Petition to abandon marine SAC
Dear Editor,
I am sure most of your readers are now aware of Scottish Natural Heritage’s advice to Government to designate two areas around Barra as European marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). But what does this really mean?
We already have two European Special Protection Areas (SPAs) giving total protection to certain birds. One SPA is on uninhabited land owned by the National Trust for Scotland on Mingulay / Berneray. Despite objections from fishermen, this SPA was enlarged and extended over an area of adjacent sea last year. The other SPA is in Eoligarry on land actively managed by crofters. This habitat, where the corncrake annually migrates, is deemed special due to the way crofters have worked the land by traditional methods that have proven sustainable for generations throughout Barra, Vatersay and many other islands.
It is a huge concern for an active community in which people have to earn a living that, whilst some small payments can be made for actively maintaining these conservation areas, the EU sites impose limitations on development, planning and change. A recent example is the planned community wind turbine at Scurrival Point where SNH required a study to prove that the turbine – to be sited 500 metres outside the SPA – would not interfere with migrating birds and otters. This cost the community £24,000 and delayed planning by 16 months. Restrictions are also imposed on building, ditching, fencing and almost any form of development within the designated area.
The proposed EU SACs would protect certain species and habitats in waters East of Mingulay (12,000 hectares) and over the entire Sound of Barra (10,000 hectares). The latter runs north from Bruernish Point, encircles Eriskay and includes the Traigh Mhor. Both sites could have serious implications on future developments in these areas. Fishing will be affected as will processors, buyers, the removal of seaweed, sand and shells from the beaches, developments at piers at Ardveenish, Ardmhor, Eoligarry and in Eriskay and Ludag. Alterations to ferry and plane services could succumb to costly delays or worse. Areas East of Mingulay are also regularly fished by local static and trawl fleets.
Once these designations are in place there is no process for removing them, so any future development, such as wind and tidal energy, bridges and causeways, fish and shellfish farms, underwater cables, moorings, drainage works, etc., would have great difficulty progressing. Even in the case of existing activities, it has been confirmed by the Scottish Parliament that no guarantee can be given that they could continue on a designated European site.
The Government is well aware of the local opposition to these proposals, yet throughout the past 18 months of our campaign, they have never asked SNH to consider other sites to make up the EU requirement and which would not have such a powerful negative social and economic effect on a community. At present the Government are undertaking an Impact Assessment on the new sites but the assessment clearly states that this “will not inform any decision on whether to consult” and “the decision to consult will be informed by scientific evidence only.” This means that the impact on our community and economy cannot be taken into account.
I would urge people to contact their representatives at all levels and request that the Government abandons any intention to consult on these two sites and also removes the existing but unconfirmed pSAC in the Sound of Barra. SNH’s effort to establish these SACs has now been going on for ten years. We managed to delay full designation in 2000 but SNH have come back again with even bigger proposals and this time the process appears to have greater government support. The only hope we have of preventing what will amount to takeover control of the island and the surrounding seas by SNH is to convince the government that the political price for ramming this through against the wishes of the island communities is too high.
The choice facing our community is clear: today the use and care of our natural resources are under local control and this control is vital to our social and economic wellbeing. Once land or water becomes an EU site, conservation becomes the primary purpose and management decisions are controlled by scientists and powerful environmental interests within the EU, whether based here or not. If more EU sites go ahead, we lose more control over our own future.
If you want to stop this from happening, sign the petition against the SACs in Castlebay Post Office or the online petition which can be accessed through a link on the Isle of Barra home page or through the following link: http://www.petition.fm/petitions/barrasac/
Yours Sincerely,
Angus MacLeod
Chairman for the campaign group,
Southern Hebrides Against Marine Environmental Designations
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