Wanted alive: Scotland’s wildlife. Reward: £276 million

Monday, 21 June 2010 15:34

A report published by the Scottish Government has highlighted the crucial role in Scotland's rural economy played by wildlife tourism.

The report entitled 'The Economic Impact of Wildlife Tourism in Scotland' states that 1.12 million trips are made each year to Scotland, or within Scotland, for the primary purpose of viewing wildlife - amounting to a total spend of £276 million on these trips.

The net economic impact of wildlife tourism on Scotland's economy is £65 million and the equivalent of 2,760 full time jobs are created by the industry.

Advocates for Animals’ Policy Director, Libby Anderson said:

"These figures confirm our view that Scotland’s beautiful wild animals have an economic value as well as a moral value, and we must ensure that we safeguard their welfare. It is often said that the shooting industry is important to Scotland’s economy but now we have proof that trips to see live animals in their natural environment bring in more income than sport shooting.”