FRESH concerns have been raised about the future of the wallabies who live on an island in Loch Lomond after plans for a major new development were unveiled.
There are just seven of the animals left on Inchconnachan island, according to heat mapping, and campaigners have launched a petition to save them from any potential cull.
Plans were unveiled last month on behalf of the island's new owners, broadcaster Kirsty Young and her husband Nick Jones, to restore the island's habitat and reverse environmental decline - and make it a "world class visitor experience".
The couple bought the island after it was listed for sale in 2020 with an asking price of more than £500,000.
The wallabies were introduced to the island in the 1950s by Fiona, Countess of Arran, a member of the Colquhoun family who formerly owned the island, and who still own much of the land around Luss and the west shore of Loch Lomond to this day.
But campaigners raised fears about the future of the wallabies after documents submitted to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority suggested they were seen as "an invasive species".
A national paper cited a source close to the new owners as stating: "The new owners are committed to the future restoration and improvement of the native woodland and overall island habitat, and have no plans to eradicate the wallabies, which is stated in the planning application documentation.”
The Advertiser approached Sunax Ltd, the business listed in the planning application papers as the contact point for Ms Young and Mr Jones, but there was no reply.
Campaigner Craig Morrison, who launched the petition, said he welcomed their statement, but doubted the reassurances.
He said he has followed events on the island for about a decade, with "many culls taking place over this time taking the wallaby population from around 60 individuals".
He told the Advertiser: "I have visited the island myself and can describe my experience seeing these wonderful marsupials as magical and unique.
"The plans for 'eradication' of wallabies are clearly laid out in the Island Management Plan submitted as part of the planning process by the new owners."
READ MORE: New owners unveil plans for "world class visitor experience" on Inchconnachan
So far more than 1,700 people have signed the petition to "save the wallabies of Loch Lomond".
NatureScot, formerly Scottish Natural Heritage, told the Advertiser that thermal imaging of Inchconnachan, carried out last April, had detected seven wallabies on the island.
A spokeswoman said: "Wallabies are a non-native, invasive species and can cause serious impacts to the flora of Inchconnachan, including young trees.
"In the longer term, the specially-designated woodland habitat would fail to regenerate, as happens with high deer numbers, too. In the past, wallabies have been controlled here.
"Control of other non-native and invasive species, which cause serious impacts on our own nature in Scotland, range from mink control in seabird colonies to rhododendron control in our west coast Scottish rainforest.
"NatureScot advises and supports land owners and managers to keep designated sites in good condition, with work ranging from controlling invasive species, to managing coastal erosion on sand dunes and reducing deer browsing in woodlands."
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