Plantlife Objection

Plantlife is a global charity working to enhance, protect, restore and celebrate the wild plants and fungi that are essential to all life on Earth.  We own nature reserves across the UK, carrying out conservation work, research and gathering data to inform government policy.

We object to this application due to the negative impact it would have on the Ancient Woodland along the shores of Loch Ness. We agree with The Woodland Trust’s objections outlined in its submissions.

We are surprised that there is no survey as part of the application from a lichenologist, given lichens’ likely presence in this old-growth woodland and expect that this be requested of the applicant. From observations in similar woods locally, endangered and vulnerable lichens are present.  

Given the existence of Vulnerable and Near Threatened species (the new GB Red List), notably salix myrsinites, helianthemum nummalarium and silene acaulis, we are concerned about the consequences of the development on these and other species.