Chapter 3: Delivery Plan

Delivering the change

Ecosystem restoration is achieved both through measures designed to mitigate losses and through the delivery of ecological enhancements. These approaches are implemented primarily as discrete interventions at the local level. However, there is an increasing need for a more interconnected, landscape-scale approach to achieve an appropriate level of mitigation and enhancement, particularly for new schemes which are now required to achieve positive effects for biodiversity.

The Strategy will integrate biodiversity considerations across the agency’s activities and its supply chains through a series of associated actions outlined in a Delivery Plan. The Plan will roll across multiple years, providing a pragmatic approach to achieving the overall objectives of the Strategy while maintaining the necessary focus on the need for change. This flexibility will support the implementation and development of the actions, whilst accommodating any relevant new policy and guidance as it is brought forward.

To achieve the Strategy objectives, the cooperation of various parties is needed, such as public bodies, nature conservation organisations, Trunk Road Network OCs/DBFO concessionaires, and neighbouring landowners etc. The core areas of such collaboration must be based on the assumptions of inclusiveness, commitment, and shared responsibility. This approach does not need to be limited to the Strategy’s footprint. The better the alignment of participating entities, the greater the real and long-term impact of the Strategy, as well as the social value derived.

Additionally, there are likely to be indirect benefits of implementing the Strategy, such as creating opportunities for nature-based tourism and economic diversification. The improvement of environmental quality, together with investments, managed roads, and other infrastructure will support a positive environment for local employment and businesses. All these actions will lead to stronger relationships with collaborating partners and a greater awareness of impacts on biodiversity and natural capital.

Strategy Objectives

The Transport Scotland Biodiversity Strategy has seven overarching objectives, and these are as follows:

Objective 1: Embed biodiversity protection and enhancement further into Transport Scotland’s activities and decision making and those of its sub-contractors and consultants

To ensure that the strategic aims can be achieved, and to support many of the other objectives and actions of the Strategy, it will be necessary to ensure that biodiversity is embedded within all of Transport Scotland’s activities and decision making, as well as those of its sub-contractors, consultants and supply chain. Many activities to protect and/or enhance biodiversity are currently undertaken by Transport Scotland and its sub-contractors. However, to fully realise the synergistic benefits of the Strategy, it will be essential to keep in place continuous improvement of existing approaches – enhancing these practices will ensure alignment with the Strategy’s objectives and maximise their collective impact.

The inventory of landscape and ecological assets will be important to verify, update and maintain to ensure that all other objectives and many of their actions can be achieved. The inventory should be required to include, for example, habitat types and condition, wildlife fencing and crossing points, and other biodiversity related features. It must also be consistent, complete, and accurate across all aspects of Transport Scotland’s activities, and those of its sub-contractors, to enable robust assessment. It could also be linked to other publicly available environmental sources, such as Sitelink.

To achieve this objective, six actions have been identified which will raise awareness of biodiversity amongst the various stakeholders, giving it the prominence required to ensure that targets can be met. This also requires that contractual and specification documents are amended/updated to ensure that incentives work in favour of biodiversity-related obligations.

It is important that the appropriately qualified people are in place as they support the actions of this and interrelated objectives, including for instance, Objective 5: Manage existing habitats to improve condition and biodiversity benefits, and Objective 6: Restore and create high-quality habitats.

Objective 2: Promote soil health, storage and management

Natural soils are a complex system comprising biotic and abiotic elements including nutrients, minerals, organic matter and living organisms. This natural ecosystem is one of the main reservoirs of biodiversity on earth and supports essential ecosystem services like nutrient cycling, water regulation, carbon storage, food provision and pest control. The link between aboveground and belowground diversity is strong. There is often limited information on the distribution and properties of soils present on a site. This leads to a lack of understanding of what effects they may have on hydrology, their habitat potential and sensitivity to damage. This is a particular issue for carbon-rich soils supporting valuable peatland habitats and their role as carbon stores and in regulating water flows, as well as supporting biodiversity. Poor management of peat resources can result in erosion, increased flood risk and loss of sequestered carbon. The inappropriate use and management of natural soil resources can result in the failure of planting schemes and excessive surface runoff.

