One of Scotland’s leading conservation charities yesterday hailed the public’s positive response to plans for a map to protect wild land.
Government agency Scottish Natural Heritage held a public consultation on the proposed wild land map and four to one of responses are in favour.
The John Muir Trust said the overwhelming public support showed the strength of feeling about protecting Scotland’s wild places from industrial development.
Of the 410 responses to the map, 80% are in favour, 14% against and the remaining 6% are neutral.
Stuart Brooks, chief executive of the John Muir Trust, said: “The scale of support for the map and the eloquence of the responses underline how passionately people value Scotland’s wild land.
“We would now urge politicians of all parties to come together to support the map as the next step towards protecting Scotland’s world-famous wild land from unsightly and ecologically damaging development.
“In particular, we would ask the Scottish Government to include a reference to the wild land map in the draft National Planning Framework, which is now being scrutinised by parliamentary committees.”
Hundreds of individuals and dozens of not-for-profit organisations, including environmental charities, councils, community groups and national bodies such as SportScotland and Historic Scotland have thrown their weight behind the map.
John Hutchison, chairman of the John Muir Trust, said: “As one of the main driving forces campaigning for the map, the John Muir Trust would emphasise this is not about preventing small-scale renewables or other infrastructure by communities and local people. This is about stopping the mass industrialisation of our wildest landscapes. These developments might generate lavish profits for land-owners and distant shareholders, but create few if any jobs for local people.”