Scotland's Natural Economy - Policy Spotlight

Scotland has a significant stock of natural capital which is defined by NatureScot as “the habitats and ecosystems that provide social, environmental and economic benefits to humans”. Six economic sectors are widely regarded to make up the natural economy: tourism, food and drink, fishing and aquaculture, agriculture, energy (including renewables) and forestry, logging and manufacture of wood. In 2018, the natural economy contributed £29.1 billion Gross Value Added to the Scottish economy and employed 290,000 people. The natural economy can be considered as consisting of three elements: (i) resources that can be extracted (e.g. through agriculture); (ii) landscapes that can store environmental resources or ecosystem services (e.g. carbon storage); and (iii) activities that benefit from natural resources (e.g. tourism) in order to increase their value

Detection of Enterobacterial Lipopolysaccharides and Experimental Endotoxemia by Means of an Immunolimulus Assay Using Both SerotypeSpecific and Cross-Reactive Antibodies

The immunolimulus (IML) assay system uses solid-phase endotoxin antibodies to capture lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is then quantified by a modification of the chromogenic limulus amebocyte lysate (CLAL) method. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) reactive with selected 0 antigen serotypes of Escherichia coli (O18) and Salmonella typhimurium (O-9,12), when used in the IML, were shown to be highly specific in detecting their respective endotoxins in purified form and in plasma samples from experimentally infected animals. A murine MAb that was broadly cross-reactive with E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella endotoxins also proved to be highly effective in the IML assay for capturing LPS molecules from both E. coli and S. typhimurium strains. These results indicate that IML assays can detect smooth-type enterobacterial endotoxins in plasma and suggest that such assays have potential for use in the rapid diagnosis of sepsis and endotoxemia caused by different enterobacterial specie

Key considerations when including biodiversity measures within environmental conditionality

Key Points• Including biodiversity measures within the suite of environmental conditionalitybeing considered for future direct support to agriculture (Tier 2) would help to raise the existing biodiversity bar across all of Scotland’s agricultural landscapes.This would also increase the likely effectiveness when more targeted and localised agri-environment actions (Tier 3) are implemented.• The geographical variation in biodiversity needs across Scotland’s farmland meansthat a wide range of appropriate Tier 2 conditional measures will be needed to ensure relevance for principal land uses (cropping, grasslands, rough grazing and importantly woodlands), farming and crofting systems, and localities.• There is a need to ensure that Tier 2 biodiversity conditional measures adoptedput as much a focus on maintaining any existing biodiversity value on eligible farm and croft land, as they do on further enhancing that value.• There is a need to fully consider the farmland biodiversity aspirations highlighted within the draft Scottish Biodiversity Strategy to ensure that adopted Tier 2 complement the Strategy’s aspirations.• Focussing any test of the implementation of biodiversity conditionality measureswithin Scotland’s National Parks might help identify additional meaningful conditions that can complement the landscape-scale nature restoration aspirations in both Parks.• The number and type of simple, yet effective, biodiversity measures that it would be proportionate to consider within Tier 2 conditionality declines as you move from lowland arable, through permanent grassland to upland landscapes. • Relatively simple biodiversity conditions to implement on rough grazings, the dominant habitat type across Scotland’s agricultural land, are more difficult to identify, as in most cases the most appropriate management required varies from site to site.• Nevertheless, it is possible to identify conditionality measures which would be relevant to introduce in upland areas. However, some may not be considered proportionate to introduce as biodiversity conditions in comparison to what is being required on farms elsewhere.• Consideration should be given to how the various measures that constitute RSPB Scotland’s HNV indicator could be used as future Tier 2 conditions in grazing areas. The relative biodiversity importance of individual and collective measures that constitute RSPB’s metric should be assessed and ground truthed. Embedding such HNV-type conditional measures in the future eligibility criteria associated with the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme replacement should be considered.• It is not necessary nor essential to conduct detailed biodiversity audits before setting biodiversity conditions for farms or crofts to meet. Examples are provided of measures which would be beneficial to implement but which do not require detailed ecological knowledge on farmers’ and crofters’ part to know where to implement these.<br/

The Star Formation Rate Density and Dust Attenuation Evolution over 12 Gyr with the VVDS Surveys

