RSPB says tourist tax could help rare birds post-Brexit

by Tom Peterkin

December 28, 2018, 6:03 am

A wildlife chartiy has suggested the introduction of a tourist tax would help make up for the loss of EU funding used to conserve Hebridean seabirds and other rare animals.

RSPB Scotland has identified loss of EU cash as a “key concern” after Brexit at a time when resources for conservation in Scotland are “inadequate”.

And in a document submitted to Holyrood, the charity suggests a tourist tax could help make up the shortfall.

The organisation is particularly concerned about losing out on the EU’s Life programme, which has has pumped £25million into environmental projects in Scotland, including many in the north and north-east.

Since the Life Nature fund’s inception, Scotland has received 21% of the UK total available cash, which has been used for more than 25 projects.

These have worked to protect Atlantic salmon, the freshwater pearl mussel, the corncrake, the Flow Country peatlands, Caledonian pinewoods, upland invertebrates, the red squirrel, machair grasslands, seabirds on

Canna and the Shiants, the Celtic rainforest, the harbour porpoise and the hen harrier.

Continued