A leading Devon environmentalist has said the loss of the North Devon Biosphere status would be a "massive blow" for the tourism sector.
Steve Crowther, who chairs environmental group Devon CPRE, reacted to comments from UNESCO that said if plans for what would be the UK's largest data centre are built in the North Devon Biosphere, that would have to be factored into any decision to allow the area to maintain its classification.
"The news that North Devon could lose its UNESCO Biosphere designation if the data centre plan goes ahead confirms our worst fears about this misguided proposal," Mr Crowther said.
"The loss of the Biosphere would be a massive blow to our tourism industry, on top of the looming physical presence of one of the world's three largest data centres and Europe's largest battery assembly on our cherished rural landscape."
The North Devon Biosphere is one of just seven in the UK, and such areas are considered by UNESCO to be "at the forefront of the UK's work to mitigate the effects of climate change, limit biodiversity loss and promote sustainable ways of living".
UNESCO said earlier this month that a development of the scale being mooted by Xlinks, in the Transition Zone set aside for sustainable activity, is "the kind of change that the UK MAB National Committee, UNESCO's national counterpart, would factor into its ongoing reporting".
"While UNESCO won't be submitting a formal comment on this proposal, the question of whether a data centre's compatibility with the site's sustainable-development mandate is one that will feed directly into how North Devon's continued designation is assessed," it added.
The spokesperson added that Biosphere reserves such as North Devon undergo a periodic review every 10 years against the 'Man and Biosphere' programme's internationally-agreed criteria.
While UNESCO said it does not rule on planning applications, and that the Biosphere designation did not carry the legal power to approve or block a development, this "does not mean UNESCO has no stake in it".
"Biosphere Reserve status isn't a one-off badge," the spokesperson added.
"Sites are expected to keep demonstrating, in practice, that they deliver on the conservation, sustainable-development and support functions the designation is built on."
Mr Crowther said that statement showed that approving the data centre would be "an act of enormous self-harm if it were allowed by the local authority, or worse still, imposed on us by central government".
"People from all over the country, who recognise and value the unique qualities of the Devon countryside, are signing our Register of Objectors on our website to try and ensure that this never comes to fruition," he added.
Proposals first emerged about an 850-acre AI data campus, together with associated battery storage, on farmland between Great Torrington, Huntshaw and Weare Giffard in June.
A spokesperson for Xlinks said the project team was working on the design for the campus which was "still at a relatively early stage".
"It will be shared with residents and councils as soon as possible. We will also take into account feedback we receive as part of an extensive consultation before submitting planning applications.
"The plans referred to by Devon CPRE and the Devon Data Centre and BESS Action Group are out of date. They were preliminary site layouts intended to help explain the proposals at an earlier stage in the process. Therefore they will not form part of Xlinks' planning applications for the Devon Data Campus."
They added that the proposals represented "a major investment in the regional economy and will create between 650 and 1,200 high quality, permanent jobs, as well as allowing the South West to benefit from the expansion of AI."
Xlinks said it would only build on a third of the 850 acres with much of the remaining space open to the public and used for measures to support nature and wildlife by creating habitats, improving biodiversity by "at least 10 per cent".
Devon Tourism Faces Massive Blow Over UNESCO Status Threat