Scotland's natural environment worth £17.2 billion a year to the economy

26/11/2008 10:43:57 November 2008. The sustainable use of Scotland's natural environment underpins the country's economy to the tune £17.2bn a year, 11% of the country's total output, according to a new report.

1 in 7 jobs
The study, entitled 'Valuing our environment', shows that economic activity using a sustainable development approach supports nearly one in seven of all full time jobs in Scotland, 242,000 in total, and benefits two-thirds of existing businesses. It also encourages new businesses to locate in Scotland, particularly those in the mobile service sector.

While previous studies have attempted to value some aspects of the natural environment, this is the first ever economic assessment of the sustainable use of that environment.

Landscape and wildlife the main reason for tourism
In tourism, Scotland's landscape and wildlife are consistently given as the main reason for people visiting Scotland. In 2007, 72% rated 'scenery' and 46% rated 'nature and wildlife' as very important when choosing Scotland as a holiday destination. Other tourism attractions include the 7Stanes mountain bike trail, which attracted £9m of visitor spending in 2007, and water sports on Loch Insch and Loch Morlich, which generated £1.46m in 2003. Visitors also accounted for 66% of the estimated £113m annual income from angling.

The study was commissioned by a partnership led by Scottish Natural Heritage. Its findings have been welcomed by Environment Minister Michael Russell, who said: "The findings of this report shows how crucial the natural environment is to Scotland's economy. Our unique flora and fauna is world renowned but there are real opportunities in rural areas for economic development. However, we must ensure that any developments are carried out sustainably and our valuable natural resources and managed properly."

SNH chairman, Andrew Thin, added: "This report shows that the natural environment is fundamental to the prosperity of this country and is therefore much more than just a backdrop to a successful tourism industry.

 Increasingly it is providing a platform for new technologies, such as renewables and the expanding service sectors. These businesses need to find and keep highly skilled staff, which is good for future employment in Scotland. In short, economic and environmental benefits go hand in hand. We are extremely grateful to those who provided information for the report. And we are very keen to share the findings with as many people as we can in order to inform debate and decisions about future sustainable investment in Scotland."

The publication and the full report are available via the SNH website at www.snh.org.uk .