MP must campaign against SACs
Dear Editor,
It seems the Scottish Government has money-a-plenty to fund surveys that create more conservation sites in Scotland.
Such areas include two large swathes of sea around the isles of Barra, Eriskay and South Uist which are being proposed as European Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). There are already a plethora of SAC’s, SPA’s, SSSI’s, Ramsar sites etc etc emplaced all around Scotland and its coastline. Such designations tend to treat fishermen as vermin and the human species as unwanted aliens.
One of these sites in the waters east of Mingulay is currently being surveyed for at least the 7th time since 2002. A possible SAC already exists in the Sound of Barra despite intense local opposition to its creation since 2000. The only viable alternative to the designations is to find alternative sites but SNH stated at a public meeting in Barra in Nov 2008 that it lacked the funds to do so.
I now read that Scottish Natural Heritage, the SNP Government’s conservation advisor, has given £200,000 to the RSPB towards the purchase of 370 acres of Scotland on the Solway. The RSPB is fast becoming one of Scotland’s biggest private landowners.
It beggars belief that this English-registered charity, whose membership is overwhelmingly resident outside Scotland (94%), is receiving money from an SNP government agency whilst a rural Scottish island community is being told that no money is available to fund surveys that would remove the socio-economic blight of conservation designation.
It leaves me very concerned to hear from the SNP PPC for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Angus MacNeil, as to how he intends to redress this shocking abuse of money and power in the constituency he hopes to represent for the next five years? I have campaigned against such designations for the last decade, ever since one was foisted upon the sound of Arisaig. I would ask Angus MacNeil, to do the same.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Mackinnon
Gatehouse
Tougal
Arisaig
Comments on this entry are closed.