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Scotsman
5 days ago
- General
- Scotsman
Funding push after community set to take Scottish Borders forestry project to court
The Scottish Government's forestry agency has been accused of acting unlawfully. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox 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... A community taking a Scottish Borders forestry plantation to court is campaigning for funding to help them fight the legal battle. Save Todrig is hoping to raise £30,000 to cover legal fees to help them block a predominantly Sitka spruce forest stretching more than 500 hectares at Todrig Farm, about seven miles north of Kelso. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Campaigners said they are concerned about the impact the plantation will have on the current moorland habitat and surrounding communities. The application for the woodland scheme at Todrig was lodged by Gresham House Forest Growth and Sustainability Fund LP. | Simon Butterworth A petition was lodged claiming that Scottish Forestry, the public agency responsible for regulating forestry and distributing grants, acted unlawfully by screening out an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) in December last year and claiming there will be no significant environmental impacts before a public consultation was done. The applicant, Gresham House Forest Growth and Sustainability Fund LP, of Gresham House Ltd, applied to the agency for the EIA decision before applying for grant funding under the Forestry Grant Scheme, which would have triggered a public consultation. Campaigners accused Scottish Forestry of 'acting in secret' by making a decision on the EIA before the consultation. It meant NatureScot and RSPB among other groups who put their arguments in, which included comments claiming bird surveys were inadequate, were seen months after a decision on environment impact had already been made. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad David Lintott, of Restore Nature Ltd, the organisation behind lodging the petition, said: 'I think it is a particularly egregious case because they [Scottish Forestry] determined there will be no harms before the RSPB and organisations like Butterfly Conservation were able to put their points across, so their arguments weren't taken into account. David Lintott, of Restore Nature, which lodged a successful petition calling for a judicial review of a forestry plantation at Todrig in the Scottish Borders | Katharine Hay 'That's really poor when your dealing with such a huge area and something that is going to cause transformative change.' The planned Todrig forest would link to another proposed 700-hectare predominantly Sitka forest at Whitslaid. It means the area will see some 11 square kilometres of conifer plantations across the moorland habitat, campaigners said. The proposed schemes, which, together, would be larger than Selkirk and Hawick combined, fall into a pilot map created by Scottish Forestry for the Upper Ale area. It shows an area the agency deems suitable for planting either large scale or medium scale spruce plantations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A pilot study carried out by Scottish Forestry for a land capacity map. The outer red line is the boundary of the pilot study and blue denotes existing plantations. Todrig and Whitslaid are marked bottom right. | Scottish Forestry Save Todrig said, with the exception of narrow areas along the main river valleys and isolated hill tops, 'pretty much everywhere is eligible for predominantly conifer plantations'. The group said, in effect, the whole area could be covered in conifers, and if extrapolated across the Scottish Borders, pretty much everywhere outside SSSIs and other protected areas. Campaigners said blanketing the area in conifer plantations will lead to 'the permanent loss of a unique rolling moorland landscape in the Scottish Borders,' which provides a natural habitat for wildlife including the red-listed black grouse and northern brown argus, which is classified as 'vulnerable' on the butterfly red list. Butterfly Conservation was recently awarded £730,000 in public funding to enhance conservation efforts for the rare butterfly, which is found in limited areas of the UK, one of those being the Scottish Borders. According to the petition, research on brown argus carried out by the charity found the 'prime threat was found to be the increasing risk of afforestation being driven by generous woodland grant incentives.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Northern brown argus butterfly | Butterfly Conservation Trust The upcoming court case comes after a successful judicial review of a plantation at Stobo Hope, also in the Scottish Borders, forced Scottish Forestry to suspend planting and a £2m grant contract they had awarded to the applicant: Forestry Carbon Sequestration Fund, which is managed by True North Real Asset Partners. The court case was triggered by warnings from Stobo Hope Action Group that hundreds of hectares of the site had been sprayed with herbicides prior to the forestry application being submitted. Scottish Forestry halted forestry work at the Stobo Hope woodland creation scheme in the Scottish Borders in September 2024. The decision came after new information about herbicide spraying at the site. | Supplied In Scottish Forestry correspondence, obtained by Freedom of Information requests, an agency staff member described the site looking like it had been 'napalmed' following the spraying. Mr Lintott, who was also involved in the Stobo Hope case, said: 'You would think they [Scottish Forestry] would be more careful after seeing that. But the fact they haven't been in the Todrig case has been disappointing and particularly concerning.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Community groups have been set up in response to the proposed forestry schemes, including the Upper Ale Water Conservation Group who met with Scottish Conservatives MP John Lamont and MSP Rachael Hamilton to discuss their concerns. MSP Racheal Hamilton meeting with members of Upper Ale Water Conservation Group | Upper Ale Water Conservation Group Speaking during a visit on Wednesday, Ms Hamilton said: 'The local community are rightly concerned by these forestry applications and the lack of scrutiny around the consultation process. 