Climbers and hillwalkers are lobbying MSPs to protect Scotland’s mountains from renewable developments.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCoS) has sent a leaflet to every member of the Scottish Parliament, reminding them of the benefits of the landscape.
The MCoS wants MSPs to balance the need for green power with safeguarding “a valuable and finite” resource.
The organisation, which has almost 12,000 members, has drawn up a five-point plan, which it is asking MSPs to sign up to. It includes a call for recognition of the value of wild land and open mountain landscapes.
They are also asking that national parks, National Scenic Areas and areas with other special designations be fully protected from windfarms and other developments. The MCoS also wants a “strong presumption” against development close to protected landscapes and more weight to be attached to local decision-making.
Their final request is for a “balanced, planned electricity mix and not an unbalanced overdevelopment of onshore wind”. Dave Gordon, the MCoS’s director of landscape and access, 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 a 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.”
He added: “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.”
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