The actions are aimed at raising awareness of the importance of soil biodiversity, promoting and implementing soil protection measures, identifying and appropriately handing and using biologically valued soils. Some will require the further development of contract documents for both the delivery of new infrastructure projects and the NMC contracts to ensure that good practices are embedded in the activities of the various contractors. This objective has links with Objective 1: Embed biodiversity protection and enhancement further into Transport Scotland’s activities and decision making and those of its sub-contractors and consultants.

The Scottish Soil Framework recognises soils as a critical natural asset which underpin all nature-based systems and are therefore vital for Scotland’s communities and economy. Soil health, which defines its capacity to function and to adapt to change, is a key factor in sustaining terrestrial ecosystems and supporting environmental services. Soil health status (good or bad) is a record of its physical, biological and chemical properties.

Soils store, filter and transform many substances, including water, nutrients and carbon. Maintaining soil health will ensure a higher resilience and ability to respond to change. Avoiding soil degradation (i.e. a change in the soil health status resulting in a diminished capacity to function) will also support the activities of Objective 6:  Restore and create high-quality habitats.

Scottish bluebells are a classic ancient woodland indicator species in Scotland, thriving in healthy woodland soils. Ancient woodland should be retained and its vegetation and soils protected.

Objective 3: Manage the risk from invasive non-native species

Non-native species are considered a primary risk to biodiversity especially when they are invasive. A number of these species have been identified within Transport Scotland’s landholding through surveys associated with the maintenance of the Trunk Road Network or with large infrastructure projects some of which, but not all, are acknowledged to be invasive and a threat to biodiversity to some degree. Many of these species are now being treated through annual control programmes.

Not all non-native species are likely to be a threat to biodiversity; in invasive biology there has been a "tens rule" suggesting that only one in ten non-native species will become established, and of those, only one in ten will become a pest or invasive. There will therefore be a need to identify those species most likely to be a risk to biodiversity within the Transport Scotland estate and those that may become a risk due to, for instance, climate change. This will require raising awareness of the importance of the risk of these species to biodiversity, as well as providing information on the identification of these species.

Accurate information is required on the location of these species as well as an understanding or their relative risk to biodiversity, both currently and in the future. The types of species and their density is currently being recorded on the AMPS system, although consistency across all networks/contracts needs to be ensured; an accurate inventory will be paramount in ensuring that non-native species will be effectively managed

NatureScot lists only four invasive plant species that cause the most damage – rhododendron, Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam – plus two others stated to have great potential to be invasive in certain habitats – American skunk-cabbage and giant rhubarb. However, the development of a list of priority non-native species for action will be required to consider a broader range than that which is currently identified. This will need to be appropriate to the Transport Scotland estate and will require regular review and updates, as necessary. It should also be clear that the emphasis on the control of ‘invasive’ species should not be targeted at native species, such as rosebay willowherb, without specific direction.

Additionally, whilst plants are often the most visually obvious of invasive non-native species, the focus of this objective should not solely be on them. The list will also take cognisance of lists of priority species for management developed as part of the emerging Scottish Action Plan for Invasive Non-Native Species 2026-2032 as well as other species identified through local engagement and/or in sensitive areas such as the National Parks.

Partnership working (Objective 7:Promote Public and Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Working) is likely to be needed is some situations to ensure success and prevention re-colonisation by a non-native species. The Tweed Invasives Project was initiated in 2002 and focused initially on controlling giant hogweed. It took a long-term, coordinated, catchment-scale, partnership approach to effectively control a non-native species. The Project continues to run managed by the Tweed Forum which is a partnership of 27 public and private organisations including the Scottish Government.

Objective 4: Preserve and increase landscape connectivity

As stated under the strategic aim Increase Landscape Connectivity, preserving and increasing landscape connectivity will protect wildlife, maintain viable ecosystems, and assist in developing resilience. By their nature roads cut across landscapes potentially affecting this connectivity and influencing population dynamics, community structure, and the flow of ecological processes. The actions under this objective will seek to identify locations of the existing transport network that are or might have been key connectivity points for biodiversity and look to develop solutions to reduce barriers. The actions will also seek to embed landscape connectivity into new infrastructure projects thus avoiding barriers in the first instance. Preserving and increasing landscape connectivity will help protect wildlife, maintain viable ecosystems, and assist in developing resilience. Previous DMRB guidance on wildlife crossings is no longer available and new guidance is in preparation. Additional review work may need to be undertaken to identify the most appropriate provisions for connectivity interventions.