'There needs to be more accountability of Scottish Forestry to ensure that swathes of forestry are not forced upon communities against their interest. 'That's why I brought forward an amendment to the Land Reform Bill for the Scottish Government to implement an Ethical Framework for Natural Capital Investment that ensures local community have a voice, but it was shamefully voted down at stage two.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Green Party candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Dominic Ashmole backed the Save Todrig petition saying it was 'a fine public service.' Scottish Green Party candidate for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Dominic Ashmole Mr Ashmole, who was recently selected by the Greens as a South Scotland regional candidate for the upcoming Scottish Parliament election, said: 'If successful, the case could set a precedent ensuring routine and substantive EIA of proposed forestry schemes, which could steer us to a place where we have locally-led, nature-friendly, continuous cover forestry that provides a whole host of co-benefits. 'At the moment, it seems that a scary big climate target is being wielded very much as a blunt instrument, perhaps with pressured civil servants reaching for 'big corporate' solutions rather than funding communities and smaller players to create a future closer to what locals and the wider public actually want.' Gresham House insisted it adheres to regulatory standards and industry best practice across all its projects. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A spokesperson for the company said: "Community engagement is really important. 'For the Todrig proposal, we've undertaken a formal public consultation and invited feedback from statutory bodies including SEPA, NatureScot, and RSPB Scotland. "In response to early input, the current design includes a commitment to retain approximately 40 per cent of the site as open ground, primarily to support biodiversity and habitat creation. Once operational, all planting, felling, and management plans will be made publicly available - and as with any forestry project, we actively look for ways to deliver wider community benefits through improved public access, educational opportunities, and support for local initiatives.'
The Star
18-07-2025
- General
- The Star
‘Trees felled in Bukit Kiara park will be replaced'
Koay explaining the history of Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara during the engagement session. — Photos: MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star NATIONAL Landscape Department (JLN) has pledged to replace the trees felled on a slope at Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara in Kuala Lumpur. Its deputy director-general (development) Ahmad Syaharuddin Kamaruddin said the trees were felled to facilitate a new four-storey administrative building at the recreational park. He said that among the 316 trees cut down were rubber trees which were invasive to native species and affected the area's biodiversity. 'We will replant 614 more trees and 3,733 shrubs in replacing the trees that we have felled,' he said during an engagement session at the Segambut branch office of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) in Changkat Abang Haji Openg. The session was held to brief residents about the building project, earmarked for the Taman Persekutuan Bukit Kiara Kuala Lumpur Phase 1B Administrative Zone. Ahmad Syaharuddin: Some of the trees felled were rubber trees. It was attended by representatives from JLN, Public Works Department (JKR), environmental conservation organisation Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK) and Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) residents who were angry with the felling of the trees at the park. Ahmad Syaharuddin said the administrative building project was necessary as JLN needed a physical presence to better protect the 188.9ha recreational park. 'Currently, we are based in Putrajaya and managing a park of this size with such impressive biodiversity from there isn't easy,' he said. 'We need to be present here to carry out conservation and security,' he said, adding that the project had complied with both the Social Impact Assessment and Environment Impact Assessment requirements. Residents, particularly those living along Jalan Abang Haji Openg, were upset by the unannounced felling of trees near their homes at the beginning of the month. 'We heard contractors clearing trees from our houses earlier this month, but we could not see anything from our homes,' Kim Liew, 76, told StarMetro. 'By the time we realised it, the trees on the hill slope near our houses had been cut down.' Noting that the trees helped keep the area cool, Liew complained that the residents were really feeling the heat now. Occupying 2.42ha of the park, the building situated at Changkat Abang Haji Openg is intended to establish a Federal Park administration and management centre that plans, executes and manages activities under the Federal Park programme. The building will incorporate a management office, a visitor interpretation centre, a nursery and parking facilities. FoBK president Leon Koay said the group had urged JLN to adopt a conservation-first approach for the development project. 'Our recommendation to the department was to keep as many trees as they could when constructing the building. 'We were also taken aback when we learned about the tree clearing that happened earlier this month,' he said. A JKR representative affirmed that they had adhered to all permit requirements to commence the land clearing. 'The building project is expected to take 130 weeks and is due for completion on July 5, 2027,' he confirmed. Residents also voiced concerns about potential soil erosion in the area during a downpour. Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, who was also present, said she would call a meeting with DBKL and Jalan Abang Haji Openg Rukun Tetangga to ensure appropriate mitigation measures were implemented.
