WILD

John Muir Trust Launches Wild Land Campaign in UK

The John Muir Trust has launched two petitions to urge the UK and Scottish governments to give greater protection to the country’s last remaining wild land.  The petition in Scotland calls for wild land to be protected by a new environmental designation. The petition for the UK calls for National Park areas to be expanded and created to cover the best areas of wild land.

Helen McDade, head of policy, said: “We aim to use these petitions to send a clear signal to the government that many thousands of people care passionately about wild land and want to see it given greater protection. Thousands have expressed concerns about proposed major developments in much-loved wild areas such as the Cairngorms and Snowdonia National Parks, as well as the Western Isles and Shetland.  It is vitally important that everyone who cares about our landscape adds their voice to our campaign through signing this petition.”

The petitions are part of the Trust’s Wild Land Campaign, which aims to achieve greater protection for wild land from inappropriate development.

Scottish Natural Heritage figures show that the amount of land in Scotland unaffected by visual intrusion fell from 41% to 31% between 2002 and 2008. Wind turbines, electricity pylons, tracks and housing were major factors in this decline. Whilst there is less wild land in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, that makes it particularly valuable as a refuge from the stress of modern life.

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