Scotland's wild land is a national asset, the MCofS said. Photo: Neil Reid

Scotland's wild land is a national asset, the MCofS said. Photo: Neil Reid

Scotland’s politicians must realise that wild land is a national asset and not just ‘emptiness’, mountaineers said.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland urged Scottish parliamentarians to protect mountain areas as pressure from windfarms and other developments grows.

But the MCofS said is not opposed to wind farms on principle, and has only objected to six per cent of applications.

Dave Gordon, director of landscape and access, said: “It’s in the interests of Scotland and of the energy industry itself to build wind power stations in the right places, so that they can be accepted as part of a diverse, long-term and affordable electricity generation mix.”

Members of the Scottish Parliament are being sent a leaflet by the MCofS reminding them of the benefits of Scotland’s mountains.

They are being challenged to balance the need for green power with the need to safeguard a valuable but finite and vulnerable resource.

Mr Gordon said: “To some the term ‘wild land’ just translates as emptiness – something without any value.

“Scotland’s mountains are very far from being without value; they are among our greatest assets.

“But our uplands are also incredibly vulnerable.

“Our mountains and wild land are internationally recognised and a major factor in attracting tourism and supporting rural employment, as well as being a home for wildlife and key part of our cultural heritage.

“However, Scotland is a small country and the area of the land unaffected by the visual impact of built development has already shrunk by a third in less than a decade.

“The unceasing pressure from windfarm developers on our mountains threatens to squander a large part of this precious asset within the next decade.”

The MCofS, which has nearly 12,000 members, is calling on MSPs and the Scottish Government to act for the future by following a five-point plan, ensuring proper recognition of the value of wild land and open mountain landscapes as an essential national asset.

It also wants politicians to give full protection from windfarms and other damaging development for national parks, national scenic areas, other areas designated for their landscape or wildlife importance, and core areas of wild land.

There should be a very strong presumption against development adjacent to protected landscapes that impacts on the qualities which make those landscapes special, the MCofS said, and more weight should be given to local decision-making in planning.

The Scottish Government should also have a balanced, planned electricity generation mix and not an unbalanced over-development of onshore wind, the council added.

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