Jamie Thomson

We are developing and piloting an approach for farmers and crofters to carry out biodiversity auditing and planning, using Farm Biodiversity Scotland, a mobile app and web platform. Farmers and crofters can map existing habitats and features across their whole farm or croft and this habitat map can be used for the Whole Farm Plan Biodiversity Audit. This summer we are also testing a simple standard approach for farmers and crofters to carry out a basic assessment of the condition of their habitats and features. We are looking for farmers and crofters to test how this works for certain habitats using Farm Biodiversity Scotland. All that is required is to complete some basic assessments and provide feedback. Habitat assessment types include arable land and margins, hedges, woodlands, various grasslands, peatland and uplands. As a thank you for participation, we will provide £100 to farmers and crofters who have completed their assessments and provided feedback. The testing is available from now until 26 September 2025. For further details see our website: https://orlo.uk/ATPWV Testing on the ground and feedback is essential – please help us! Any queries, please contact us at [email protected].

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Biodiversity Net Gain is driving jobs, investment and nature recovery across England. "If developments up to and including 1 hectare are exempt from the BNG requirement, an area equivalent to the size of nearly 35,000 football pitches of extra developed land will not be required to deliver any mitigation for damage done to wildlife and habitats. " says our CEO, Craig Bennett. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/eCiWNZyq

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The Forests With Impact programme is an award-winning, industry-led social enterprise. It is establishing commercial tree nurseries on prison land, enabling prisoners to learn essential forestry skills to rebuild their future, while boosting UK tree production. The programme secured funding from our Tree Production Capital Grant to help cover the initial set up costs, and also uses money generously donated by national partners. The first site at HMP Haverigg in Cumbria is already growing over 250,000 saplings. The programme delivers three key benefits: 🌱 Skilled workforce development: Four prisoners with paid, part-time roles operate the polytunnels and nurture the saplings at HMP Haverigg. They have all achieved City and Guilds Level 1 and 2 Diplomas in Horticulture, providing them with skills required by local industry. Prisoners work alongside industry experts and are coached in tree propagation and environmental management. 🌱 Support for the forestry industry: The initiative’s commercial tree nursery focuses on growing seedlings to support industries committed to carbon reduction, biodiversity enhancement and ecological recovery. The overall aim is to support the government’s tree-planting targets and to help tackle climate change. 🌱 Stronger communities: By creating real employment pathways for prisoners and prison leavers, the programme aims to provide hope, pride and purpose alongside practical skills, helping to break the cycle of reoffending, and supporting reintegration and employment upon release. The sustainable income generated by the nursery will also be reinvested to support the growth of local communities. Read our blog: https://lnkd.in/eMB_vg8i #ForestryCareers

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What do the changes to the Planning Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, mean for nature? We’ve been digging into the details… In March, the UK Government introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to accelerate development and economic growth. But across the conservation sector, along with thousands of supporters, we raised grave concerns about the destruction of current legal nature protections the draft Bill would enable. In July, substantial amendments to the Bill were tabled. Here are our key takeaways: 1) Exclusion of irreplaceable habitats from Environmental Development Plans (EDPs) is a vital step forward. This means places like ancient woodlands or limestone pavement that are impossible to recreate within a reasonable timeframe would not be destroyed. 2) A tougher ‘Overall Improvement Test’ for EDPs is a positive shift. An EDP would only proceed if the best available science shows the measures will “materially outweigh the negative effects” of the developments included within it, and result in nature being in a better state by the end than when it started. 3) Improved monitoring requirements will deliver better scientific oversight and if the benefits for nature fall short of what was included in the EDP, additional restoration measures must be put in place. These changes are all welcome, but risks do still remain. Firstly, we need to ensure these new key safeguards remain in place as the Bill continues to pass through Parliament. Secondly, there are elements of the Bill that must still be strengthened; plus safeguards must be included in secondary legislation, and in the accompanying guidance and policy, to ensure the new laws are correctly interpreted and applied. We will continue to push for a planning system that truly delivers the win-win for nature and development that the UK Government has promised. Full analysis: https://lnkd.in/ejMdpNGV #Nature #Planning #Conservation #EnvironmentalPolicy Image credit 📸 : Mark Williamson, RSPB Images

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Customers again urged to save water – despite the rain. Scottish Water is calling on customers across the country, particularly in the east, to continue to save water in homes and gardens. We’re asking people to use less water to help protect water resources and maintain normal supplies after new figures showed that reservoir levels in most parts of the country fell again in the past week, despite recent rainfall. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eUyPnFWm #WaterIsAlwaysWorthSaving #SaveWater #ScottishWater

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Bird conservation is only going to work if these species have healthy habitats to live in. Can citizen scientists help gather vital information on habitat condition? This new study investigates➡️ https://lnkd.in/eiyAVnME #Ornithology UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) | JNCC

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📣 Geography in practice: fixing the foundations – a call for GIS standards in BNG Join our upcoming lunchtime webinar exploring the need for Geographical Information System (GIS) standards in Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), with Dr Katie Dawson (Technical Director of EcoSpatial). 🌳 The introduction of BNG legislation in England marks a vital step toward ecological conservation. Yet, its success is hindered by inconsistent GIS data submissions and the absence of standardised requirements. GIS data is central to calculating biodiversity metrics, but common issues, such as inconsistent red line boundaries, unaccounted slopes, and poor data quality, can compromise assessment reliability. ✅ This webinar delves into the development of the FRIDAS® checklist, a practical framework for improving GIS data quality in BNG submissions. 🗓️ Tuesday, 9 September ⏰ 12.30pm - 1.30pm Book now 👉 https://ow.ly/5URp50WIgu7

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🌱 Driving Demand: Business Action on Nature in the UK A new report by Will McDonald, commissioned by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, explores how UK businesses are responding to the nature crisis. 📅 Join our upcoming webinar! Discuss the findings with an expert panel and Q&A: 👉 What are companies doing on nature, and why? 👉 How can land managers work with businesses? We’ll also launch a new practical guide to nature finance. 🔗 Register for the webinar now: https://lnkd.in/eBEf2GNT The report finds progress is growing but fragmented, with many firms unsure how to act. Key insights include: ✅ Investor and consumer pressure is driving change ✅ Disconnects between corporate action and national/global targets ✅ Market confusion over terms slowing collaboration The report calls for stronger standards, clearer data, regulation, and practical interventions to build momentum. 📖 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/eHpPvyKP Will McDonald, Liam McAleese

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