This blog is non-political for a number of good reasons, not least that the contributors have very diverse political views. Our primary aim is “to monitor and document the persecution of wild mammals in the UK” but we do still feel the need to comment on the efficacy of law enforcement and the policies that the various governments in the UK follow in protecting our natural heritage.

On 30th of August last year it was announced that the Green Party in Scotland and the Scottish National Party (SNP) had come to an agreement to form a coalition government and that two Green Party MSPs (Members of the Scottish Parliament) would become Ministers in that government.

Many felt that this was the start of better days for our wildlife and natural environment. Green MSPs, and in particular Alison Johnstone, appeared to have pushed the SNP into some serious moves to protect wildlife. Unfortunately Alison is now Presiding Officer and so takes an impartial role in the Scottish Parliament and is unable to push for change or ask tricky questions.

The two Green Party ministers Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were allocated jobs as Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights and Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity respectively. These positions make them subject to the doctrine of collective responsibility. This means that they are unable freely to criticise in public or in parliament the government of which they are now a part.

At one stroke three vociferous campaigners for Scotland’s natural environment were silenced. The Green Party still has the excellent Mark Ruskell, their spokesperson on Environment, Climate, Transport and Culture but as a member of a party that is now in government he is very restricted on what criticisms he can make.

Some of this blog’s contributors are based in Scotland and have no doubt about the genuine love that the Green Party there has for the country’s wildlife and natural environment. There are concerns, however about whether the Greens were out-manoeuvred politically by the SNP and their very experienced leader Nicola Sturgeon. Did the lure of the limited power of government posts cause them to rush into agreement without heeding the fate of the Liberal Democrats at Westminster when they went into government with the Conservatives?

A number of points of agreement between the SNP and Greens were reached. Those relating to species protection are listed in bold below:

We will review the wider species licensing system with a view to ensuring that the law is being applied correctly and that lethal control is only licensed where the conditions required for such a licence are demonstrably being met.

The review will also assess the potential to apply the principle of full cost recovery to species licensing and the introduction of a public register of licenses to improve transparency, bearing in mind data protection and safety of licence holders.

We agree that urgent action is needed to tackle wildlife crime and to address the environmental impacts of intensive grouse moor management.

We will support the transition to more economically and environmentally productive uses of land where appropriate and deliver the recommendations of the Grouse Moor Management Review Group as a matter of urgency, including the licensing of grouse moors.

Licensing or further regulation will cover the key areas identified in the review, including muirburn, wildlife control, the use of medicated grit and wildlife crime. Licensing will be supported by clear penalties to encourage compliance, as well as additional effort to detect wildlife crime.

The independent taskforce to consider whether the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) should be given extra powers to investigate wildlife crime will be asked to report back by in a timeframe that will allow any changes to the Scottish SPCA powers to be delivered by legislation implementing changes to grouse and other wildlife management in the course of this parliamentary session.

We support the continued expansion of the beaver population. Where practicable, more use will be made of translocation of beavers, including considering other locations in Scotland. Financial and practical support will be made available to facilitate translocation.

To date none of these points have been met. Of course the pandemic has rightly taken a great deal of time and energy but as restrictions are lifted we wonder what REAL ACTION we are going to see from the SNP/Green Government in Scotland and wonder just how green are the Greens?