Letter: Saving species

The new CABI report on the economic costs of non-native invasive species indicates a liability of more than £250 million to the Scottish economy, so environment minister Roseanna Cunningham is correct to point out the serious nature of the threat (your report, 15 December).

Yet, the minister does not seem to see the irony, incongruity and indeed perhaps even the hypocrisy latent in her comments. This is a minister who openly backs the snaring of native species to help preserve non-native pheasants and partridges for landed, shooting interests.

She has refused to support conservation measures to protect the rare native Arctic char of Loch Earn from the officially introduced non-native vendace and supports millions of pounds of taxpayers' money going to support a state and private forestry industry which, even in our national parks is mainly based on exotic invasive species.

Ministers living in glass Holyroods should not throw exotic stones.

Ron Greer

Blair Atholl

Perthshire