Wild Land News no 66, Spring 2006

A Highland Members' Group? Article

SWLG member Hamish Johnston reflects on the inaugural meeting

In March 2006 I went to my first SWLG meeting. So what? Well, I have only been a member since 1982 when SWLG first appealed for members, and I have a complete set of Wild Land News to prove it. But like many members, I suspect, I pay my subscription, glance through the magazine and do little else. The travel from Inverness put me off meetings in the central belt, but recently David Jarman contacted all Highland members to see if there is any interest in forming a Highland SWLG members group.

My original interest had been stimulated by the then threat to Knoydart which was being eyed up by the army as a training area. As a keen hill walker with an amateur interest in natural heritage who knew at first hand about no-go areas in Devon and the Salisbury Plain, the prospect of not being able to access the Knoydart Munros was well worth a £5 subscription.

And so, almost 25 years on, I found myself at my first SWLG meeting, together with some ten members and other interested people, at David's home near Culbokie on the Black Isle. As well as sounding out opinion on the idea of a local members' group, David was keen to find out what members think about the issues of the day, and what SWLG should be doing about them.

I was surrounded by an impressive array of professional talent - geologists, forestry experts, environmental consultants, a media professional and several people with a particular concern about current wind-farm applications in the Monadhliaths. Not surprisingly, initial discussion focused on this and the other big current local issue - the Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Ltd. proposals for a Lewis-Ullapool-Beauly-Denny pylon line.

Soon we were on the major issue of the day - future sources of energy in the context of climate change, and the consequences for wild land. All types of renewable energy sources were mentioned, each representing some degree of threat to wild land (and sea). Current economics favour wind power, so without changes in government policy we can expect wind farms and their power lines gradually to nibble away at our wild land until there is nothing left. There is a serious danger that wild land, and the Highlands in particular, could be sacrificed to production of renewable energy.

Yet if this were to happen, what difference would it make in the face of increasing British and world demand for energy? Very little. But what would be very clear is that we had lost, once and for all, that precious commodity that is our wild land. We can not assume that government in its wisdom will see the need for a policy to limit wild land loss, especially for the Highlands. Yet a strategy would provide a common framework within which all parties could operate. Bodies like SWLG would be able to contribute their positive arguments and counteract their NIMBY reputation.

So why, I asked, is the SWLG Steering Committee opposed to nuclear power, when nuclear development would remove or reduce these threats to wild land? If global climate change and rising sea levels are such big issues, then surely the problem of storage and disposal of spent fuel-rods pales into insignificance. There was no dissent.

What does "wild land" mean? This question stimulated lively discussion, but alas no satisfactory answer. All sorts of different definitions were suggested, none of which was complete, and all of which failed the test of some pertinent criticism. Most ideas involved the visual impact of human activity, and/or remoteness. More technical ones involved indigenous flora and fauna and restoration. This issue is so subjective that the best definitions are inadequate, and the esoteric are impracticable. But unless we can define what we mean, how can we achieve shared understanding, define aims and influence others? We must have a common language to be able to operate - as we must - in the world of science, designations and statutory bodies.

But that is not the whole solution: we must also speak to public opinion in the language of the media. So in our discussions we reversed the telescope. We all know that people come from all over the world to see the beauty of Scotland's landscape. They come to see wild land, and although they can't define it they know it when they see it. They certainly do not come to see wind turbines and hillsides scarred by crude bulldozed tracks.

Since the meeting The Scotsman has published the results of its Seven Wonders of Scotland poll. Glencoe and the Sky/Light of Scotland were 4th and 7th respectively. Other wild land "wonders" in the thirty-strong short-list were the Cuillin of Skye, the Loch Lomond/Trossachs National Park, Fingal's Cave/Staffa, the Ancient Caledonian Pine Forest, Ben Nevis, Scotland's Wildlife, Arthur's Seat/Salisbury Crags and St Kilda. Overall, ten of the thirty were wild land "wonders". This suggests that there is a significant public opinion and non-technical support out there for what the SWLG is trying to achieve in speaking up for the intrinsic and economic value of wild land.

If there was a conclusion to the (very wide-ranging) discussions it was that SWLG must influence public attitudes, which in turn will put pressure on politicians and decision-makers, elected or otherwise. SWLG should of course accommodate technical debate on specific issues but above all it must develop a simple and consistent message for the general public that the media find easy to use.

This message must lead public opinion - and that of the public's elected representatives - to the belief that wild land has an economic value. "Seven Wonders" support disappears if jobs and livelihoods are at risk. Wild land is a significant reason why so many people come to Scotland as tourists. As a start, SWLG needs to connect with the bodies that have an interest in the success of the Scottish tourist industry. The one that attracts visitors from home and abroad, creates jobs and keeps houses in remoter communities occupied by local people rather than second home owners. The wild land Highlands are a unique and priceless commodity to be nurtured now so that it can provide for its people in the decades and centuries to come.

So will I go to another SWLG meeting? I think so. The issues today are even more important than they were in 1982, and deserve a more active membership. And in giving us a direct link to Steering Committee business David's initiative means that influencing what happens has never been easier.