First let me congratulate Sir Ken Collins on his knighthood. I am delighted that his contribution to the environment has been recognised. He has worked tirelessly for the environment for over 20 years and SEPA is now benefiting from the unmatched knowledge and experience he gained in the European Parliament, where he played a leading role in developing some of the most important legislation of recent years. A good example is the Water Framework Directive, which will lead to significant improvements in Scotland’s water environment over the next decade. A comprehensive update on how the Directive is being implemented in Scotland starts on page 12.

With the Scottish Parliament entering its second term, I am delighted too that Environment Minister Ross Finnie has contributed to this issue of SEPA View. In his article he outlines his plans for ensuring that sustainable development is at the heart of the government’s new policies and procedures.

I believe that if we are to protect our environment for future generations, sustainable development education in schools in vital. The eco-schools programme is an excellent combination of learning and action and enables young people to undertake long term action to improve the environments of their schools and communities. The lead feature outlines how the initiative can work in practice for schools in Scotland. And an example of an innovative education resource being used in the North West of Scotland is featured later in the magazine.

As I write, tourists are enjoying the scenery, history and culture of Scotland in the sunshine. The green tourism initiative aims to ensure both tourism businesses and visitors contribute to the sustainable development of Scotland. On page 23 we highlight how this is being done in the Scottish Borders. So , as we all deal with the weather, whatever it’s doing, enjoy this issue.

Campbell Gemmell

SEPA Chief Executive



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