No Mow May

The Parliament welcomes the start of Plantlife’s No Mow May, an increasingly global movement, which encourages garden owners to liberate their lawns and provide much-needed green space for nature; notes that No Mow May promotes the idea that green spaces are more than grass, and that they are places for wildlife to thrive, for people to connect to nature and for climate action; understands that the majority of the most flower-rich grasslands have been lost since the 1930’s, with some grassland habitats covering less than 1% of Scotland’s land area; considers that a result of this is a loss of vital food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife; notes that there are over 20 million gardens in the UK; considers that by simply “doing nothing for nature”, even the smallest grassy patches can help add up to an area of land equivalent to the size East Ayrshire, and believes that, by making permanent shifts in how and when lawns are mowed, it is possible to create species-rich grasslands in gardens and deliver what it sees as enormous gains for nature, communities, and the climate.