An innovative new app which helps farmers manage nature will have a key part to play in tackling Scottish biodiversity loss and the climate crisis


NATURESCOT’S groundbreaking new Farm Biodiversity Scotland App is a tool which will allow people to map existing habitats and features on their farms and crofts, and to measure the condition of those habitats through an easy-to-use assessment.

A successful pilot is now entering its second phase, explains the organisation’s deputy director Claudia Rowse.

“We have been working with an amazing group of around 100 farmers, and we are now ready to move to the next level,” she explains. “We now have around 300 farmers and crofters, from all over the sector, from all over Scotland, involved to tell us what they think – is it sensible, does the language work, how can it be improved, for example?

“It’s about empowering farmers, literally putting this useful tool in their hands, so they have the environmental knowledge that will enable them to decide for themselves the best ways to build both a profitable and a sustainable business.”

NatureScot is attending this year’s Royal Highland Show at Ingliston, where staff will demonstrate the app to let more farmers, crofters and other land managers know about the type of tools being developed.

“It is very exciting - we are planning for the app to be available to all later in 2025 after further refinement based on the feedback we get from the current testing,” adds Ms Rowse. “We really appreciate the time people have already given us - it is because of their input that we can design the optimum tool for all farmers and crofters in Scotland.”

Bryce Cunningham, of Mossgiel Farm in Ayrshire, has been taking part in the pilot project. 

“We believe that to become a truly sustainable business, we must begin by looking at how our actions impact on the environment we manage,” he explains. “As we converted to organic farming and changed our management practices, we saw change on our farm, and wanted to understand how we can monitor and record those changes. 

“By working with NatureScot to pilot the biodiversity audit, we can understand our impact on nature, whilst also having a visual record of both what we do now and how our land changes over time.” 

A biodiversity testing visit is pictured being carried out last year to assess soil structure and improve pasture

KEY AIM
MAINTAINING and improving biodiversity on farmland is a key part of the Scottish Government’s Agriculture Reform Programme. 

Ms Rowse explains: “From 2025, preparing a Whole Farm Plan will be a mandatory condition for accessing future funding. The plan includes a carbon audit, soil analysis, an animal health and welfare plan, an integrated pest management plan and a biodiversity audit.

“We want to be able to give them this app as a free resource to help them do this.”

Many Scottish farmers are already demonstrating how food production and biodiversity can work hand in hand.

It is estimated that between 4000 and 5000 farmers and crofters - almost a third of the 18,000 farmers regularly claiming public support in Scotland - are working with several initiatives to support nature.

Of those, more than 3000 businesses are working towards nature restoration and climate mitigation through the Scottish Government’s Agri-Environment and Climate (AECS) scheme; and around 1000 are participating in peer-to-peer learning and facilitated sharing good practice initiatives such as Scottish Government and QMS Monitor Farm Clusters, the Nature Friendly Farming Network, and organic accreditation.

Agriculture covers 70 percent of land use in Scotland and in the last 100 years, changes in farming practices have had a significant impact on nature.

WILDLIFE LOSSES
CHANGES to ploughing and crop rotations, increased fertiliser use and high livestock numbers have degraded soil and water quality.

These changes have contributed to the loss of nearly 25 percent of wildlife in the last 30 years – for example, significant decreases in farmland bird numbers, including a 50 percent loss of greenfinch, kestrel and lapwing, and a long-term decline in pollinators and species-rich grasslands.

“The nature crisis is profound,” says Ms Rowse. “But we know what the solutions are, and they are quite easy to implement. It feels like there is momentum building now, led by the farmers, so there is great cause for hope.

"It is really important we work shoulder to shoulder with farmers and crofters, and recognise their expertise and passion.They will be the driving force behind the nature restoration we all need to happen.”

Scottish regenerative farmers are using a variety of  ways to improve the health of their land, such as practising low-intensity methods and minimising chemical inputs; improving soil health by rotating crops; planting native woodland which provides shelter, clean air, carbon storage and erosion control; and protecting and restoring features such as ponds, hedges and wildflower margins.

“Farmers have really risen to the challenges thrown at them over the last 50 years and I think they will be at the forefront of addressing these new challenges facing us – the climate crisis, and biodiversity loss,” says Ms Rowse.

“By switching to nature-friendly farming, farmers are finding that they can produce profitable, high-quality local food and build more resilient businesses, at the same time as helping nature recover and addressing food security and the changing climate. It is a win-win-win situation.”

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