Donald Trump's Aberdeenshire golf course dunes lose special environment status

The sand dunes at US President Donald Trump's Aberdeenshire golf resort in Scotland have lost their special status of an environmentally protected area as they no longer include the features for which they were designated in the first place. NatureScot, the country's primary environmental body, said that the special status of the sand dunes has been revoked as they no longer have enough features to be designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). 

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"There is now no longer a reason to protect the dunes at Menie as they do not include enough of the special, natural features for which they were designated. Trump International Golf Links Scotland has undertaken to deliver nature conservation management on the golf course and we value the work they have done to protect the remaining rare habitats and the rare plants on their site however they no longer have sufficient scientific interest to merit special protection," Eileen Stuart, NatureScot’s Interim Director of Nature and Climate Change said in a statement. 

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This comes after the construction of a golf course at the site, which the Trump International officials have said did not harm the protected plants and habitats. According to The Guardian, the resort carried out substantial work for the conservation of the protected site, which the officials of Trump Hotels say far exceeds the standards of any other protected site in the country. Officials claim that Trump Hotels have spent millions of pounds in the conservation process, adding that their good work was also recognised by NatureScot.

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Denotification 'no surprise'

The denotification of the site doesn't come as a surprise as talks between landowners and NatureScot had been going on since 2016. The decision comes after NatureScot set up a formal 3 month stakeholder consultation period from June 2019 for stakeholders, who have been regularly advised of the process and given further opportunities to present their case before the statutory deadline of 18th December 2020, the environmental body said. 

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(Image Credit: AP)