Dr James Fenton worked for NatureScot. BY JACKIE MACKENZIE Stunning Scottish landscapes, including in Wester Ross and Assynt, could be lost because of insufficient oversight, according to a leading ecologist. While employed at NatureScot, Dr James Fenton helped identify the special qualities of National Scenic Areas which have been recognised by Scottish government as among the nation’s finest landscapes. But Dr Fenton now feels those special qualities are being side-stepped in a “war of attrition” which is seeing these signature landscapes – and key elements of Scotland’s culture and history –eroded or lost entirely. He fears the worldwide appeal of our cherished open landscapes is set to decline, with an increasing number of large-scale woodland developments being approved without sufficient scrutiny. While proposals for upland infrastructure projects such as wind farms are not supported in NSAs, large scale afforestation schemes fall outside of planning rules. Instead of being assessed by...