Ahead of the Scottish Government’s launch of the Climate Change Adaptation Plan today, the Trust is calling for the creation of a National Ecological Network to help the environment and wildlife withstand the effects of climate change.

This National Ecological Network, in effect a natural highway, would connect habitats – green spaces, rivers, lochs and other inland blue space – which would allow wildlife to move more easily across the landscape, decreasing the likelihood of species extinctions, increasing genetic exchange and thereby improving the  resilience of the environment in the face of climate change.

Head of Policy and Planning for Scottish Wildlife Trust, Dr. Maggie Keegan, said: “Global warming is making Scotland’s climate more unpredictable and we need to act now to help Scotland’s wildlife adapt.

“Events are happening too quickly for some species to evolve and this is why they need to be able to up sticks and move.

“To make this easy for wildlife, we need a natural highway across Scotland to re-stitch the fragmentation that humans have created. 

“By taking action now, butterflies, bumblebees, bats, ants, otters, water voles, badgers and may other creatures and plants will be protected for future generations to enjoy.”

To read more about the National Ecological Network, please click here.