NatureScot's decision to prohibit the annual guga hunt, where islanders collect gannet chicks on the Hebridean island of Sula Sgeir, has been criticised as a step in the wrong direction for the relationship with the natural world.
Sjúrður Hammer, a seabird biologist, stated that the ban on the community on Lewis collecting gannets runs counter to the spirit of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. This accord affirms that indigenous and local communities have an essential role as stewards of their environments.
Hammer, who is also a Faroe Islander, acknowledged that he does not dispute the population modelling behind NatureScot's decision. However, he questioned whether the local community had been sufficiently and fairly heard, and if the decision aligns with the spirit of the Kunming-Montreal accord.
He described the guga hunt as a regulated, small-scale practice rooted in local ecological knowledge. Ending it risks alienating communities that global biodiversity policy aims to empower.