By Ilona Amos, Media and Communications Lead for Stop Climate Chaos Scotland
Raincoat, wellies, umbrella, T-shirt, shades, factor 50. You never know what you might need for an outdoor event in Scotland, no matter what the season.
And a demonstration at the Scottish Parliament in June is no different. Drizzle, blazing sunshine, breeze, thunder, torrential downpour. Rinse and repeat.
The Scottish weather showed up in all its glory as a colourful crowd – including a giant bumble bee, a red squirrel, a bat and a flock of birds – gathered at Holyrood to demand action to restore Scotland’s nature.
The rapidly changing conditions were not enough to deter demonstrators at the Stand Up for Nature rally, organised by Scottish Environment LINK.
A diverse array of environmental groups and campaigners turned out in force for the rally, which featured guest speakers discussing a range of topics.
Scottish Environment LINK chief executive Deborah Long stepped up – literally, onto a wall – to welcome all attendees and introduce the speeches.
First up was Paul Walton, head of species and habitats at RSPB Scotland, followed by conservationist Lorna Farquhar, a member of Young Sea Changers Scotland. Organic dairy farmer Ross Paton, a member of the Soil Association’s organic producer board, was up next. Las Vegas native Zach Billot, one of the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s young leaders, completed the line-up.
Several MSPs, both long-standing and newly elected, also braved the elements to engage with campaigners and sign pledges committing to champion nature during the current parliamentary term.
Among the confirmed sightings were: Maree Todd and Jenni Minto from the SNP; Katy Clark and Claire Baker from Scottish Labour; Patrick Harvie, Ariane Burgess, Iris Duane, Kayleigh Kinross-O’Neill, Kristopher Leask, Q Manivannan, Cara McKee, Laura Moodie and Mark Ruskell from the Scottish Greens; Yi-Pei Chou Turvey and Sanne Dijkstra-Downie from the Scottish Liberal Democrats; Findlay Carson from the Scottish Conservatives; and Graham Simpson of Reform UK.
The Stop Climate Chaos Scotland team was also on hand to show support.
And everyone gathered at Holyrood was united on one issue: they all care about Scotland’s nature.
Worryingly, though, the country ranks among the world’s worst for biodiversity. Almost half of all species have seen numbers drop over the past 50 years, with one in nine now at risk of extinction.
Campaigners hope Scotland’s new Natural Environment Act, which requires government ministers to set legally binding nature-restoration targets, can help safeguard our precious plants, animals and habitats.
“This is a real moment of hope for Scotland’s nature,” Deborah Long said.
“By setting targets and acting urgently to meet them, we have the chance to stop the loss of the nature we all love and to bring it back to health.
“We need our leaders to treat nature as a priority, not just a ‘nice to have’. That’s why we’re calling on every MSP in the Scottish Parliament to stand up for nature.”
Speaking at the rally, SCCS coalition manager Fraser Sutherland said: “It’s great to be at the Scottish Environment Link rally today. They are fantastic partners of SCCS and we’re here to support their calls to make sure nature is treated as a real priority in the Scottish Parliament.
“Climate change and nature are linked in really important ways. And if we are going to sort out one, we need to sort out the other at the same time.
“It’s fantastic to see how many of the new MSPs in particular came out to speak to partners and members of SCCS and of Scottish Environment Link to make a really strong call for urgent action in this parliament – and that’s what we want to see.
“We’ll be working really closely with all our partners and members to make sure they hear this really strong message that we have brought to the Scottish Parliament today.”
Deborah Long added: “Scotland’s nature shapes our lives in so many ways, and it will shape our future too. If we help nature recover, it will sustain our lives for generations to come.”
