Scotland's environment blog

Scottish weather is often dreich, but never dull. We subconsciously include a daily weather observation in our pleasantries, which is not surprising considering its bearing in all aspects of life and the general mood of the nation. Taking this obsession a step further, there is a long tradition of measuring rainfall by the public. As well as being an interesting hobby, the data is very useful and SEPA is keen to encourage members of the public, schools and businesses to begin rainfall observing to help capture Scotland complex rainfall patterns.

This year sees the fourth national invasive species week, which runs from 23 to 29 March 2018. Many of our partners are involved in tackling and managing invasive non-native species (INNS) in Scotland, and in this blog Jo Long from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) explain a bit more about this work.

Yesterday was world water day and this year’s theme was “The answer is in nature” – exploring nature-based solutions to water challenges we face such as flooding and water pollution.

At the heart of the new waste data strategy lies partnership working and engaging with those that provide, analyse, communicate and use waste data. And this was evident when over twenty waste practitioners, including representatives from Scottish local authorities and private business, recently gathered to discuss the strategy, how it can be implemented and the future of waste data in Scotland. Gillian Flint from SEPA's Data Unit tells us more.

Saturday 3 March was international Open Data Day – an annual celebration of open data all over the world, and an opportunity to highlight the benefits of open data to government, business and communities. Here we'll show you how Scotland’s environment web is working with partners to mobilise environmental data and extend its reach and influence by turning it into accessible information and knowledge.

What habitat you would like for Christmas. Maybe Caledonian forest, for a peaceful walk through the trees, or would you like some sand dunes? Perhaps you would choose Machair, a wind-swept saltmarsh or a good bit of blanket bog? We asked the Habitat Map of Scotland project board members to tell us what habitat they would like to unwrap at Christmas. Is your favourite here?