With a Scottish Parliamentary recess over most of summer, last week I wrote, with Wildcat Haven's chief scientific advisor, to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon; the letter is copied below, summarising much of what has been learned so far. You can write to her directly yourself at FirstMinister@gov.scot, and if you live in Scotland your MSP can be found at www.parliament.scot/msps.aspx. Also an apology as my last post attracted a lot of comment spam claiming the wind farm would not require clear-felling or extend to 1560 hectares. The wind farm developer has made no denial of these things. Page 9 of their plans (https://corporate.vattenfall.co.uk/contentassets/d31ec266795b44fbbb62fb66b053eab0/170412_scoping-report.pdf) clearly states they would like a work site of 1560 hectares (paragraph 2) and that clear felling will be carried out at the appropriate time (paragraph 4). The maps at the end of the document (page 93) clearly show the turbines will cut the forest in half, and that the 1560 hectare site is almost all forestry, including some ancient woodland immediately where the turbines are to be sited. These plans may change over time, but if we don't voice how destructive the current plan would be, then we could see all of it lost; there are plenty of windy hills without a resident wildcat population. If you ever have any questions by all means ask, but just once, in the comments, you will get a reply though it can take a few days; sometimes I'm filming in places without Internet access. Here's the letter to Nicola Sturgeon, enjoy the attached short film covering some of the other wildlife in Clashindarroch, and please keep sharing the petition, it isn't over yet! Dear Mrs Sturgeon, We are writing to you as originators of the petition to protect Clashindarroch Forest in Aberdeenshire, which has over 205,000 signatures so far (www.change.org/SaveTheWildcats). At least 13 high-purity Scottish wildcats live in Clashindarroch, the largest single population recorded anywhere; possibly a third of the national population and certainly critical to it. As a commercial forest it is subject to rotational felling by Forest Enterprise Scotland, which raises a significant risk of disturbing wildcats and destroying their dens. Two “significant” wind farms are also in planning between FES, Vattenfall and Fred Olsen Renewables. We are sure that your advisors at Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland have told you that everything is as it should be in Clashindarroch, but we can demonstrate that it isn't. The current situation is likely to place you as the First Minister in charge when the wildcat went extinct. As required, FES do appear to be carrying out pre-felling surveys to check for wildcat presence. However, it has been proven that those surveys have failed to identify wildcat territories which were subsequently felled; “reckless” disturbance and destruction in law. In one case FES were shown evidence of a wildcat on a site already being clear-felled. They briefly ceased operations accepting the cat was present, then continued clear-felling anyway. This virtually guaranteed the destruction of dens and resting places, as well as the disturbance and displacement of that cat; “deliberate” disturbance and destruction in law. An FES species ecologist commented that “cats can move”, even though the law expressly forbids this happening. He is also the only ecologist we are aware of with the opinion that forcing the movement of highly territorial, legally protected, and critically endangered animals is no big deal. Further justification for felling has been offered by Scottish Wildcat Action who claim they have peer-reviewed evidence that wildcats benefit from 90 hectares of their territory being clear-felled. This evidence relies on a dataset of domestic tabby cats and eye witness sightings reaching back to the 1800s; random members of the public thinking they might have seen a wildcat somewhere. They also cite a study of German wildcats living in a hurricane deforested landscape, and two studies of Spanish wildcats living in unforested scrub landscapes. That these cats did not use forest very often (of course they had none to use), is provided as evidence that Scottish wildcats benefit from industrial clear-felling creating a “mosaic” of deforested areas within a forest. These are gross misrepresentations of science. There is absolutely no evidence that Scottish wildcats benefit in any way from clear-felling, and a considerable body of evidence and legal protections making clear that it is extremely detrimental to their survival. Then the two wind farms. Deatils are unknown of the Fred Olsen plan but FES themselves call it “significant”, and requiring “significant clear-felling”. Plans are available for a Vattenfall project to extend the wind farm on the edge of Clashindarroch. It will cut the forest and wildcat population in two and clear fell up to a quarter of it. FES were keen to keep this “under the radar” according to their internal emails, expecting wildcats would be an issue; which we find outstandingly poor behaviour for a public agency, managing a public forest, talking about a legally protected and critically endangered species. Vattenfall 2 will immediately make numerous wildcats homeless and cause the collapse of the Clashindarroch population. Whatever the size, Fred Olsen's Longbank project will ensure the collapse is a rapid process. The loss of this population will mean extinction; there is no evidence to show that there are more than 35 wildcats left. SNH have dropped their own population estimates from 400 to 100 over the same period that they have spent £2m of public and Lottery money allegedly saving the wildcat. We, and over 205,000 other people, believe the case is clear; the wildcat is not safe so long as Clashindarroch can be commercially exploited. Scotland has many windy hills and many commercial forests, but this is the only one with a resident population of wildcats. We understand there's a great deal of process and investigation that has to take place to fully inform MSPs of the situation in Clashindarroch, as well as a Parliamentary close imminent, but Scotland's rarest animal is at risk right now, purely because failing FES surveys tick a box in a forestry stewardship form. We feel the only sensible choice is to put a moratorium on all forest exploitation in Clashindarroch Forest until Parliament is next in session and able to deliver a fully informed decision on whether it can be protected. Please, meet with us and let us show you the evidence for what is at stake, and how the wildcat population is being brushed aside by both Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage in their action planning, procedures, PR activities and internal communications. Yours Sincerely, Dr Paul O'Donoghue and Steve Piper On behalf of Wildcat Haven