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: No action against units polluting Buddha Nullah, allege activists
A non-governmental organisation — Public Action Committee (PAC) — has launched a scathing attack on the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), accusing it of protecting dyeing industries responsible for the illegal discharge of untreated effluent into the Buddha Nullah. The committee said it has filed contempt petitions in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against PPCB officials and directors of two common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) for 'failing' to follow environmental norms and 'misrepresenting' facts before the tribunal. Members of Public Action Committee have accused the PPCB of deliberately weakening legal cases against the units polluting Buddha Nullah. (Manish/HT) PAC members Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Jaskirat Singh said that despite clear NGT orders directing the PPCB to ensure compliance with environmental clearance norms and stop the release of industrial waste into the Buddha Nullah, the board 'failed' to act effectively. The board not only supported the dyeing industry's shifting arguments but also deliberately delayed legal proceedings by changing lawyers and submitting misleading replies,' they said. The PAC said, 'The dyeing industrial units initially claimed confusion over the NGT's directions. Later, they blamed the state government for failing to construct the Lower Buddha Nullah drain and finally argued that environmental clearance was not applicable to them after a 2018 central notification. They even denied the validity of the 2013 environmental clearance granted to their projects.' Environmental activists Amandeep Singh Bains, Kapil Arora and Gurpreet Singh pointed out that Ludhiana has already been classified as a critically polluted area by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), making environmental clearance mandatory under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. They said any industrial unit operating within a 5-kilometre radius of such areas must secure environmental clearance before starting operations. The PAC highlighted that the CETP projects had received financial grants based on environmental clearance conditions mentioned in the 2013 approvals, and over half of the construction was completed before 2018. The NGO further alleged that on December 23, 2024, the PPCB submitted before the NGT that CETPs had complied with norms — a claim the committee called false. They said contradictory statements from the industrial units and evidence suggested otherwise, leading them to move the NGT with contempt pleas against the member secretary and chief engineer of the PPCB, as well as the directors of the 40MLD and 50MLD CETPs. The committee also accused the PPCB of deliberately weakening legal cases. Although criminal complaints were lodged against the CETP operators, the PPCB allegedly failed to provide complete addresses in court documents, making it difficult for courts to issue summons. Even after the issue was flagged, the board took no corrective action, the PAC alleged. The PPCB, instead of acting in public interest, is busy protecting violators, the PAC added. When contacted, PPCB chief engineer RK Rattra refused to comment. 'The matter is already under consideration and is being heard by the National Green Tribunal . So I can't comment.'
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Buddha Nullah: PPCB failed to act against dyeing units, says PAC
Ludhiana: In a strong statement issued on Thursday, members of the Public Action Committee (PAC) have accused the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) of repeatedly colluding with dyeing industries of Ludhiana to shield them from legal accountability for continuous discharge of untreated effluents from their respective common effluent treatment plants (CETPs) into the Buddha Nullah. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Members of the PAC Kuldeep Singh Khaira and Jaskirat Singh said following appeals filed by the dyeing industries against the PPCB orders to stop CETPs, they had submitted three separate applications before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The tribunal, in response, directed the PPCB to act in accordance with environmental clearance (EC) conditions and to stop effluents in the Buddha Nullah. "Initially, the dyeing industries and the government claimed they did not understand NGT orders. Then the industry blamed the Punjab government for failing to construct lower Buddha Nullah. They later shifted their stance, claiming that environmental clearance was no longer required after a 2018 Central government notification. Shockingly, the PPCB supported such shifting interpretations and kept changing lawyers to waste time and continue illegal discharge into the Buddha Nullah. " Other members of the PAC Dr Amandeep Singh Bains, Kapil Arora, and Gurpreet Singh said the city had been declared one of the critically polluted cities in India by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, any dyeing industry within 5km of a critically polluted area must obtain an EC before receiving even a "consent to establish" from the sate pollution board. All three special purpose vehicles (SPVs) managing CETPs had already received grants based on EC conditions outlined in 2013, and over 50% of the construction was completed before 2018. Interestingly, CETP directors themselves admitted in their own recent press release that the NGT issued closure orders to their plants. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now On December 23, 2024, the PPCB informed the tribunal that compliance was achieved, a claim PAC called misleading and factually incorrect. Based on the contradictory statements from the dyeing industries and ground realities, contempt petitions have been filed against the member secretary and chief engineer of the PPCB, along with directors of 40MLD and 50MLD CETPs. The PAC members also alleged that the PPCB, despite being fully aware of legal and environmental violations, had permitted ongoing contamination of the Buddha Nullah since the CETPs became operational. Even after NGT directives, the PPCB remains a mute spectator. Although criminal cases were filed against CETP directors, PPCB deliberately omitted full addresses in court complaints, making it impossible for courts to deliver summons. Despite being informed, PPCB failed to rectify the error, which PAC claims was a deliberate attempt to protect the violators. "This clearly shows that the PPCB is acting like a puppet regulatory body, shielding polluters rather than protecting public health," said the PAC. They added that the Punjab government itself was unwilling to act against the violators. Even after assuring the NGT that a compliance report would be submitted by March 20, 2025, no such report has been filed till date, they added.
