Scotland's urban parks and greenspaces have a vital role to play in tackling the biodiversity crisis. But are we making the most of them? And do we have the right plans, strategies and partnerships in place to deliver meaningful change by 2030?

These are the questions at the heart of Shared Ground — Scotland's Urban Nature Partnership, a programme commissioned by NatureScot to turn a national biodiversity commitment into local action.

This is just the beginning.

Action 13.1 of the Scottish Biodiversity Delivery Plan sets an ambitious target: by 2030, every park, reserve or publicly owned green space should have a management and maintenance plan that reflects its Open Space Strategy and Local Biodiversity Action Plan outcomes. Delivering that will require a genuine partnership between national agencies, local authorities, greenspace managers, and the people who work on the ground every day.

That's exactly what Shared Ground is setting out to build.

greenspace scotland was commissioned by NatureScot in October 2025 to lead Phase 1 of this work — bringing together practitioners from across Scotland to co-create a shared understanding of where we are now, what the barriers are, and what needs to happen next. Nearly 70% of Scotland's local authorities took part in workshops in December 2025, with biodiversity officers, park managers, grounds maintenance teams, planners, and climate change staff all contributing their expertise and experience.

At the same time, we carried out a comprehensive audit of Open Space Strategies across all 32 Scottish local authorities. The findings are striking: only 13 authorities (41%) currently have a strategy that is considered up to date. Twelve have strategies that are out of date, four have no published strategy at all, and the picture around management and maintenance plans is even more patchy. There is real work to do — but there is also real will to do it.

The Executive Summary below sets out the key findings from Phase 1 and the recommendations that will shape the next stage of this programme. It is the foundation for a conversation, not a conclusion.

Now we need your help to shape what comes next.

If you work in or with a Scottish local authority — whether in greenspace, biodiversity, planning, grounds maintenance or beyond — your voice matters in this process. Shared Ground is a co-creation programme, and Phase 2 will only be as strong as the partnerships we build now. We want to hear from local authorities at every stage of the journey.

Read the Executive Summary, share it with your colleagues, and get in touch with us at greenspace scotland to find out how you can be part of shaping Scotland's approach to urban nature. Together, we can make sure that by 2030, Scotland's green spaces are working harder for biodiversity — and for the communities that depend on them.

Download the Summary Report (PDF) 

Get in touch