Gamekeepers and mountaineers in Scotland are uniting to oppose plans that would see thousands of acres of trees planted.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) and the Mountaineering Scotland groups usually have differing views but have a found a common goal in trying to stop the Draft Climate Change Plan. The plan has been introduced by the Scottish government and includes plans to plant 10,000 hectares of trees per year between now and 2020, extending to 15,000 hectares per year by 2024.
Neil Reid of Mountaineering Scotland says: “There may well be arguments between all the various interested organisations about what that policy will eventually look like, and I imagine ourselves and the SGA will disagree on some issues, but what we’re completely agreed on is that there is a need for an overarching policy to be developed.”
Both groups say that the plan will devastate the Scottish landscape. A spokesman for the Scottish government says that the targets announced would be carried out in a sustainable way.
To view the the Draft Climate Change Plan visit: www.gov.scot/Resource/0051/00513102.pdf
