Strategy approved to protect North Ayrshire environment
A blueprint for tackling the nature emergency and adapting to climate change locally has been approved by North Ayrshire Council’s Cabinet.
The Scottish Government recognises that the country is facing a nature emergency and has developed a Biodiversity Framework and five-year delivery plan for the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.
This strategy sets out a clear ambition for Scotland to halt biodiversity loss by 2030, and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity – which is all living things and their ecosystems - across the country by 2045.
One of the key drivers for biodiversity loss is land-use change where, over time, habitats have been lost – and Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.
To reverse declines in biodiversity, it is vital to develop a robust network for nature and Nature Networks are being delivered across Scotland to help achieve this.
The North Ayrshire Nature Network (NANN) Strategy, approved by Cabinet on Tuesday March 18, will help by driving actions like regenerating the natural environment, empowering communities to play their part and improving habitat quality for wildlife.
The council declared a climate emergency in June 2019, setting a net zero emissions target for 2030, and the Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy provides a route map to achieve this target, and also tackle both the climate and nature emergencies.
Quote: Biodiversity loss increases climate change, and the changing climate contributes to biodiversity loss. The actions we all take – collectively and as individuals - are fundamental to our well-being and survival. We all have a role to play in helping to tackle this crisis by working to halt climate change and biodiversity loss. And our strategy will help us map out how we can play our part as a local authority, as communities and as individuals.
Quote from: Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy
Each local authority is responsible for delivering its own Nature Network, and the council has been taking action to protect and enhance biodiversity since the first Local Biodiversity Action Plan in 2001.
Nature Networks connect nature-rich sites, restoration areas and other environmental projects through a series of areas of suitable habitat, habitat corridors and stepping stones.
In North Ayrshire, work is already under way – including through the Ayrshire Nectar Network, which is a project that is being run in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
The Nectar Network is creating and connecting nectar and pollen-rich habitats across North and South Ayrshire, with wildflower meadows and trees being planted to establish pollinator “highways.”
Land – from small pockets of grassy areas to large swathes of fields – is being linked up to create a corridor of flowers that bees, butterflies, moths, bats and birds will benefit from.
This will ensure that they don’t go hungry and, in turn, help provide the food we eat and the flowers we see, while also boosting biodiversity.
Although the council is spearheading the NANN, communities across the six localities will be consulted and will be encouraged to get involved by doing things like identifying suitable habitat corridors, and schools and individual residents can also play their part by planting seeds for pollinators.
Please note: The Scottish Government’s new Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to 2045 requires all local authorities to develop and implement a Nature Network for their area, cumulating in a Nature Network for Scotland. For more information on the council’s biodiversity and conservation actions, please go online here.
Published: 03 April 2025