World’s deadliest windfarm? Help save our seabirds from Bewick Bank - RSPB

The go-ahead for Bewick Bank is a death knell for thousands of seabirds. With many already in crisis, it must be stopped.

In July, the Scottish Government granted consent for Berwick Bank offshore windfarm, despite warnings from RSPB Scotland and many others of the catastrophic impact on seabirds.

This decision risks disaster for many species, including Red-listed Gannets, Kittiwakes and Puffins. That’s why, RSPB Scotland, alongside the National Trust for Scotland, the Marine Conservation Society, the Scottish Seabird Centre and the Scottish Wildlife Trust, have written to Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney to stop Berwick Bank and save seabird species from national extinction.

Devasting impact

Bewick Bank will be built off Scotland's east coast, close to vital seabird feeding grounds and globally important sites including Bass Rock – home to one of the world’s largest colonies of Gannets. The windfarm will be huge, including more than 300 turbines, covering an area four times the size of Edinburgh.

The predicted impact of Bewick Bank is bleak, with forecasts showing that it will kill tens of thousands of seabirds in its lifetime. The Scottish Government’s own assessment shows Berwick Bank is predicted to kill 2,808 Guillemots, 814 Kittiwakes, 260 Gannets, 154 Razorbills, and 65 Puffins in the first year alone.

Seabirds in crisis

The go-ahead for Bewick Bank is on top of a seabird crisis. A total of 70% of seabird species are already in decline in Scotland and 62% across the wider UK. Unsustainable fishing, avian flu and climate change are just some of the multiple threats facing seabirds, and that are driving numbers down.