Conservationists campaign for wild places to be granted legal protection
● Call for areas of wilderness to be free from industrial scale development
Conservationists have launched a new campaign calling for statutory protection for wilderness areas in Scotland.
The John Muir Trust’s Keep It Wild campaign calls on the Scottish Government to use the forthcoming Planning Bill to keep wild land areas free from industrial-scale development, similar to the protection already in place in national parks and national scenic areas.
Scottish Natural Heritage revealed its map of wild land areas in 2014 and said the areas of “high wildness” are nationally important in Scottish planning policy but are not protected by law.
A new poll reveals more than half of Scots surveyed back the designated areas being given further safeguards from large developments.
The trust commissioned the Yougov poll which found 52 per cent strongly agree the areas “should continue to be protected from large-scale infrastructure, such as industrial-scale wind farms, major electricity transmission and super-quarries”, while 28 per cent tend to agree.
A further 5 per cent tend to disagree but 0 per cent strongly disagree, 12 per cent remain neutral and 3 per cent are undecided in the survey of 1,028 Scottish adults carried out between 18 and 22 May.
The trust’s campaign comes as the first wind farm to be given permission to build on a wild land area, 22-turbine Creag Riabhach at Altnaharra, Sutherland, is being challenged in the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
Helen Mcdade, head of policy for the John Muir Trust, said: “Scotland is united in wishing to keep our wild landscapes free from large-scale wind farms, giant pylons, super quarries and other inap- propriate commercial developments.”
She said the Planning Bill is a chance to provide protection that is “currently missing”.
Ms Mcdade added: “Wild land is a key part of Scotland’s natural heritage and national identity. It is also a major driver of the Scottish economy, attracting tourists from all over the world to visit, spend money and support jobs in some our most fragile local communities.”