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RSPB thinking big and going wild at Morecambe Bay09/09/2010 10:27:06Creating a new wildlife tourism destination September 2010: The RSPB has unveiled plans for a large-scale conservation project called Morecambe Bay Futurescapes, which it hopes will benefit the environment, wildlife and the local economy in south Cumbria and north Lancashire.
Officially being launched at the beginning of the month at RSPB Leighton Moss nature reserve in Silverdale, the project aims to restore and create a network of wildlife-rich wetland habitats extending onto the coastal plain that surrounds Morecambe Bay and along the adjacent river valleys of the Duddon, Leven, Kent, Keer, Lune and Wyre. A home for bitterns, osprey and water voles The conservation organisation hopes to create the wetland network by asking farmers and other landowners to manage wetland habitats within their farm business, through the use of farmland conservation grants. By creating space for nature with-in a farmed environment, it is hoped that the Morecambe Bay area will become recognised as one of the best places to experience wildlife in the country. In turn, local businesses such as accommodation providers, shops and cafes will flourish through a rise in eco-tourism. Engaging farmers and local businesses Lucy Barron, manager of Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) said: ‘This is an exciting opportunity to further improve the wildlife and increase nature tourism in this area. I look forward to working with the partnership to make this vision into reality.'
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Lucy - there are already areas that have had grazing withdrawn for over 70 years and which stupidly are having cattle stuck back on them - by Wildlife Trusts and RSPB. There are also areas where Natural England have withdrawn grazing for many decades on publicly owned land and which faces the threat of being trashed by grazing because the crappy system of nature conservation we have regards them as not being in favourable condition. Your argument about species loss is nonsense - we don't create species, we just redistribute them when we interfere in nature. You also use the nonsense of population density when 90% of the population live in 10% of our land area. We own 4% of our land through the Forestry Commission, the National Wilderness Preservation System in America covers only 2%. All you can do is find excuses for why you want to hold back wild nature in Britain. have some aspiration for wild nature instead always seeking to dominate it.
Posted by: Mark Fisher | 10 Sep 2010 23:51:48
I understand what you're saying, and i look at the work of environmental land organisations in (for example) the netherlands and i aspire to be like that one day. I have little hope of moving forward in that way, because i have so little faith in the government and councils, but what i am slightly confused about is your attitude to RSPB/WT's.
I work for one of the above and as someone who works on projects like this and small reserve management, I can assure it isn't so simple...I would love to say that we could just get loads of land and watch what happens, but the resources aren't there, the support isn't there. It's hard enough to get people to pay attention to the reserves we already have.
I agree, we should be aspiring to more, and i get really angry when i hear our executives talking in certain ways about dealing with the future and the government. But you have to remember that so many of the great habitats we have now were created through change - through farming, through felling. And to truly, *truly* re-wild britain, we would be looking at at least 50 years of non-intervention, with the possibility of losing so many great species in this intervening period.
Plus, what are you going to say to the farmers whose land you want? It's hard enough to make a living as a farmer as it is and i have had to deal with their disregard and slight contempt in my job and yes, there are often better things they could be doing to help to manage their land and to re-wild it, but logistically and financially, it's going to be a struggle, don't you think?
It would be amazing, if we could do it, but i'm afraid that we may already be so over populated and so obsessed with development that we can't claim anything back. The americans have an immense amount of land that is, as you say, unclaimed and is free, if you like...but we don't have that, unfortunately. I think for now, yes, this kind of living landscape/futurescape is the best we can do, in the hope that one day we can have the large scale national parks that you're referring to.
Posted by: Lucy Ryan | 10 Sep 2010 15:54:29
So that's going to be as good as it gets in the UK? We are only to be able to experience wild nature within a farmed environment? And that is going to be the high point of our "eco-tourism"?
No wonder we are the stinker of Europe. Every other country (bar one) in Europe has national parks where wildlife can be seen in non-farmed landscapes. So thank you RSPB, Wildlife Trusts etc. for keeping us firmly in the backwater of European nature.
www.self-willed-land.org.uk
Posted by: Mark Fisher | 10 Sep 2010 12:29:58