Better farming regulation not less

Farming, like most sectors, is subject to a wide range of rules and regulations but in recent years the industry has made the charge that it is subject to too much ‘red tape and bureaucracy’. In Scotland, this led to the Government asking Brian Pack OBE to conduct an independent review. The ‘Doing Better Initiative to Reduce Red Tape in Agriculture’ recently produced an …

The sea. Perhaps it’s the juxtaposition between its great power and its unequivocal beauty, but there is something about the sea that captivates the mind. Or at least my mind. It is full of special places, which are home to the most amazing variety of creatures, perfectly adapted to their environment. It also offers great experiences. Gannets plunging into the waves as they hunt for fish-an amazing sight that can be…

View of RSPB Insh Marshes, a natural floodplain.

It would be difficult not to be aware of the floods south of the border with the devastation dominating the headlines and grabbing much political attention. Scotland may seem to have escaped relatively lightly but the distressing consequences of flooding will be fresh in the minds of the people of Comrie and parts of Dumfries & Galloway, which have experienced their…

The annual horse-trade of fish stocks, where European fisheries ministers argue over how long and how hard vessels can fish, was concluded in December. Media attention focussed on the reaction of fishermen’s representatives and the impact on the Scottish fleet. Few commentators, and even fewer journalists asked if the deal was sustainable, and followed the advice of the fisheries scientists. But in Scotland at least it…

The festive season is fast approaching and thoughts turn inevitably to Christmas wish lists and the gifts we’d like to buy for our loved ones. Children everywhere are penning, texting and maybe even tweeting their most wanted lists to Santa, as anxious parents examine their bank accounts and decide what might make it down the chimney.

Politicians don’t often join the Christmas pageant and don a red suit but they…

This year we are sandwiched between two great sporting events in Britain; The London Olympics of 2012 and the Glasgow Commonwealth games in 2014.

The memories that stay with me from sporting events like the Olympics and previous Commonwealth events are the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, the look on the athletes’ faces when they cross the finish line. It’s an exhausted expression which tells its own story of the…

Let's have a proper debate about restoring our native wildlife

Scotland is a big place.   It covers 78,000 square kilometres and much of it is extensive farmland, remote forest or deer grazed mountains and peatlands. It is not wilderness of course – for the hand of man and evidence of his grazing animals can be seen if you look, even in the remotest areas.

People have had a big impact on the Scottish landscape…

Ensuring mountain hares thrive in the uplands of Scotland

 Photo by Edwin Kats

Birdwatchers and naturalists cannot help but look forward to treats that the changing seasons ahead promise. As we move towards late autumn, I always look forward to seeing mountain hares starting to lose their cold brown summer coats and grow in their snowy white winter fur, ready for icy days ahead. A gorgeous creature, beautifully adapted…

Open cast coal mining – has it become just too unsustainable?

Despite well publicised good intentions to ‘decarbonise’ the economy and encourage renewable energy, opencast coal mining remains big business in Scotland (or at least it did until recently). Around a third of total UK production was mined in Scotland in 2010[1]. And it remains supported by the Scottish Government, who state on their website…

The RSPB is very proud of its longstanding history in standing up for wildlife. From our foundation in 1889 where we campaigned for the ending of the plumage trade – a fashion responsible for the destruction of tens of thousands of egrets, birds of paradise and other species – we have been giving nature a voice to politicians and decision makers, asking them to act in the best interests of our wildlife and countryside…

State of Nature in Scotland

Yesterday I participated in a ground breaking event.  I hosted the launch of the Scottish end of the State of Nature report.  This is a collaboration of expert bodies pooling data about wildlife species and diagnosing the problems they face. 25 organisations all deeply concerned at the loss of wildlife – the species we share our islands with, came together to draw a line in the sand.