The Hindu
06-07-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Environment impact study for Great Nicobar project downplays earthquake risk
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study carried out for the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Infrastructure Project (GNIP) downplays the risk of future earthquakes that could trigger tsunamis on the scale that was seen in 2004, despite several scientists suggesting that few on-ground scientific assessments have been done in the region. According to the nearly 900-page-long EIA report commissioned by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation and executed by a private consultant, Vimta Labs, the probability of a mega earthquake, such as the earthquake of 9.2 magnitude that led to the 2004 tragedy, was 'low'. The EIA study, while acknowledging the region's proximity and susceptibility to massive earthquakes, primarily draws on a 2019 study by scientists of the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur stating that the 'return period', a term for the likelihood of a similar-sized earthquake reoccurring, is 420–750 years for mega-earthquakes (magnitude of 9 or more). The return period is a shorter 80-120 years for large-magnitude earthquakes (>7.5). EXPLAINED | The prospect of energy exploration at Andaman The IIT-Kanpur report had analysed sediments from the Badabalu beach in South Andaman and revealed evidence of at least seven large tsunami events in the last 8,000 years in the region. The report states: 'Andaman Segment has enough accumulated strain to trigger a mega tsunamigenic subduction zone earthquake in near future and that there was a 2,000-year gap in the region's sediment history added uncertainty to the prediction of future earthquakes.' This bit doesn't appear in the EIA study. Speaking to The Hindu, Professor Javed Malik, the scientist who led the IIT-Kanpur study, said while their study did trace the history of major tsunamis, planners of any major infrastructure project in the Nicobar Islands should ideally conduct a 'site-specific study'. This was because an earthquake, such as the one in 2004 that was centred in Indonesia's Banda Aceh, could play out differently if the origin point was the Nicobar Islands. The Andaman-Sumatra fault line was known to be vulnerable to massive earthquakes and there was still insufficient knowledge regarding what stretches along this line were likely to rupture. He said in 2020, in a meeting with government officials, he had pointed out that studies similar to those conducted in Andaman ought to be done in Car Nicobar and Campbell areas of Nicobar, but he was still waiting to hear on it. 'Not only can we get insight into historical earthquakes but we can estimate inundation patterns and this can help plan infrastructure projects,' he added. Also Read | Great Nicobar project: Shipping Ministry proposes cruise terminal, high-end tourism infra Other scientists suggest that there are multiple sources of tsunamigenic-earthquakes that are unknown. C.P. Rajendran, geo-scientist and professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, said that his own studies over the years and emerging studies have shown that while the Banda Aceh event may have released a certain amount of pent-up energy, there were several other 'parallel rupture lines south of the Andamans [and towards Nicobar] whose pent-up energy and history were unknown'. 'To add to that, earthquake recurrence is a non-linear process. You could have centuries without any mega-quake and then suddenly a massive one. There are local fault lines in the Great Nicobar Island [GNI] as well as changes in land levels prior to a massive earthquake. This is an extremely geo-dynamic area and major infrastructure projects here are particularly vulnerable,' he told The Hindu. 'It is better to avoid such an area for a port or a container terminal.' A senior scientist in the Ministry of Earth Sciences acknowledged that while no specific site studies in the Nicobar Islands were commissioned for the project, it would be impossible to forecast when a massive earthquake was likely and a 'calculated risk' had to be taken in executing the project. 'Depending on the nature of buildings and infrastructure, design codes will be incorporated but we can never say when the next major quake or tsunami will occur. There is much that is unknown,' the scientist said. Also Read | Tribals in Great Nicobar not against development but lack info about mega project: NCST member The GNIP envisages a trans-shipment port, an international airport, township development, and a 450 Megavolt-Amperes (MVA) gas and solar-based power plant in the GNI. Though accorded an environment and preliminary forest clearance by the Centre, concerns about the potential loss of biodiversity, tree-felling, and impact on resident tribes prompted the National Green Tribunal to order a review of the environmental aspects of the project. The islands were among the worst affected regions during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami-earthquake that claimed at least 1,500 lives. Atleast 10,000 Indians perished in the tsunami. The region, which comes under the highest seismological category of five, is prone to earthquakes as it has the Indian plate diving beneath the Burmese Microplate along the Andaman Trench in a process known as 'Subduction.'
