I read with interest the highly emotive article by Richard Baynes regarding the feral goats which RSPB plans to cull on their Inversnaid reserve ("Backlash over plans to shoot goats of Inversnaid", The Herald, May 6).
I have been witnessing the destruction of the native woodlands in the Trossachs over the past few years and it is obvious the feral goats are no longer in balance with the environment.
You only have to walk north from Inversnaid on the West Highland Way to see the damage they are doing and I wonder how many of the goat supporters have looked beyond the animals to the state of the vegetation on which they depend.
The goats are eating all accessible shoots on the trees, stripping bark, even on conifers, allowing no tree regeneration and slowly creating a barren landscape in which only the most unpalatable rank plant species can survive.
As well as several family groups at Inversnaid there are other known large groups near Kinlochard, at the east end of Loch Katrine and around Aberfoyle (evidence from collected local sightings).
At present we have at least 12 goats near Milton, Aberfoyle, which are seen on a virtually a daily basis causing havoc not only to local gardens but also to the oakwood of Cuilvona which is in terminal decline.
These local oakwoods are part of the history of the area and something I feel we should be trying to conserve as they are as much part of our heritage as the goats.
Unless some control of the herbivores including the goats is undertaken, we will be handing on a destroyed landscape to the next generation, not only losing the broadleaved woodland, but all the associated biodiversity which goes with these woods.
Oaks provide suitable growing conditions for up to 65 mosses and 300 lichens. More fungi are associated with oak than any other native tree and oaks also support the widest variety of insect and other invertebrate life.
I sincerely hope the RSPB has the courage of its convictions to proceed with the managed cull and bring the goat population back to a sustainable level, allowing a new generation of native woodland to start appearing.
You will notice I have said bring back to a sustainable level, not eradicate. The other alternative is to introduce a few wolves.
Jane Jones,
Cuilvona Cottage,
Aberfoyle.
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