The Scottish Wildlife Trust has joined leading conservation charities in calling on a developer to withdraw plans for a golf course at Coul Links in East Sutherland, an unspoiled coastal site that is rich in wildlife.

The Trust expressed serious concerns about the proposal last week. It has now been joined by RSPB Scotland, BugLife and Plantlife Scotland to campaign against the proposal. The four organisations are aghast at a proposal which would destroy one of Scotland’s last remaining undeveloped coastal dune habitats.

The partnership is highlighting its importance for wildlife and the fragility of its habitats, particularly its network of sand dunes and the sheltered areas between them that provide a home for a host of rare wildlife. The partnership has written to the developers urging them to think again.

Jonathan Hughes, Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and a former resident of the area, said, “I lived at Coul Farm Cottage and the nearby village of Embo for four years in the 1990s and know Coul Links intimately.

“It’s difficult to explain to those that haven't visited the links what an exceptional stretch of unspoiled coastline this is. I’ve personally recorded Scottish wildcat, breeding little terns and rare plants such as coralroot orchid on the site. It would be a tragedy if the area was developed.”

Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland said, “A large part of the proposed golf course is within the Loch Fleet Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet Special Protection Area. The site is noted for important protected birds including terns, geese and waders. It fully deserves its protected status and I am very surprised that it should be under this kind of threat.”

Craig Macadam, Director of Buglife Scotland, said that surveys of Coul Links had revealed populations of some very rare invertebrates. “The presence of these nationally scarce insects shows what a special place Coul is. A good example is the Fonseca seed-fly.

“It is a very modest little creature but is found practically nowhere else in the British Isles. Only special places provide a home for such scarce species. We have a duty to protect Coul Links and all its creatures, both great and small.”

Deborah Long, Director of Plantlife Scotland highlighted the botanical interest of the site. “Coul Links is a remarkable place for plants. One of the reasons for this is that the Links form a complete and undisturbed system of habitats running from the foredune to the slacks.

“Each habitat possesses its own specialised plant and insect communities. It is unusual to find such features surviving on the coast because the pressure for development over the years has caused massive losses. It would be a tragedy if, in 2016, we were to allow one of the few remaining sites of this type to be lost.”

Read more about the Trust's concerns about the proposed golf course