Award of RESAS/003/22: Scottish Biodiversity Strategy - Strategic Environmental Assessment

Tender description

Introduction 1. This project is being commissioned by the Biodiversity Unit of the Scottish Government Directorate for Environment and Forestry, on behalf of the Natural Resources Division. 2. The project is to undertake an Environmental Assessment/Environmental Report as part of the overall Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process on the emerging draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. The project will: - Prepare an Environmental Report based on information provided by the Biodiversity Unit of the Scottish Government. - Submit this Environmental Report to the SEA Gateway for public consultation, which is to be timed to run alongside formal consultation on the draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy. 3. The Scottish Government will be responsible for meeting statutory advertising requirements in accordance with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. Background & Context Scottish Biodiversity Strategy 4. Scotland’s existing Biodiversity Strategy is made up of two parts. Scotland’s Biodiversity: It’s in Your Hands which was published in 2004, this sets out a strategy for conserving Scotland’s biodiversity up to 2030. And secondly, the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity which was published in June 2013. This document showed how the Scottish Government, its public agencies, Scottish business and others could contribute to the Strategy's aims as well as supporting sustainable economic growth. 5. Given the very urgent nature of the ongoing twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change that the world faces, Scotland must develop a new Biodiversity Strategy which safeguards and enhances ecological functions. This work is time sensitive and must begin immediately. The Scottish Government is committed to publishing a new Biodiversity Strategy by October 2022. The new strategy will be a scientific, evidence based document that reflects the failing state of Scotland’s biodiversity and the need for urgent action. It is the intention that a draft document will be ready for a 12 week consultation period starting in May 2022.