Beewalker looking at a bumblebee for identification
15 October 2026
A motion lodged in the Scottish Parliament is calling for greater recognition of the role that citizen scientists and environmental charities, such as the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, play in monitoring biodiversity and measuring progress towards Scotland’s nature recovery ambitions.
The parliamentary motion, lodged by Great Yellow bumblebee Champion, Liam McArthur MSP, highlights the importance of long-term biodiversity monitoring initiatives to understand how species populations are changing over time and whether conservation efforts are succeeding.
It references the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s BeeWalk monitoring scheme, through which citizen scientists carry out regular surveys of bumblebee populations across Scotland, England and Wales. The motion notes the contribution BeeWalkers make to improving understanding of nationally rare species such as the Great Yellow bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus) and the Moss carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum).
The motion also recognises the wider biodiversity monitoring infrastructure provided by environmental organisations and citizen science programmes. It notes that this infrastructure is essential for measuring species recovery, tracking progress towards biodiversity goals and providing the evidence needed to assess whether nature restoration efforts are succeeding.
The Scottish Government is expected to publish its legally binding nature recovery targets by March 2027. Elsewhere in Britain, BeeWalk data already plays an important role in measuring nature’s recovery, contributing to the UK Government’s species abundance indicator, which is used to track progress towards the legally binding target to halt species decline in England.
Liam McArthur MSP said: “As the Parliament’s Nature Champion for the Great Yellow bumblebee, I have seen first-hand the effort that goes into surveying for bumblebees on the ground in Orkney and I understand the importance of long-term monitoring of Scotland’s biodiversity. This motion recognises the dedicated people who carry out that vital work and asks parliament to acknowledge the need to support long-term biodiversity monitoring, which will allow us to assess whether Scotland’s nature is recovering as promised.”
Darryl Cox, Senior Science and Policy Officer at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said: “The Scottish Government will soon publish their legally binding targets for nature recovery, but we can only know if they are succeeding if we have the data to measure progress. Citizen scientists make a huge contribution to that effort, while organisations like the Bumblebee Conservation Trust provide the training, expertise and coordination needed to turn those observations into meaningful evidence. We’re delighted to see that contribution highlighted in Parliament and we stand ready to provide the Scottish Government with the data needed to show whether it is successfully recovering bumblebee populations.”
For people based in Scotland, you can help raise awareness of this important issue by contacting your Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). You can use Write to them to find out contact details for your elected MSPs, then simply send them an email to ask them to support the motion because you care about helping bumblebees. Make sure to quote the motion’s unique code: S7M-01622.