Mapping “wildness”; restriction by design if not yet designation

A quick look at the SNH map of “core wild areas”, which has been recently consulted on, suggests that vast areas of the crofting common grazings are seen as areas of “wild land” in SNH’s eyes. In fact most of these “wild” areas mapped are found within the Crofting Counties. The reason for wanting to call this land “wild” is unclear and disturbing.

These days crofters view with great suspicion anything emanating from SNH, however innocent it may seem at first glance. This is especially true for something that could be used in future to impose a further layer of designation and restriction to land use.

When SNH say “evidence of past and contemporary uses of these areas is relatively light” alarm bells ring. The bulk of this land is not "wildness", whatever that may be. Very little is as God laid it down, and these areas have been managed and sustained by generations of crofters and their families over centuries, often creating land of High Nature Value because of the human activity.

Article by SCF

20 November 2013

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