 Photo credit Andy Hay

Politicians are skilled in the art of compromise. And yet we all know the truth about compromise – it satisfies no one. Our European institutions, namely, the Council(of Ministers from across the EU), Commission and Parliament, are now in the middle of trying to reach a compromise agreement on how to reform the Common Agricultural Policy. The outcome is likely to be one that everyone can just about…

A little over 30 years ago I started work with the RSPB, as an assistant investigations officer (see photo to the right). Well actually I was the assistant investigations officer, aiding Peter Robinson who ran ‘Investigations’. It was a UK wide remit – in those days we didn’t have specialist Investigations staff based in Scotland, or indeed anywhere away from the Lodge. So I travelled far and wide, often clocking up 50…

2013 is going to be an important year for the land use planning system in Scotland and a real test of the Government’s concern for the natural environment.  Amongst various important changes, the third National Planning Framework (NPF) for Scotland is in preparation. The NPF provides a national spatial overview of the country and indicates what type of development the Government believes should happen, and where…

Where does the EU budget deal leave Scotland’s wildlife and farmers?

Heads of State, including Prime Minister David Cameron, reached agreement on the EU Budget last Friday. This agreement sets out overall spending on the Common Agricultural Policy and will, in due course, determine just how much public money will be spent supporting Scotland’s farmers in future years.  Scotland gets a poor deal from the…

It’s a start of another year – and it will be a challenging and potentially testing one!

Firstly there is the Year of Natural Scotland to celebrate. This is stacking up to be something special and certainly RSPB Scotland will be offering a warm welcome to visitors young and old at our nature reserves and many events across the country.  But we want it to be more than just a celebration – we must have a legacy…

Marine Protected Areas 'must do better' for our sealife

If London’s streets were said to be paved with gold, Scotland’s riches come in a more liquid form.  Throughout our history, Scotland’s seas have been the place to make fortunes: from the boom years of commercial fishing, through the extraction of hydrocarbons and vast expansion of aquaculture, to the modern day, with renewable energy the new…

I always look forward to reading the State of the UK’s birds, which is a great example of Government agencies and NGO collaboration.  The efforts of thousands of volunteers and professional scientists is carefully presented in 40 pages to give an overview of how birds and (as birds are often proxies for the Natural environment) our natural habitats are faring.

This year’s report is as eye opening as ever, with its…

 Dirtier than coal

Scotland is a forested country, and our native pine forests are an important part of our identity. I’m proud that the RSPB Scotland owns and looks after some of the country’s most beautiful and important woodlands - such as the wonderful Abernethy Forest in the Cairngorms National Park – but as well as conserving forests, we’re also ready to fell them when that’s the right thing to do for…

What role does society expect farmers to play in caring for the countryside-and are farmers in the mood to be the custodians of our wildlife?

I am worried that all the efforts of those in the farming community to help address declines in wildlife in the farmed landscape are going to get ‘drowned out’ by the row over the badger cull.  I am a bit of an observer on the sidelines, as Defra’s plans don’t affect…

Red tape makes politicians go ape......

And quite a lot of other people too!  Its a pretty regular occurrence to hear business leaders, farmers, politicians, doctors, teachers and many more professions bemoaning the stultifying effect of red tape, ‘jobs worths’ and the gold plating of EU rules that we in Britain apparently have to put up with. But the evidence to support this charge is less compelling as the …

Wildlife Tourism

I spend a lot of my time answering questions about where to visit in Scotland; where can I see a golden eagle?  What’s the best place to see a capercaillie (the Loch Garten ‘caperwatch’ of course!) or where can I see the best spring flowers on the Machair? 

Photo: Desmond Dugan

Wherever I travel people think of Scotland as a great place to see nature and are envious of what we…

I really like skylarks.  I would go so far as to say I love them.  It’s not because they are particularly attractive – though I do enjoy their cryptic colouration and their perky crests.  No I love them because of the association they give me to the British countryside.  Quintessentially the sound of a soaring skylark as it ascends from a grassy hill slope into the summer sky is worth more than anything (listen…

It’s Olympics time and this set me wondering about the extraordinary feats of our wild birds.  Who flies the furthest, longest or highest?  Who is the heaviest or has the longest wingspan?  Or more subjectively which bird is the gaudiest or most beautiful?  Whose song is the purest or loudest? Which bird is the tastiest?  Clearly French President Mitterand knew the answer to the latter as his dying wish to eat a dish…

Its about this time of year that the first hard evidence of how the season has been for our priority bird species begins to arrive in our offices. Warden staff on our reserves across Scotland are updating this year’s breeding season data, and off our reserves the conservation staff are now beginning to get a snapshot of what’s been happening in wider areas.  This is always something I await with keen interest…