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Golden eagles get more protection Golden eagles get more protection
(about 2 hours later)
Plans to increase protection for golden eagles are due to be announced by the Scottish government. Protection for the golden eagle in Scotland could be increased under proposals announced by ministers.
Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham will give details of six new Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in the north and west of Scotland. Over 350,000 hectares of northern and western Scotland have been earmarked as potential Special Protection Areas for the species.
This will bring the number of SPAs in Scotland to 14. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will begin a three-month consultation on the proposals in the new year.
But the firms behind a controversial wind farm proposal near Inverary in Argyll have called for the move to be put on hold. Firms behind a controversial wind farm plan near Inverary in Argyll had called for the move to be put on hold.
They have said it would sterilise, for years, large areas of Scotland suitable for renewables developments because they might fall within a Special Protection Area in future.They have said it would sterilise, for years, large areas of Scotland suitable for renewables developments because they might fall within a Special Protection Area in future.
Threats to the country's golden eagles include inappropriate development and land management, which can lead to disturbance of the birds and the loss of their habitat. The golden eagle prefers the wild countryside of peatlands, uplands and mountains, but is threatened by habitat change and inappropriate development.
So far this year two eagles have been illegally killed, both by a banned pesticide. There are currently eight Special Protection Areas for golden eagles in northern and western Scotland.
We must find a balance between access, conservation and development to ensure that all sectors can benefit from and enjoy the countryside Roseanna Cunningham MSP Environment Minister
Announcing the six new proposed areas, Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said it was important to try and safeguard the bird's future.
She said: "The golden eagle is the UK's second largest bird of prey and is a species which is synonymous with many of Scotland's wildest and most beautiful places.
"Scotland is an internationally important stronghold for this species. But their future is finely balanced due to their need for large, undisturbed spaces in which to live and they remain highly vulnerable to change.
"While we have a duty to protect our biodiversity for future generations, this should not automatically mean that leisure and economic activity cannot take place in our countryside.
She added: "We must find a balance between access, conservation and development to ensure that all sectors can benefit from and enjoy the countryside."
'Cultural icon'
The proposed protection areas would be from Glen Affric in the central Highlands to Strathconon in Ross-shire, the Cairngorms Massif, Foinaven at Durness, and Moidart and Ardgour near Fort William.
The fifth would be from Glen Etive near Bridge of Orchy to Glen Fyne near Arrochar, and the sixth would be Jura, Scarba and the Garvellachs off the west coast.
Susan Davies, SNH's north areas director, said: "We welcome this move by the Scottish government to look at the possibility of more protected areas for Scotland's golden eagles.
"As a top predator, it is very much a barometer of the health of our natural environment.
"This bird is also a cultural icon and is often what people at home and abroad think of when they think of our country and our wildlife."
Once the consultation is over, the Scottish government will decide whether to classify any of the suggested zones as Special Protection Areas.