Council confirms new list of Species Champions as part of fight against biodiversity loss
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members yesterday (2 February 2023) approved Highland Council’s new Species Champions.
The local authority is acutely aware of the important role played by living organisms and the vital role they play in providing nature’s resilience in the face of climate change.
Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, who is Species Champion for the Wild Atlantic Salmon, said: “Many of the species on the list are threatened directly or indirectly by climate change.
“The Species Champions initiative is a response, in part, to these pressures and Members have an opportunity to highlight the importance of biodiversity and nature as an essential component of the fight against climate change.
“The initiative provides a unique platform for Members to advocate specific species, shine a spotlight, cultivate understanding and encourage, support and facilitate conservation action.
“Biodiversity is the best chance we have to adapt to climate change, and it is vital we help nature to thrive so that it can fulfil its vital role that we all depend on.”
Highland Council declared an ecological and climate emergency in 2019 and the appointment of new Species Champions gives members an opportunity to raise awareness of climate change and the impact it has had on some of Highland’s most important, iconic, and threatened species.
In November 2022 the Council joined around 300 governments, cities and local authorities across the world in becoming a signatory of the Edinburgh Declaration. In 2022 the ecological emergency was added to the Council’s Corporate Risk Register and a new Council Natural Environment Strategy is in development as a key pillar of the Council’s forthcoming Net Zero Plan.
Biodiversity is the variety of all living things and ecosystems. It includes plants, animals, fungi and micro-organisms and comprises the living organisms in a particular space or habitat. It is this web of relationships between interdependent organisms and the environment which provides the benefits that people get from nature, such as food, medicines, and other natural materials, all of the things we need to survive.
The Species Champions initiative was launched by the Council in 2014, updated in 2019 and now again in 2023 following the intake of new Members.
Member Species Champions for Highland Council
Cllr Alasdair Christie – Adder
Cllr Alex Graham - Red Squirrel
Cllr Andrew Jarvie – Juniper
Cllr Andrew Sinclair - Hen Harrier
Cllr Bill Lobban - Mountain Hare & Pine Hoverfly
Cllr Biz Campbell - Black Grouse
Cllr David Fraser - Scottish Primrose
Cllr David Gregg - Brown Long-eared Bat
Cllr Glynis Sinclair - Small Blue & Dinghy Skipper
Cllr Jackie Hendry - Common Toad
Cllr Jan McEwan – Hedgehog
Cllr John Bruce – Capercaillie
Cllr Kate Maclean - Golden Eagle & Flame Shell
Cllr Kate Willis – Beaver
Cllr Ken Gowans - Wild Atlantic Salmon
Cllr Leslie-Anne Niven – Killer Whale
Cllr Lyndsey Johnston - Red Kite
Cllr Marianne Hutchinson - Great Yellow Bumblebee
Cllr Michael Baird – Honey Bee
Cllr Michael Cameron – Curlew and Water Vole
Cllr Michael Green – Solitary Bee
Cllr Morven Reid - Harbour Porpoise
Cllr Muriel Cockburn - Mountain Mason Bee
Cllr Paul Oldham - Bottlenose Dolphin
Cllr Ryan MacKintosh – Red Grouse
Cllr Sarah Fanet – Common Eelgrass
Cllr Struan Mackie – Scottish Wildcat
Cllr Trish Robertson - Minke Whale