The Understanding Predation project at the Scottish Parliament

Alex Fergusson, MSP with Lord Lindsay, Aileen McLeod, MSP
and members of the Moorland Forum in the Scottish Parliament

Aileen McLeod, MSP, The Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform attended the meeting in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday 25th February, which was hosted by Alex Fergusson, MSP. This provided an opportunity for Prof Steve Redpath to present a summary of the findings from the project to MSPs. Lord Lindsay led the delegation from Members of the Steering and Research Groups, and while the home team may have out-numbered the MSPs it provided a useful opportunity to discuss the project on a national stage. We picked up some very useful suggestions about how to present the project’s findings to the new administration, after the Scottish Government elections in May.

We were able to demonstrate our appetite for developing the project’s findings into further work, including action on the ground. The Minister could not stay with us for long, but before she departed she made it clear that she understood the immediate need for further activity and she stated that such action would receive her support.

We used the meeting to 'road test' a short overview of the project that will be published on the website shortly. This will be a standalone, 4-page document that will provide an easy way to access the main findings of the project.