Media Call and News Release
SNP Must Act to Safeguard Scotland’s Landscape
Environmental groups are calling for urgent action from the Scottish Government to halt the industrialisation of Scotland’s wild places.
At the SNP Conference tomorrow (Friday 26th October 2007) the John Muir Trust and Ramblers’ Association Scotland will call for new restrictions on the giant wind turbines and powerlines that threaten Scotland’s iconic landscapes.
Dennis Canavan, President of Ramblers’ Association Scotland, will unveil the campaign poster, alongside Nigel Hawkins, Director of the John Muir Trust and Davie Black, Wildland Campaign Officer with the Ramblers’ Association
1.00pm on Friday 26th October 2007, at the car park in front of the Conference Centre in the MacDonald Aviemore Highland Resort, Aviemore.
Nigel Hawkins, Director of the John Muir Trust will say: “The SNP must act to ensure that Scotland reduces its carbon emissions without forever defacing its finest landscapes. The challenge of climate change should be focused on energy conservation, decentralised energy production and tapping the enormous potential for off shore wind, wave and tidal power.”
Hawkins will also highlight the relationship between energy policy and tourism:
“Tourism is Scotland's most important industry, injecting over £4.2 billion annually into the Scottish economy. Tourism also employs 200,000 people in Scotland, around 9 per cent of the entire workforce. “Denigrate Scotland’s wild land and we risk permanently damaging the tourist industry which is a mainstay of the Scottish economy”.
Davie Black, Ramblers Wildland Campaign Officer, will say: “We are delighted to see the SNP conference here in the Highlands, at the heart of the conflict between people, power companies and landscape. We look forward to early action by the SNP on an Energy Policy for Scotland. Sound action on climate change and energy security will only be achieved with a completely new approach to renewable energy developments.”
Black emphasised 4 key issues for a new approach to energy:
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A recognition that previous government policy on renewables has been disastrous in its lack of concern for the wild qualities of Scotland’s landscapes.
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An urgent need to revise planning guidance to set new criteria that recognises there must be limits on the height of onshore wind turbines to reduce their visual impact, and also avoids construction on peatland areas.
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Action to fundamentally change the financial incentives behind renewable energy developments - accelerate the programme of support for offshore and marine technologies at the expense of large-scale onshore development; and increase the incentives that benefit small-scale community-based renewable developments.
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Genuine commitment to measures that incentivise and regulate the reduction in energy demand.
END
Notes:
Dennis Canavan, President of the Ramblers’ Association Scotland, will unveil the campaign poster, along with Nigel Hawkins, Director of the John Muir Trust at 1.00pm on Friday 26th October 2007, at the car park in front of the Conference Centre in the MacDonald Aviemore Highland Resort, Aviemore.
The Ramblers’ Association Scotland is the representative body for walkers in Scotland, with over 7,600 members and 56 local groups throughout the country. Our aims are to promote walking for health and pleasure, to develop path networks, to secure access for walkers and to protect the environment.
The John Muir Trust is the UK’s leading wild land conservation organisation. The Trust owns and safeguards eight iconic areas of wild land including parts of Ben Nevis, the Red Cuillin in Skye, Schiehallion, Quinag and Sandwood Bay. The Trust works closely with local communities and is a partner in the community ownership of land in Knoydart, North Harris and Assynt. The John Muir Trust also encourages people to experience wild places and to ‘put something back’ through the John Muir Award.
Ramblers Scotland and John Muir Trust are part of the Beauly Denny Landscape Group fighting the proposal to build the proposed 400kV transmission line, 220 kilometres long from Beauly, near Inverness to Denny, near Falkirk.
