It is of no news that the British Isles contain some of the globes most important coastal nesting and breeding sites for birds, harbouring over 600 species of bird through-out the year. Some of the more important species such as puffins, awks, razorbills, terns, kittiwakes, chough, etc... are all at risk ,should the British Government continue with proposed drilling sites offshore near important nesting and breeding locations for these species.
The RSPB has been upfront in saying there has got to be something done to prevent this from happening. With the current proposals and exploration licenses there is strong potential for full scale drilling and excavation of oil and gas, literally just a few miles from these internationally protected bird sites. The potential for oil leaks, as well as the disruption of air traffic and under water piping and construction could devastate colonies for ever, and after recent events of the Aberdeenshire coast, with a slick of over 200 tonnes of oil, it is obvious that however careful and secure a company performs their drilling and transportation of the resources, there is ALWAYS a risk of a leak.
"We've seen off the coast of Aberdeenshire that no matter how carefully drilling is done there is always the risk of an oil spill. This process will result in exploration licences, allowing companies to go out looking for oil and gas. If they are successful, that is highly likely to lead to full-scale drilling and exploitation. In this latest case, the spill happened far away from any vulnerable wildlife colonies - but just imagine if that oil was washing ashore at a globally important puffin colony. These risks are real, and are clearly untenable."
-Stuart Housden, director RSPB Scotland
Please support the RSPB and help their plight for the native breeding birds of Britain.
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