Threatened species in Highlands – including snakes, birds and squirrels – get councillors as their champions
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A GROUP of Highland councillors have signed up to champion a range of threatened species across the region.
Twenty councillors will be asked to vow to promote their chosen species – from red squirrels to wild Atlantic salmon – and develop links with the relevant bodies involved at a meeting tomorrow.
Councillors will confirm the champions of a total of 22 species, while 61 other species are without a champion so far.
Council leader Margaret Davidson is set to champion golden eagles, while deputy leader Alasdair Christie has chosen adders and convener Bill Lobban has put his name down for mountain hares and pine hoverflies.
Former Inverness provost Alex Graham has gone for red squirrels while other species set to be championed include black grouse, bottlenosed dolphins, red kites, capercaillies, wildcats and minke whales.
Andrew Puls, the council’s acting environment manager, said: “The species champion initiative seeks to create a strong connection between a member and one or more of our most threatened species.
“The member will become an advocate for their chosen species and champion its cause when opportunities arise.
“The species champions initiative, which lost traction following the loss of the council’s biodiversity officers through voluntary severance, was relaunched at the request of members. In light of the climate change and ecological emergency declared by the council, the relaunch is very timely.
“All members already signed up to a species will be provided with the contact details of the primary organisations that work for that species. It will then be for members to cultivate the relationship with the species representative.”
He will present a list of species that councillors have not yet shown a similar level of interest in at tomorrow’s meeting. These include several birds, bees, amphibians, plants, butterflies and insects.
