Warning Scotgov seabird plan 'like plaster on gaping wound'
The Berwick Bank farm is predicted to have 4.1 GW of installed capacity and be capable of generating renewable energy to power over six million homes
However, the RSPB estimates it would also lead to the deaths of thousands of seabirds.
How the Berwick Bank windfarm may look (Image: SSE) Anne McCall, Director of RSPB Scotland said: 'The seabird conservation action plan was meant to be a moment of hope for Scotland's iconic and struggling seabirds. But the decision to consent Berwick Bank has changed that. This plan now looks like applying a sticking plaster to a gaping wound.
"Done right, offshore wind and seabirds can coexist, but it's difficult to convey the damage that is predicted to be done by this one, devastating project. Seabirds are already on the brink, Berwick Bank could push them over the edge – quickening some species toward extinction in Scotland.
'The Scottish Government has said positive words about saving seabirds. But it is actions, not words, that nature needs. It's hard to see how the Scottish Government can claim to be safeguarding our seabirds when decisions like this are taken without any detail on what urgent measures will be delivered where and when.'
The Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan sets out a range of steps to stop the decline seen among seabirds in recent years, including enhancing food availability by improving conditions for prey, and minimising bycatch and tackling marine litter.
It would also providine safe nesting areas by eradicating non-native invasive predators such as brown rats and American mink and undertak key research and monitoring of Scottish seabirds to understand how to build resilience and reduce mortality rates
The action plan was developed in partnership with NatureScot, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and British Trust for Ornithology.
Scotland is home to iconic seabirds (Image: NQ) Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action Gillian Martin said: 'The climate crisis, invasive non-native species, marine litter and access to food are contributing to declining seabird numbers around the world. Publishing the Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan today marks a vital step forward in protecting some of our most iconic and vulnerable marine species and sets out actions to collectively tackle pressures affecting seabirds.
'I'm confident that with concerted effort and shared responsibility, we can stop the declines we are seeing in our seabird populations and increase their resilience to a changing climate to secure their future.
'As top predators, seabirds are indicators of the health of marine ecosystems, playing a crucial role in maintaining balance within marine food webs. Seabirds also have a significant role in the economy supporting a thriving tourism industry that is vital to local economies, particularly in rural and island communities.'
She added: 'Only by working together can we ensure that Scotland remains a global stronghold for seabirds for the benefit of us all, now and in the future.'
Scottish Seabird Centre CEO Harry Huyton said: "From the great gannet colonies on St Kilda and Bass Rock, to the puffin burrows that crowd the grassy slopes of Unst and the Isle of May, Scotland is blessed with extraordinary seabird populations.
'Many are of international importance, yet most seabird species in Scotland are in decline, and urgent, transformative action is needed to save them.
'The ambition and actions set out in the new Seabird Action Plan are exactly what's needed, but it's critical that they are now delivered with urgency and fully embedded across Government."
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