Special Area of Conservation- SAC

Worth a read.

https://secure.gov.wales/consultations/forms/proposed-new-management-measures-for-the-scallop-fishery-in-cardigan-bay-questions/?lang=en

I've just sent my comments on this consultation document.  SWT is justly proud of its activities to publicise and protect the wildlife in the seas around our coast . I am amazed the Welsh Government seems to be only interested in the destruction of wildlife in its own "Special Areas of Conservation".


You can see George Monbiot's thoughts on the subject here:

http://www.monbiot.com


Here is a brief extract!

"Whatever the reason may be, the government is doing all it can to ensure that these “strictly protected areas” remain worthless paper parks, no more than lines on the map, that offer no protection to the wildlife they are meant to support.

It’s not just scallop dredging that is inherently incompatible with the protection of the life of the sea. It is trawling of all kinds. A special area of conservation should be just that: a place in which wildlife is allowed to proliferate, rather than being smashed and dragged and sieved to destruction.

So please respond to the consultation the Welsh government has launched. It takes only a couple of minutes. And where it asks for extra comments, you might recommend that there should be no scallop dredging at all in protected areas and that other destructive fishing techniques (those involving towed gear in other words) should also be excluded from the SACs.

This is your chance to intervene against the blatant and pointless destruction of what is supposed to be a strict conservation zone. If the response is big enough, the Welsh government will have to back down. If we can’t protect our own threatened megafauna, how can we expect any other nations to do so?"

Our friendly wildlife group has two important events lined up for July and August.

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 Thursday July 7th at 7.30 pm in the United Reformed Church in Somerton.

Wildlife on the Shores of Somerset ( yes we do have an extensive coastline!)

 An illustrated talk by Nigel Phillips.  

By way of introduction Nigel has written a book on the subject.  This is a stunning book which describes the huge diversity of landscapes and wildlife found along this wonderful coast. It is packed with photographs of coastal habitats and the wildlife that can be found. It has maps and appendices helping to point out what might be seen, and where and when things occur. It includes lists of all the plants, seaweeds, birds, marine creatures, butterflies, grasshoppers and crickets and dragonflies you might find along the shore and on the cliffs and cliff tops.

This is a 120 - page softback flexibound book in full colour.
Move your mouse over the text "Look inside this book!" on the book image (left) to view the contents. For a more detailed look, one extract has been included here - click here to view!

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The price is £19.50 plus £3.50 post and packing (within the UK). Books can be picked up from Nether Stowey, Somerset by arrangement. Natural Time Out publications 37 Castle Street Nether Stowey, Somerset Somerset TA5 1LN.

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Saturday August 17 th at 8 pm,

 at Playses Orchard Farm , Hambridge, TA10 0AP

A Bat Walk and Talk led by the SWT Bat Group.

Somerset Bat Group was formed in 1985 to help protect bats in Somerset
We are affiliated to the Bat Conservation Trust (the national organisation for bat protection) and Somerset Wildlife Trust

Somerset has 15 of the 16 species of British Bats and we still haven’t given up on the 16th. Some species are more common than others and some are endangered. The Bat Group is actively engaged in varied activities to help preserve these fascinating creatures.

Several of our members run Bat Walks in the Summer. We give talks to local groups, install and check bat boxes and during the Winter hold workshops and courses in Bat Care, Analysing Bat Sound, and Bat Identification.

If you are interested in joining us the please contact secretary Adel Avery, 
phone 01749 840240, or send £5 subs to Adel at The Cottage, Nettlebridge, Oakhill, Bath BA3 5AA.

Article By        Louise Gray,     Environment Correspondent

( The Telegraph)

7:00AM GMT 13 Dec 2012

You can read this article by clicking on the link above.

"Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, is considering merging the work of Natural England and the Environment Agency as part of the “bonfire of the quangos”.

The Wildlife Trusts fear this will lead to a cut in staff and budgets, threatening key programmes to protect rare species.

Even more seriously, the review suggests that Natural England should “support and contribute to the Government's aims and priorities as effectively as possible".

But legal advice commissioned by the RSPB points out that this clashes with NE’s original purpose, that is "to ensure that the natural environment is conserved.”

Mike Clarke, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said the review threatened the independence of NE and therefore its ability to stand up to the Government on controversial planning decisions."

Just seen this news item. I must do some more research on it!

Recipes for Disaster. George Monbiot

Recipes for Disaster

Once again George spotlights a serious issue. This time it's the way responsible people promote the eating of fish that are on the unsustainable list. Use the link to see the article.

Incidentally a member of the audience for Question Time last night actually challenged the panel on the subject of economic growth. As she rightly said it is irresponsible to continue to talk about restoring wealth and the economy as if it can continue without limit for ever.

I've written before about the book "Only one Earth--The Care and Maintenance of a Small Planet" written in 1972 and still very few people and Governments act on its advice and warning.
George is commenting on a similar blind spot in our understanding of the reality of living on a small planet!

Marine Life in Lyme Bay.

Our next public meeting is on thursday September 20th in Somerton at 7.30 pm till about 9 .00 pm
United Reform Church Hall.

Title:

Marine Life in Lyme Bay.

Peter Glanville shares some of his images of and observations on the marine life in this area.

Tea and coffee available.

All welcome;

£2.50 contribution to cost of hire of the hall.

Reflections of a Curlew: New Relationship With Nature - The Government is g...

By visiting the  Blog shown below you can read a lot more about the Radio 4 programme and Mary Colwell's thoughts on the subject.


Reflections of a Curlew: New Relationship With Nature - The Government is g...: The Great Hall at the University of Bristol for the recording of Sustaining Life for Radio 4 Panelists J...

