TV NATURALIST Chris Packham has warned that tourism to Scotland will suffer if greater action is not taken to tackle wildlife crime.

The campaigner described Scotland as “the jewel in the UK’s crown” when it comes to its wildlife.

But he said there was greater awareness of incidents of wildlife crime due to social media, and predicted many bird and other animal lovers would react by staying away. Packham, who was in Scotland throughout the weekend as part of his nature “bioblitz” campaign, said: “Scotland is the jewel in the UK’s crown, and I’m saying this as someone from England. We have a few good things down there but do we have pine martens, wildcats or golden eagles? I could go on and on – Scotland is a Mecca when it comes to wildlife.

“In the golden eagle you’ve got an icon that is every schoolchild’s favourite bird. When I was a kid I fantasised about seeing a golden eagle and begged my parents for years to take me to Scotland.

“But it’s not just about the eagles, it’s about a sweep of wildlife in Scotland that is incredibly valuable to it ecologically and economically and people are beginning to understand that. Anything that damages the reputation of its care is disastrous for Scotland.”

Packham’s bioblitz campaign sees him visit 50 wildlife sites in 10 days, building snapshots of how nature is faring and speaking with conservationists “at a grassroots level”. He said some statistics would suggest Scotland’s flora and fauna are in a “parlous state”, with many species in critical and catastrophic decline. But he said he is optimistic for a brighter future.

And he praised Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham for her efforts to fight wildlife crime, which threatens populations of some protected species.

He said: “I read about all the declines but I don’t see it as an entirely pessimistic situation – I am optimistic.

“We have got so many of the solutions but we’re not implementing them broadly and quickly enough, that’s the problem.

“At this point in time I am very pleased Scotland is in a very strong position and it comes down to Roseanna Cunningham, who is obviously a very well informed woman who is intent on making some very positive progress in environmental care in Scotland.”