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Land and soils

Land and biodiversity

Land consists of soil, geology, landforms, habitats and species, and their associated terrestrial ecosystems. Land and soils underpin many vital ecosystem services we all depend on, including nutrient cycling, food and water supply, and climate and flood regulation. SEPA has a key role in safeguarding and improving biodiversity in Scotland's land and soil, and we use a variety of approaches to make sure threats are being managed effectively across the country.

Regulation                    

As Scotland's environmental regulator we are responsible for setting standards which protect and help improve our land and soil and the natural services they provide.

Some of our regulatory duties:

· Under the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and the Conservation (Natural Habitats & c.) Regulations 1994, we have a statutory duty to protect the natural features of designated sites (Natura and SSSIs) and UK Biodiversity Action Plan/Scottish Biodiversity Strategy priority species and habitats on land during the issuing of environmental licensing.

· Under the Pollution, Prevention and Control (PPC) regulatory regime, we must consider the possible impacts on land when issuing emission permits for process industry installations. This is in order to prevent deterioration of sensitive habitats such as montane heath and scrub.

· The Water Framework Directive requires restorative measures, including necessary changes to land use activities, to achieve good ecological status in surface waters. The Diffuse Pollution (Scotland) Regulations 2008, known as the Diffuse Pollution General Binding Rules, place controls on activities from rural land use posing a risk to the water environment and as such offers protection to land and soils in particular.

· We must ensure that application of exempt organic waste to land under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 (as amended) will result in agricultural or ecological improvement and not cause harm to the wider environment.

· PPC permitting of intensive agricultural units can reduce harmful ammonia, emissions to heathlands, peatlands and unimproved grassland, thus safeguarding their vulnerable plant and animal species. PPC permitting of landfill sites can avoid excessive dust release, which can smother and directly kill plants or result in changes to soil chemistry, thus effecting soil organisms. The diffuse pollution regulations can reduce pollutants from agriculture, which if not controlled can affect plants and soils of native woodlands, permanently changing their plant and animal composition.

Influencing

As a statutory consultee in the planning system we provide advice and make representations to influence forward planning and development control decisions on land, making sure that development does not take place in environmentally sensitive locations. We may also respond on sustainable design principles (eg sustainable urban drainage systems), climate change, soil quality protection and renewable energy development (peatland protection), which can all effect biodiversity.

Partnerships

Promoting good practice through dialogue is a key way in which we can improve the protection of land and its biodiversity. To deliver successfully for biodiversity, collaborative working, both internally and externally, is required. Biodiversity is seen as a key component of our joint working approach. Current initiatives include:

· influencing financial instruments, such as agri-environment measures under the Scotland Rural Development Partnership, to maximise environmental gain and ensure effective protection of land;

· integrating habitat networks into catchment management resulting in green infra-structure and more wildlife-friendly landscapes;

· using plants to intercept and reduce agricultural pollution and erosion of soil, while at the same time benefitting wildlife;

· using plants as indicators if aerial pollution is too high and protecting the habitats that these plants depend on;

· working with stakeholders to deliver the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy;

· working towards an integrated approach with other agencies and partners in the land use planning system. It has been agreed that SEPA's planning responses, in relation to the conservation of biodiversity, will be delivered through Scotland's Environmental and Rural Services (SEARS) via SNH and within a regulatory context.