Natural disasters down under.

Now for something completely different. As far as I can tell this is a video from Australian TV and is a parody of the way politicians handle real environmental disaster. In any case its very funny (IMHO)

The Severn Estuary and Hinkley Point Power Station

The Severn Estuary and Hinkley Point Power Station.

Our public meeting last Thursday ,on a very cold night, was very well received by around 40 members and the presentations by Officers of the Somerset Wildlife Trust were excellent.
Lisa Schneidau talked first about the Severn Estuary  and gave a very clear account of the several options being considered by the UK Government. She explained that Somerset was working with the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts ( RSWT) as well as with other county trusts and groups such as RSPB.The Trusts position is in essence:

•  to oppose 100% the large Cardiff- Weston barrage because it would cause unacceptable damage to the Estuary, and it should be dropped from the list of options.
• The several alternative schemes should be  given more support for development work.
• All development work should be carried out in a transparent manner. The EU Habitats and Birds Directive must be observed.

The national Society ( RSWT) is leading the campaign and more information is available on their web site. Click here
Both speakers were very clear in keeping to the position taken by the Trust. SWT had to be focused on the effect of the proposals on wildlife and could not,  for instance, discuss views about the nature of nuclear power, nor was it possible to simply say that no attempt to  recover energy from the tidal flows should be made.

 
Michelle Osbourne, followed by describing her work to influence  EDF in their consultation phase. This was not easy and it had proved difficult to  deal with a company who had often worked in a very different situation in France and under different planning rules. By using projections of the planned site layout she highlighted areas where allowances for wildlife could be made given a willingness to discuss and agree modifications. The enormous scale of the work proposed and its impact on an area much larger than the basic footprint for the power plant was well made. The likely effect on the estuary due to the much increased cooling water supply required by the power station was shown and described. Despite the fact that this project was being developed under the UK Government's new planning rules it is to be hoped that public opinion will continue to be important and SWT hopes to continue the debate.EDF have a web site with descriptions of the project. Click here.

For both these two projects SWT hopes that all members will give  their support in the ongoing discussions and negotiations for the future of wildlife in a large part of North Somerset.
There was a very good discussion after the talks with questions and answers form the speakers.
Without any hesitation I would recommend all Members of the Trust and anyone else concerned about wildlife in Somerset, to give their full support to Somerset Wildlife Trust where Lisa and Michelle are giving a very balanced and professional approach to these complicated challenges.

Energy recovery from the Severn Estuary, The Severn Barrage and other scheems.

Here are details of our next public meeting. The wildlife which relies on the Severn Estuary makes it a very special place. Slimbridge is part of it. Before we see it seriously damaged we should take the time and trouble to find out what is being proposed.

Thur, Feb, 11th, 2010   Time 7.30 pm till approx 9.30 pm                           

Title of Talk :  Major Energy Projects and Somerset Wildlife

Description of talk: Severn Tidal Power is just one of several major energy projects proposed for Somerset all of which will affect wildlife.

Lisa Schneidau, SWT’s Director of Conservation, will give a presentation concentrating on the potential for energy recovery from the Severn estuary. Lisa will  review the current situation regarding the effect on wildlife, the Trusts response and future plans. The proposed new power station at Hinkley Point will also be covered.  There will be a Q and A session after the interval. Your comments and questions are  welcome.

Meeting Place:  Somerton United Reform Church Hall, West Street, Somerton

Where to Park: Free car park close by.

Is Venue Suitable for Wheelchair-User/Limited Mobility: Yes but not easy.

Admission fee:     £2.50

News from the Wildlife Trust

Now for three key reports from the Wildlife Trust.
You can find more details of these items on the Trust web site or in the Trusts magazine. Web sites linked here for Somerset news,
and here for national news.


The Severn Barrage.

The Trust has expressed its concern about proposals to build a barrage across the Severn Estuary which is the subject of a report just issued. I received a copy in the post recently and it is 150 pages of detailed technical and economic considerations of whether the scheme is worth doing. They say it will generate 8.64 GW which would be 4.4% of the total UK electricity supply as it was in 2006 . Even the report says there are huge problems to be resolved before they will agree to the project so much remains to be debated. More info at: Sustainable Development Commission. Use this link.


Marine Protection.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust reported recently on its efforts to support a national campaign to persuade the Government to create Marine Environment legislation.
"The marine environment – our life support system – is on its knees, according to a new report by The Wildlife Trusts.
The report, Marine Reserves – TLC for our seas and sea life – was launched at the House of Commons on Wednesday. It explains the urgent action needed to allow UK seas to recover from centuries of over-intensive exploitation, for everything from food to building materials and oil. One of the key demands of The Wildlife Trusts’ ongoing campaign for a Marine Bill is the creation of ‘marine reserves’; places where all fishing and other damaging activities are prohibited. In the report, The Wildlife Trusts name 15 important wildlife areas around the UK coast to illustrate how marine reserves might protect wildlife and contribute towards healthy seas."
Go to DEFRA for the Governments view at this link.

Climate Change.

Following on from the Trusts Climate Friends campaign the Trust recently commented on, " the Government’s increasing recognition of the urgency for the country to adapt to climate change – through the Climate Change Bill published today (November 15). We urge that this must go hand in hand with our efforts to reduce carbon emissions."
There is a great deal of activity internationally not least at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali but there is still a long way to go before the man in the street begins to press our government to take strong action to reduce carbon emissions!

There are many organisations commenting on the UK Climate Change Bill and one that doesnt seem to get much attention in the media is Christian Aid. To get their views use this link for their web site.