[Abridged] We investigate the global galaxy evolution over 12 Gyr (0.05<z<4.5), from the star formation rate density (SFRD), combining the VVDS Deep (17.5<=I<=24.0) and Ultra-Deep (23.00<=i<=24.75) surveys. We obtain a single homogeneous spectroscopic redshift sample, totalizing about 11000 galaxies. We estimate the rest-frame FUV luminosity function (LF) and luminosity density (LD), extract the dust attenuation of the FUV radiation using SED fitting, and derive the dust-corrected SFRD. We find a constant and flat faint-end slope alpha in the FUV LF at z1.7, we set alpha steepening with (1+z). The absolute magnitude M*_FUV brightens in the entire range 02 it is on average brighter than in the literature, while phi* is smaller. Our total LD shows a peak at z=2, present also when considering all sources of uncertainty. The SFRD history peaks as well at z=2. It rises by a factor of 6 during 2 Gyr (from z=4.5 to z=2), and then decreases by a factor of 12 during 10 Gyr down to z=0.05. This peak is mainly produced by a similar peak within the population of galaxies with -21.5<=M_FUV<=-19.5 mag. As times goes by, the total SFRD is dominated by fainter and fainter galaxies. The presence of a clear peak at z=2 and a fast rise at z>2 of the SFRD is compelling for models of galaxy formation. The mean dust attenuation A_FUV of the global galaxy population rises by 1 mag during 2 Gyr from z=4.5 to z=2, reaches its maximum at z=1 (A_FUV=2.2 mag), and then decreases by 1.1 mag during 7 Gyr down to z=0. The dust attenuation maximum is reached 2 Gyr after the SFRD peak, implying a contribution from the intermediate-mass stars to the dust production at z<2.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Talking about torque : measuring pack accessibility - a review

Vacuum lug closures are a simple, reliable and low-cost packaging option used for the protection and promotion of jams, pickles and sauces. Several surveys and anecdotal evidence suggest that packaging of this type can be notoriously difficult to open. Given the difficulty that packaging of this type may pose, there has been significant academic research in understanding the difficulties associated with accessing packaging of this type. In response to the qualitative data gathered in these surveys, research teams have attempted to quantify the forces that users can apply. What emerges from the approaches taken is a complex picture. Researchers do make comparisons with previous work, but numbers of people tested, materials used, diameter and posture differ between research groups as does the information and style of the dissemination of results. Future packaging research experimental design should be more thorough and consistent in the sampling and presentation of data to facilitate repeatability and validity and enable the data gathered to form a larger data set. Further, to create usable 'design limits' for manufacturers and designers to reduce the variability within the data set, more focused measurements should be taken on distinct user groups such as a specific female decile and subgroup, i.e. small-handed women between 70 and 80. Working with distinct populations would enable the likelihood of design changes to packaging to be readily compared and assessed

A new vision for land use in Scotland: 6 conversations

The current climate emergency and biodiversity crisis require urgent and combined actions. However, the Covid pandemic has shown that while slowing economic activity reduce semissions, it also exacerbates pre-existing social, health and economic challenges and doeslittle to address biodiversity declines. The way land is used has profound consequences on all of these and post-pandemic change is needed to maximise its benefits. SEDA’s 6 Conversations were timed to lead into the COP15 Biodiversity and COP26 Climate Change global conferences later this year, as well as the start of a new Scottish parliamentarysession. Both Brexit and the Scottish Government’s plans to create new Regional Land UseFrameworks by 2023 provide the opportunity to act on the lessons learned here.Over the course of six weeks, nearly 50 of the best-informed speakers on all aspects of ruralland use participated in 6 Conversations with designers, architects, businesses, campaignersand the general public. Each focused on a different aspect of how land is used, and how itcould be better used, in Scotland. The number of attendances across the 6 Conversations was over 1,250. Each Conversation created the space to go back to basics and look holistically at topics such as biodiversity, food production, renewable energy, health and well-being, identifying opportunities for cross-sector initiatives which deliver across a wide range of policy areas. Interspersed with contributions from poets and musicians, each Conversation was recorded and is available online at: https://www.seda.uk.net/resourcesEach Conversation is summarised in this report and an immediate result has been the decision to form SEDA Land, a new forum for SEDA members and experts in land use to04Executive Summary05continue the discussion and seek to influence land use change . Details of how to join this forum will be published on the SEDA website

Overview: Which trees for homes?: trees, landscapes and affordable homes

McCracken, D., Miller, D. &amp; Halvorsen, G. 2024. Overview: Which trees for homes?: trees, landscapes and affordable homes. A Conversation funded by the Scottish Government Climate Change Engagement Programme and SEFARI Gateway, and organised through collaboration between SEDA Land, The James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College