August, will go to local groups, communities and councils to improve their preparedness, and is intended to complement Scotland’s wider Flood Resilience Strategy. Where the money […]
04 Jun 2026
Image description: Close up shot of silvery seafoam in sunlight. Photo by Kier in Sight Archives on Unsplash A remote island, an unexpected finding Britain’s most remote inhabited island, known for knitting and rare birds, has the highest recorded levels of toxic per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in any public drinking water supply in Scotland. The […]
18 May 2026
Photo by Jacqueline Heron Wray A new study of Scotland’s South Arran Marine Protected Area has found that nearly a decade of protection from bottom trawling and dredging has produced striking ecological recovery, with highly protected seabeds recording around three times the abundance of marine life and twice as many species compared with nearby […]
14 May 2026
Image description: engineer wearing high-vis inspecting water quality at a wastewater treatment plant. Scottish Water has confirmed the partner companies which will work with it to transform the country’s water and waste water infrastructure in the publicly-owned utility’s biggest programme of investment ever. Scottish Water says that the seven companies it will collaborate with on the joint enterprise – aimed at enhancing Scotland’s water and waste […]
31 Mar 2026
Photo by Maja R Scotland’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has sharply criticised the Scottish Government for failing to deliver urgent reforms to salmon farming regulation, warning that progress since its 2025 inquiry has been “disappointing.” In a letter sent to Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon on 25 March, signed by Convener Finlay Carson MSP, the […]
17 Mar 2026
Photo by Bob Brewer The Scottish Government has concluded that no new regulation is needed to address fish mortality on salmon farms, following the publication of a Marine Directorate research report into persistent elevated deaths at marine sites. The finding, presented to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on 11 March, has […]
03 Mar 2026
Photo by Ekaterina Zlotnikova Scotland’s largest known flame shell bed has made a complete recovery following the designation of a Marine Protected Area in Loch Carron, Wester Ross, a result that researchers and conservationists are hailing as a model for decisive marine protection. Two reports commissioned by NatureScot found that flame shell beds in the […]
