Category: General

  The Ecosystem Services Community Scotland (ESCom) was initiated in 2014 as an informal community of practice to foster academic collaboration around the emerging natural capital research and policy agendas. Its scope quickly broadened to focus on three core aims: encouraging dialogue between Science, Policy and Practice; aligning Scottish ecosystem services research; and organising and promoting events to support knowledge exchange. Between 2014 and 2020 ESCom organised 25 events, ranging…

  The Advisory Group on Economic Recovery (AGER) was established in April 2020 by the Scottish Government. The Group will provide independent, expert advice on Scotland’s economic recovery once the immediate emergency, created by coronavirus, has subsided. Led by Benny Higgins, the Group will consider how economic recovery can increase wellbeing, fairness and inclusivity, and make the most of opportunities towards a greener, net-zero…

There was important recognition for Scotland’s natural assets recently, in the first ever Infrastructure Commission for Scotland (ICS) report published in January 2020. Produced for the Scottish Government after a consultation with over 1,000 key stakeholders, organisations and the general public, the report recognised that Scotland’s natural assets should be incorporated into their definition of ‘infrastructure’ for the first time,…

Crown Estate Scotland (CES) published a new report today, outlining the findings from their trial on a dairy farm on the Applegirth Estate in Dumfries and Galloway. This marks the fourth in a series of trials conducted by CES, seeking to build upon the Natural Capital Protocol (NCP) to offer new and sustainable opportunities for land based businesses ‘Natural capital’…

The Roundtable meetings bring together a wide range of public sector bodies, and examine how best to take forward the Scottish Government’s commitment to protect and rebuild natural capital. The theme of this year’s Roundtable was “Taking Action for Climate and Nature” and was chaired by Francesca Osowska, Chief Executive of Scottish Natural Heritage. The theme was pertinent given both…

The World Economic Forum published their annual Global Risks Report 2020 this January, supported by  Marsh & McLennan Insights, and  based on feedback from nearly 800 global experts and decision-makers.  For the first time in its 15-year history, it concluded that environmental threats dominate the top five long term risks by likelihood, and hold three of the top five spots by impact.…