Ecosystem-Scale Conservation

There is growing concern that climate change will make the already disastrous impacts of habitat fragmentation even worse as species become trapped in habitats no longer suitable for them.

In recent years, SWT and many other wildlife conservation bodies have realised that action must be taken not just in protected areas such as nature reserves but also in the wider landscape - at the ecosystem scale. Living Landscapes: towards ecosystem-based conservation in Scotland is the first in the series of SWT's Policy Future publications, and examines how Scotland might move ecosystem-based conservation from theory to reality.

This does not mean abandoning traditional methods of conservation such as designating and managing protected areas or protecting priority species and habitats. The ecosystem-scale approach looks at measures spread across all levels of conservation from micro-scale measures such as installing a barn owl box to spatial planning at a regional or national scale.

SWT is working with many partners, including the Government and its lead environmental agencies SEPA and SNH, to promote ecosystem-scale conservation through new projects and existing programmes. We want to see River Basin Management Plans implemented across Scotland by 2009 and Government agri-environment grants targeted towards multiple landowner projects.

There is still much advocacy work to be achieved before we see wildlife truly safeguarded if it is to adapt in the face of climate change.