Progress in creating better conditions for plants and animals in nature-protected Scottish areas has slipped into reverse, a worrying report has revealed.

The official study by wildlife agency NatureScot found climate change, alien species and overgrazing are hampering efforts to restore nature at protected sites.

The study warned there has been a “slow decline” since 2016 in the number of environmental features either in or recovering towards a “favourable condition”.

These include habitats and animal and plant species as well as geological features like fossil beds and caves.

More than three quarters (76.4 per cent) of Scotland’s natural features at protected sites are either recovering or in a favourable state as of March 31 this year.

But that’s down from 77.9 per cent in 2022 – and has decreased by four percentage points since 2016 when it peaked at 80.4 per cent.

Two of the largest causes of unfavourable conditions are overgrazing – particularly by wild deer – and invasive, non-native species such as forest-killing rhododendron.

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