Hi All
Our Ecological and Wildcat specialists are currently preparing their witness statements for the upcoming Public Inquiry hearing. To really show you the importance of what is at stake, we want to show you a recent video taken by our Director, Dr Paul O’Donoghue. It is from a visit to the site of the first windfarm built in the Clashindarroch forest, in 2015. This was before we began our work here.
As you will see, this was not a case of just popping windmills into forest gaps. It was not done sensitively, it was simply the destruction of an enormous area of forest which would have devastated wildcat territories. It was utterly depressing to see a moonscape, an ecological desert, that even after 6 years looks like a huge scar on the landscape and is clearly not a useable space for wildlife. It is also serviced by a small army of people who all have to drive through the forest and they even have permanent bases where they can stay overnight. Basically what was once thick forest and prime wildcat habitat , is now an industrialised landscape. You can see the video here:
https://www.wildcathaven.com/news
Like all of you who support us, we are passionate about reducing climate change and committed to sustainable living. We have stated numerous times before and as our Director states again here, we are pro renewable energy. However this cannot be at all costs, it cannot be reckless or without thought. It certainly cannot be at the expense of the future survival of an entire species, an iconic Scottish animal that epitomises the wild. It has to be the right development at the right place.
There are literally hundreds of bare hills in Scotland that provide far more suitable sites for a windfarm than the Clashindarroch forest. The risks are just too great. As you will see from the video, the stakes are high, as safeguarding the safety of the most important wildcat population in existence, depends on the success of our campaign. If you want to support our legal challenge please visit:
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/wildcats/
Many thanks as always
The Wildcat Haven Team