Using nature to improve resilience across land and coastal areas

Nature Connects? Taking landscape scale and connective approaches to improving resilience across land and coastal areas, a technical consultation on Scotland’s draft National Adaptation Plan (SNAP3)

About the workshop

This workshop is part of a series of technical workshops, run as part of the public consultation on the draft Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-2029. This session aims to bring together expert stakeholders to discuss how Scotland can adapt and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

This workshop will focus on:

• our approach to land use in Scotland

• priorities for ensuring climate resilience and nature restoration are at the heart of future land use change.

Context

Taking a landscape scale approach to climate resilience is proving more effective than piecemeal interventions taken at a farm or land holding level (Global Centre on Adaptation, 2020). This also has the co-benefit of connecting habitats and environments at scale thus increasing resilience. This workshop will build on a wealth of findings and recommendations from previous engagement on the upcoming Land Use and Agriculture Just Transition Plan, NatureScot’s Source to Sea research, the Climate Change Committee report recommendations, Adaptation Scotland’s land and adaptation insights report, and proposals in the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy Delivery Plan.

It is important to acknowledge that diverse and inclusive ownership and management of land can help strengthen local economies and ensure communities are sustainable in the long-term. Collaborative approaches that include communities in decision-making and deliver benefits that align with local needs are vital for a Just Transition.

This session will be an opportunity to influence which actions can be developed for the new Scottish National Adaptation Plan which the Scottish Government will publish in Autumn.

Who is running the workshop?
The workshop is being run jointly by the Scottish Government and the Adaptation Scotland programme, delivered by sustainability charity Sniffer.

What is the Scottish National Adaptation Plan?

The draft of the Third Scottish National Adaptation Plan 2024-29 (SNAP3) sets out the tools available so people, communities and businesses can adapt and become more resilient in the face of climate change. Climate impacts vary widely depending on where you live. The Scottish Government is now seeking your views on how this draft Adaptation Plan can be improved before it is finalised in the Autumn.

Who is this workshop for?

Everyone who has a professional interest in land management, both urban and rural, environmental protection, resource planning, and coastal change is welcome. Prior knowledge of climate impacts in Scotland would be beneficial.

Agenda

14:00 – Welcome and introductions

14:10 – SNAP3 consultation and landscape scale policy development so far

14:30 – Breakout groups

· What policies/mechanisms need to be developed to enable landscape scale change?

· The role of nature networks and blue-green infrastructure?

· How can diversity of land management be promoted to further resilience?

· What collaborative approaches have been tried and tested? In Scotland or abroad?

· What barriers or challenges are there to implementation?

15:10 – Feedback and priorities for SNAP3

15:25 - Close