Countryman Diary - November 2010
I’m all for making better use of public transport, and many of us living in the countryside get frustrated when the lack of proper services prevents us from joining in any green revolution.
However, I am not in favour of churning up thousands of acres of countryside, destroying vital wildlife habitat and ruining long-cherished landscape just for the sake of knocking a few minutes off a journey.
And at a time when everyone is feeling the effects of drastic cuts, I cannot see the validity in pushing billions of pounds into developing London’s commuter belt even further north through the proposed high-speed rail link.
The Victorians hacked through the countryside to create a web of rail links, much of which twentieth-century politicians then dismantled as fuel-guzzling cars and monster trucks took over. This move wasn’t particularly progressive, given what we know today about green issues.
Now we’re being told that we need to travel at 250mph (400kph) in and out of London by a railway that’s going to cost us unimaginable billions to construct and maintain.
At last month’s Conservative Conference, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed backing for branch lines off this huge scar, from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds – two other places which already have 125mph links to the capital.
Ironically the same people are also pushing the Big Society idea in which ‘the people’ would decide on matters which affect them locally … apart from, it seems, in this case.
Of course we need to improve our rail service but there are other options to consider which would be of greater benefit to more of us, such as upgrading existing lines, bypassing bottlenecks, paying more attention to rural links, and improving and increasing stock and staff.
As a rural-based northerner I’m more than happy to escape from London at high speed, but the current speed of 125mph is fast enough for me, thanks — at least I can admire what remains of our countryside at that pace.
Commas thriving in Scotland
There is good news regarding the comma butterfly, which went extinct in Scotland in the 1870s. Now it is reported to be spreading quickly through the southern half of the country, probably due to climate change. If the current rate of spread continues it should arrive in Inverness by 2017, says Butterfly Conservation Scotland.
It is moving north at between seven and half and nine miles (12-15 km) a year, and in the last ten years has successfully colonised the Borders, all of the Lothians, Fife and the southern parts of Tayside, with recent sightings reported from Dundee and Pitlochry.
Ragged wing edges distinguish this pretty orange and brown butterfly, and make it unmistakeable. This, together with the distinctive white comma-shaped marking on the undersides, means it is an easy butterfly for the public to record.
The butterfly can be seen in gardens and woodlands from May through to September, as it has two generations a year. Commas pass the winter as hibernating adult butterflies, and it was feared that last year’s exceptionally cold winter might have reduced comma numbers, but recent sightings have shown that it is well established and thriving.
Making space for Nature
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has criticised some of the recommendations of the newly published Making Space for Nature report, saying that the contribution made by landowners needs more recognition.
The CLA agreed with the report that more must be done to protect wildlife but said the role of farmers and land managers has been down-played. CLA President William Worsley says:
“The report needs to recognise that it is only farmers and land managers who can create and protect the sort of environment we all want to see in the countryside. They are the ones who can effectively manage the hay meadows, ponds and hedgerows on which wildlife depends.
“Many of the recommendations in the report will penalise those who already manage their land sensitively for wildlife, for example, by unreasonably increasing planning restrictions on land that could be ‘potentially’ important for wildlife in the future.
“Wildlife management has an economic cost, and if rural businesses are prevented from evolving to meet the changing demands of the marketplace, the delivery of wildlife management will ultimately decline.”
Mr Worsley adds: “I am, however, pleased that the report endorses the need for retaining government environmental grants, as they have demonstrated that landowners can achieve good results when provided with the right encouragement.
“Massive cuts to public spending means it is essential for the Government to ensure that farmers and land managers are on board.
“This is the ‘Big Society’ vision in action. Without them, England’s wildlife network will not be strengthened because nobody will be able to look after it or afford to pay for it.”
From my blog...
The RSPB have just released their Birdcrime report for last year and it shows that 2009 was the second worst for crimes against birds in twenty years of compiling the figures.
There were 384 reported persecution incidents against birds of prey. The report recommends eleven courses of action to the government — but I imagine that anything needing extended funding might well be overlooked at present.
The main area of conflict concerns land managed for the shooting of game birds, with the golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, hen harrier, goshawk, peregrine and red kite suffering most.
The RSPB is concerned that the shooting industry appears unable to self-police, so the society believes new legislation is required to make the managers and employers of those committing these crimes legally accountable. The society suggests that options such as vicarious liability —that holds these people accountable for crimes committed by their staff — and removing the shooting rights for individuals and errant estates need to be considered. These measures, says the RSPB, would provide a significant deterrent without imposing a burden on legitimate shooting interests.
There will always be conflict where mankind tries to control Nature and this particular war over who gets to eat the prey will continue until we finally realise we have to share the world with many other species.
To read more of my blog posts, click here.
Keep out — lions
Last Sunday I bumped into a neighbour with his little boy, Sam.
“How was Sunday school this morning?” I asked Sam.
“Not very well,” replied Sam, suddenly looking very serious. “You see, Daniel’s in the lion’s den again.”
Competition Winners
Here are the winners of last months Crossword competition.
Mrs J Randall, Chesham, Bucks; Mrs J W Turner, Glastonbury;
Mrs E Dale, Market Harborough.
Thank you to all those who entered.
Paul Jackson
Editor
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