Introduction
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation, which concerns the future management of one of the greatest mountain ranges in the British Isles. We wish to be kept informed of this issue and look forward to continued dialogue with SNH.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is the representative body for hillwalkers, climbers and off-piste skiers and receive core grant funding from sportscotland in recognition of this status. We are a membership organisation with about 1,800 individual members plus 130 affiliated clubs that contain approximately 7,000 members. Our Committee structure is entirely voluntary and appointments are the result of a democratic process. The professional staff complement is made up of 3.5 posts at our Perth office.

Recreational Access Concerns
We are pleased that the Skye Cuillin supports an eagle population that is worthy of consideration for the SPA designation. The unique landscape of the Cuillin, and the range of mountaineering challenges that it provides, are complemented by the fact that the mountains are home to spectacular wild life, most significantly golden eagles. These aspects of the natural heritage contribute to the recreational experience of the area, and most mountaineers would wish to see the landscape and wildlife properly protected.

We believe that the healthy status of the golden eagle population in a mountain range that is so popular with mountaineers is strong evidence that the presence of people is compatible with the breeding success of these birds. Indeed, mountaineers and eagles have co-existed in the Skye Cuillin for many years, so we are firmly of the belief that recreational access should be regarded as a positive aspect of the conservation of these birds, in that mountaineers do not appear to harm the eagle population, but experiencing the presence of eagles does lead people to respect them and to wish to see them properly protected. We are therefore concerned that the additional designation might, at some point in the future, be used to argue for access restrictions.

It is quite possible that the eagle population could suffer because of some other factor, such as loss of food source or illegal persecution. Given such a scenario, we would not be surprised to hear some people making the case that mountaineers were responsible for the decline in numbers and that access should be restricted. The MCofS would vigorously challenge any such suggestions, however, we would hope that the SPA designation would not provide the means for introducing any form of compulsory access restriction, and indeed, we would not support the designation if it did.

Conservation Benefits
In recognising that other factors, like those mentioned above, could affect the eagle population, we wonder what benefit the SPA designation would have in resolving those types of problem. For example, if a reduction in the amount of carrion led to a fall in eagle numbers, would the SPA designation enable SNH to carry out practical work to reverse the problem, and crucially, in a way that the lack of the SPA would not have allowed? In other words, is the SPA a designation that can make a practical difference on the ground? We hope that it would be, and will support it if it is capable of making a real difference, but we feel that this process of going through the practical benefits needs to be considered, and then communicated in order to justify the new designation.

The MCofS has been concerned at different times about the planning proposals that have threatened to disrupt the quiet enjoyment of recreation in the Cuillin, and possibly damage the nature conservation interest of the area. The proposal for helicopter tourist flights over the Cuillin, that was successfully fought off in 1997, was a prime example of a venture that would have detracted from the mountaineering experience, and quite likely had a negative impact on the golden eagle population. This case led directly to the inclusion of paragraph 16 in NPPG14, which now gives areas like the Cuillin more protection from such inappropriate plans for development. We believe that any new designation in this area, be it SPA, National Park or whatever, should provide increased protection to the mountain range from the threats posed by the construction of new buildings in the surrounding glens and the associated disturbance to the mountain area by ventures such as regular helicopter flights.

Another significant threat to the area in recent years has come from proposals to build a visitor centre at the end of Glen Brittle. Our Council objected to these plans, and we would support any form of increased protection that would empower planners in refusing any future planning applications.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the MCofS is unable to fully support the SPA designation for the Cuillin at this moment in time. We would wish to have greater reassurances that recreational access will not be restricted as a result of this designation, and we also wish to know how effective the designation will be at offering extra practical protection to this unique mountain range. If these concerns can be answered to our satisfaction, then we would be happy to support this designation.

19 July 2002

MCofS Consultation Responses