Nature charities call for proposed offshore windfarm to be refused
RSPB Scotland has joined forces with the Marine Conservation Society, National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Seabird Centre and Scottish Wildlife Trust to urge Scottish ministers to refuse Berwick Bank "to protect wildlife and progress less damaging offshore projects".
The charities say new offshore wind developments are currently being held back due to their combined impacts with Berwick Bank on Scotland's globally important seabird populations.
It comes as seabirds already face serious challenges, from Avian Flu to unsustainable fishing practices.
Around 70% of seabird species are in decline in Scotland, including much-loved Puffins which face national and global extinction, according to RSPB Scotland.
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Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said: 'Offshore wind has a key role in tackling the climate and nature emergency. We fully support well-sited wind farms which work with nature. But they are being held back by a major spanner in the works.
'Berwick Bank would be catastrophic for Scotland's globally important seabirds. Its impacts are so damaging it is blocking plans for new, less-harmful windfarms.
'As the First Minister said earlier this year: nature should be at the heart of climate action. Our message to the Scottish Government is clear. Refuse Berwick Bank to unlock the full potential of offshore wind while protecting our outstanding wildlife.'
Diarmid Hearns, interim director of conservation and policy at The National Trust for Scotland, said: 'The National Trust for Scotland cares for St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve, which is home to approximately 45,000 seabirds during breeding season, including protected Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill and Shag species.
'Climate change is one of the biggest threats to seabirds and offshore wind development is important to meet Scotland's climate ambitions, therefore we are fully supportive of it. However, installations must be located with sensitivity to the very habitats we're trying to protect from climate impacts- the proposed site for Berwick Bank is likely to cause high levels of ecological damage and severely impact the seabird colonies at St Abb's Head.
Bass Rock is home to the world's largest colony of Northern gannets.
'We urge Ministers to reject the proposal for Berwick Bank and instead focus on advancing proposals in more appropriate locations.'
Harry Huyton, CEO at Scottish Seabird Centre, said: 'The Firth of Forth is home to globally important seabird populations, including the world's largest colony of Gannets on Bass Rock.
'Most of Scotland's seabird species are already in decline, and Berwick Bank threatens to undermine attempts to restore populations by killing and displacing tens of thousands of seabirds. It is simply the wrong place for an offshore wind farm.
'We want to see a strong and vibrant offshore wind industry in Scotland, which avoids developing sensitive sites for wildlife and actively contributes to nature conservation. Ministers must urgently act for nature and the future of offshore wind by refusing consent to Berwick Bank.'
Jo Pike, chief executive at Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: "Renewable energy developments will be a key component in tackling the climate emergency, but this must be done in a way that also protects nature.
'Scotland's seas are facing the twin nature and climate crises and developments must therefore be strategically placed to avoid damaging already vulnerable species and habitats.
'Refusing consent to Berwick Bank in favour of developments in less sensitive areas would allow for progress towards Net Zero commitments at pace, whilst mitigating the impacts to nature.'
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Scotsman
41 minutes ago
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Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Here's the quick answer to the question posed in the title of this book by Devi Sridhar, Professor and Chair of Global Health at the University of Edinburgh and advisor to the Scottish and UK Governments, as well as the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and UNESCO: be the kind of person who buys hardback books and has £22 of disposable income (≈24% of the weekly Job Seeker's Allowance). That is not supposed to be flippant, as one of the insistent points in Sridhar's work is the connection between poverty and ill-health. 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