The decision to veto plans for a massive wind farm on the Isle of Lewis is the best news conservationists, and the island’s residents and visitors, have had for some time. It should scupper for good any thought of destroying this invaluable peat moorland, so important for storing carbon which, had the development gone ahead, would have been released into the atmosphere. An unquantifiable amount of work has gone into fighting this wind farm application. The RSPB has been vociferously against the plan because of damage to the peat and because many birds could have been killed or their nesting and migration stop-over sites destroyed. The Lewis decision is a welcome sign that politicians are recognising the profound importance of peat and its wildlife. Peat hosts a plethora of rare and unusual plants and insects, thriving on this unique, boggy environment. Its bogginess means few humans venture far into it and in turn, that birds like golden eagles, merlin, red and black-throated divers, dunlin and golden plover are largely safe from disturbance. It is a haven, a still wild place of which there are few left in the UK. Peat extraction for gardening and horticulture has taken a huge toll on lowland peatlands although not the blanket bogs of Lewis. The RSPB urges all gardeners to buy peat-free composts and we helped set up an industry-led scheme to speed up the replacement of peat in gardening and horticulture.
The RSPB also wants commercial peat extraction halted on two Cumbrian bogs – Bolton Fell Moss and Solway Moss. The UK government has been advised by its own wildlife watchdog, Natural England, that both these sites should be restored to benefit wildlife. The Scottish Government yesterday recognised the value of wildlife and the strength of laws protecting it but also the importance of keeping our peat. Scotland’s leaders have shown that keeping our peat is not such a difficult thing to do.
Click here for a full report on the Lewis decision