“Powerful new laws” needed to save Scots wildlife: Attenborough

“Powerful new environmental laws” are needed to save Scotland's wildlife, according to the celebrated broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Sir David, President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts, has joined with the Scottish Wildlife Trust to demand action after a report concluded that one in nine species in Scotland could disappear.

Published by the Scottish Wildlife Trust along with more than 70 other wildlife organisations, and the most comprehensive of its kind yet produced, the State of Nature report finds a decline in 49% of the 6,413 species studied, among other “worrying” trends, compared with an increase in 28% – and 11% are threatened with extinction from Great Britain.

In a video released along with the report, Sir David called for the creation of more wild places and for them to be more joined up, “because everything works better when it's connected”.

In addition, he said Scottish law could "lead the way". “Now is the time to tell our politicians that we need an ecological network set in Scottish law. A legally binding network for nature would mean that wildlife is prioritised when managing our land and planning our towns.

“Powerful new environmental laws can ensure habitats are expanded and reconnected, meaning all life will thrive once more.”

He concluded: “It's time to turn things around. Nature is capable of extraordinary recovery but we must act now. Tell your politicians now is the time to put nature into recovery. Everything works better when it's connected.”