Updated report on genetic health of native species highlights the need for conservation action. Conservation experts from the Dick Vet have contributed to the most comprehensive analysis of Scotland’s native wild species’ genetic health - the key to being able to adapt in response to threats in the natural world. Their findings form part of an updated genetic scorecard indicator, developed with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, NatureScot and other partners. This report looks at the genetic diversity which underpins all living things’ ability to adapt to the effects of disease and climate change. The updated analysis highlights threats to native Scottish species, such as breeding with domestic species, which has severely impacted wildcats, and the importance of new approaches to conservation, such as the recognition of sites for genetic diversity in native trees. The updated report highlights threats to wild species. Environmental threats The Scottish wildcat population is under threat from interbreeding with domestic cats, the report finds. Action being taken to conserve them includes the large-scale dedicated Saving Wildcats Conservation Breeding for Release Centre at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s Highland Wildlife Park, as well as growing the wild population through release into the wild, removal of the threats facing wildcats in the Highlands and working with local communities to enhance conservation. Other species highlighted within the report include the puffin, great yellow bumblebee and the flame shell saltwater clam, which act as reefs for hundreds of other species. The Scorecard of Genetic Diversity in Wild Species was initially developed in Scotland to assess the genetic diversity within the species, alongside threats and the conservation actions in place. It uses data on population size and structure, along with DNA analysis across multiple species, to track changes in genetic diversity over time. It was first published in 2020 and has been updated and expanded to include marine species as well as a greater variety of terrestrial animals, plants and fungi. The scorecard, funded by SEFARI Gateway, is contributing to national and international conservation science, and being developed and mirrored in South Africa, Libya and Mexico. We now know that genetic variation is important in biodiversity conservation worldwide. To manage genetic diversity, we need to be able to measure it and track change over time. Our genetic scorecard was conceived as a Scottish solution for this but has now been designed as global tool. Professor Rob Ogden Director of Conservation Science, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies The state of Scotland’s native species relies on a healthy genetic diversity within many of the public’s favourite plants, animals and fungi. Without the conservation efforts to protect genetic diversity in species like wildcats and ash trees, they will be unable to adapt to threats from non-native species, disease, climate change and pollution. This ground-breaking research is a world-leading example of scientific collaboration in Scotland informing global conservation. David O’Brien NatureScot Biodiversity Evidence and Reporting Manager Related links The Scorecard of Genetic Diversity in Wild Species Image credit: Oxdosa/Unsplash. Publication date 11 Dec, 2025