Incorporating blue-green infrastructure into new schemes can assist in creating new resilient ecosystems that will promote biodiversity and help landscape connectivity, along with potential additional benefits such as flood mitigation and, air and water quality improvements. Blue-green infrastructure can also be valued by communities for its aesthetics and well-being benefits.

This objective has links with Objective 7: Promote Public and Stakeholder Engagement and Partnership Working in relation to promoting partnership working to link biodiversity hotspots and engaging with stakeholders.

Objective 5: Manage existing habitats to improve condition and biodiversity benefits

Habitats that provide the necessary environmental resources and conditions for an organism or species to thrive, leading to the maintenance of a healthy population, are said to be in good condition. Existing habitats within the transport estate, and especially those associated with the Trunk Road Network, are often in sub-optimal condition due largely to historic insufficient consideration of environmental connectivity, and even some current practices and approaches to management. In some cases, understanding has changed such that the original design aims at the time measures were created are no longer relevant.

Managing existing habitats effectively should also enable opportunities for enhancement outwith the trunk road estate to be identified, allowing for increased landscape connectivity.

However, it is recognised that there will be parts of the transport estate where opportunities to improve condition are limited.

The trunk road estate may support old and veteran trees which are recognised for their value as habitats as well as cultural and heritage importance. Veteran trees can have significant decay features which can contribute to their exceptional biodiversity. However, these can represent challenges to the safe operation of transport infrastructure. The age of a veteran tree will vary significantly as silver birches may only live up to 100 years whereas oaks can live for several hundred of year.

Roadside verges and other suitable grassed elements can create a network of wildflower rich grassland. Plantlife has produced guidance and information on the potential for grassland restoration and nature-friendly road verge management. Verges, when managed sympathetically, can become important refuges for some orchid species such as northern marsh-orchid and greater butterfly-orchid. However, nature-friendly management may be at odds with public perception where such management can be perceived as verges being unkempt and neglected. The actions of this objective will work closely with those in Objective 1 to improve the condition of roadside habitats and benefit biodiversity, and with those of Objective 7 in raising public awareness and understanding.

Objective 6: Restore and create high-quality habitats

Restoration and the creation of high-quality habitats is crucial for biodiversity, ecosystem health, and human well-being. It can also assist in infrastructure resilience and protection. Transport Scotland can play an important role in helping to deliver the Scottish Government’s strategy and targets for halting biodiversity loss in Scotland and be Nature Positive by 2030, and to have restored and regenerated biodiversity by 2045.

The actions under this objective are aimed at ensuring good design appropriate to the relevant ecosystem, designing and managing habitats to improve their condition, and expanding areas of priority habitat where possible.

These actions seek to ensure good design when creating or restoring habitats; design that is relevant to and appropriate for Scotland. They are aimed at identifying the requirements of habitat areas in terms of current and intended species and then ensuring that there is a plan in place in place to achieve the intended ecosystem.

The actions are intended to be incorporated into the requirements for new schemes as well as for the ongoing maintenance and renewal, where needed, of existing vegetation areas.

Objective 7: Promote public and stakeholder engagement and partnership working

The actions under Promote stakeholder engagement and partnership working seek to raise the public awareness of the importance of the trunk road estate in delivering benefits to biodiversity. Public and stakeholder engagement can be an important way of achieving biodiversity goals. It can help build awareness, cooperation and assist in decision making. It will also help ensure that the Strategy has broad support amongst Transport Scotland’s stakeholders and the public.

Partnership working will involve collaboration with a range of groups such as other parts and agencies of government, businesses, communities and non-governmental organisations. It may also include other groups and teams within Transport Scotland and as such there will be linkages to Objective 1 in embedding biodiversity further into Transport Scotland’s activities and its teams. These partnerships may share resources, action plans and policies to achieve shared goals. The nature of the partnership will likely vary depending on what needs to be shared to achieve the specific goal/aim.

For the successful delivery of the strategy, there will be a need to engage with stakeholders and adopt a collaborative approach to many of the individual actions.

This objective will be important in facilitating projects and agreements across the trunk road estate and the adjoining landscapes where requirements and circumstances allow. There are cross-cutting linkages to other objectives and actions; Objective 3 (non-native species risks), Objective 4 (landscape connectivity) and Objective 6 (high-quality habitats) all have actions that support the need to promote partnership working with, for example, statutory bodies, landowners and other stakeholders, for effective delivery.