UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on landLife on land in Scotland

Land degredation and deforestation may not seem as big an issue in Scotland as other places such as the Amazon rainforest, but there are still many risks to the health of our land and steps to take to ensure we are protecting the environment and improving our own quality of life.

Watch this video to find out more about a project to protect and improve some of Scotland's urban green space.

Scotland is home to over 90,000 species of wildlife. Protecting the environments and habitats that these species live in is needed for their survival.

Our towns and cities are also home to wildlife and so protecting green spaces in urban areas is just as important.

Protecting these urban spaces has another benefit - it creates pleasant places for people to visit, relax and benefit from time in nature.

Scottish wildlife facts

• Between 1994 and 2019, average numbers across 352 species of mammals, birds, butterflies and moths had fallen by 24%
• Of the 6,413 species found in Scotland, 11% were threatened with extinction
• The average abundance of moths in Scotland has declined by 25% since 1975

Source: The State of Nature 2019 Scotland report