Environment Reception (Jim Hume)

Environment Reception

February 6, 2008 1:24 PM
By Jim Hume MSP

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to today's event which I'm delighted to be sponsoring for LINK's Agriculture Task Force. My names Jim Hume, I'm the Liberal Democrat MSP for the South of Scotland and also their environment spokesman.

And of course thanks to all of you for taking the time to come along and also the parliament staff including catering and security for making these events run smoothly. And of course the RSPB, in particular Mandy Gloyer, I'm only sorry that Mandy didn't bring me one of the RSPB T-Shirts from T in the Park.

Anyway. Scottish environment week is a great way to really focus on key environmental issues - it also provides a way for environmental groups and activists to mix with their MSPs and other decision makers.

Today's event concentrates on something I've campaigned on for a while now not just in my capacity as an MSP, but also when I was Environment Chairman for the NFU.

Also as environment spokesman for the liberal democrats I have an obvious working interest in environmental policy, And as a conservation minded hill farmer in the Borders I have always had a strong personal interest in the environment.

Growing up in the countryside developed my passion for Scotland's diverse flora and fauna from an early age, and I learned quickly that as custodians of the land we are responsible for looking after it and the ecosystems it supports.

Scotland's farmers and other land managers have given us the countryside that we know, Incidentally Scotland's grazed upland pastureland is among the most biodiverse in Europe with its high nature value, because of the way it is grazed. And its made Scotland one of the best tourist attractions in the world amongst other things, And like you all, I want to see our diverse wildlife stay in our countryside to further help make our tourism industry viable.

Therefore caring for the land we inhabit isn't simply to make it look aesthetically pleasing, it's also about the significant economic benefits. Its the importance of achieving a balance between the management of our natural heritage, in order to maintain and enhance that biodiversity, whilst at the same time sustaining viable rural industries and ensuring the long-term viability of our communities.

Agri environment or rural stewardship schemes are vital tools in allowing land managers to play an active part in looking after Scotland's biodiversity. I have been a keen participator myself. But these projects wouldn't have been possible without funding through the agri schemes. So the provision of RSS grants is essential in delivering environmental projects. An additional bonus of these schemes if you like is that they support the retention and development of rural skills such as for example dyking and hedge management.

The agri environment schemes can therefore be seen as an all encompassing tool - they help the environment, they help the economy with activities such as green tourism and they encourage employment opportunities for rural skills - I mentioned dyking and hedge management as two examples. We all use the phrase sustainable rural development and that's exactly what the agri schemes help in creating.

I think that's all I'll say for now so please enjoy today and do speak to the MSPs - looking around the room I see a few here so do take the opportunity to grab them!