the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles
Home Page Live Forums Archived Forums Site Search Identify Record Donate Projects Links
Forum Home Forum Home > Conservation > Habitat Loss
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Allerthorpe
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Allerthorpe

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12345 12>
Author
Message
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 7:11am
Sadly NE have openly admitted a 'double standard' to me where on the one hand developers are expected to jump through hoops regarding protecting reptiles and 'conservation organisations' are given a free hand. 

I came to the conclusion many years ago that it will be almost impossible to stop these kind of works due to entrenched attitudes and lack of education regarding the needs of reptiles. We now have the new NE reptile man on the forum, perhaps he would like to comment on why NE sanction works of this nature which we all know are harmful to reptile populations?

Anyone who has followed adder ecology closely will know there is no correct time for totally clearing the habitat. These schemes are simply disastrous for reptile populations. During a development mitigation this level of destruction would not occur until after months of capture work to carefully relocate the animals. Yet the conservation organisation simply contract people to go onsite and destroy everything in their path with little or no thought of the implications for existing wildlife.


Edited by GemmaJF - 14 Mar 2012 at 7:12am
Back to Top
AGILIS View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1689
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote AGILIS Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 11:04am
I like the usual replies like we did the the work when we knew all the Adders and herps were hibernating in their bunkers 10 foot below the danger of being crushed , no mention how they will be able to emerge after the bulldozers have compacted the area,perhaps the have escape tunnels constructed by NE???hmmm.keith
   LOCAL ICYNICAL CELTIC ECO WARRIOR AND FAILED DRUID
Back to Top
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 12:22pm
My favourite is they are taking 'The Holistic Approach' - it must mean they destroy the entire system without the treatment or dissection into parts of which species they are actually harming. Dead

I think they must have a leaflet containing nonsense answers to give to irate herpers Keith!
Back to Top
tim hamlett View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 17 Dec 2006
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1062
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tim hamlett Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 6:39pm
"its the end of the financial year and we have a spare £25k. if we don't spend it we'll lose it. what can we do with it. hmm..."

just a thought
tim

ps forgot to say...sorry chris that really sucks!
Back to Top
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 7:39pm
Makes you wonder doesn't it Tim? Unfortunately there are numerous funding schemes available for this type of work including one that should now be winding up promoted by NE themselves using national lottery money.

Edited by GemmaJF - 14 Mar 2012 at 7:41pm
Back to Top
Chris d View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 79
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris d Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 8:26pm
Hi,
Just been to Allerthorpe for a quick look tonight.The good news is that the tiny area that a good few Adders frequent (which is well hidden from the public) is still there. The bulldozers missed it, they only cleared the area directly behind it, hopefully not affecting it. I'm still stinging from the common lizard area that has been erased though. I took pictures of each area while I was there for future reference. I counted 16+ areas most the size of 2 football pitches. They have now finished the work and I would appreciate any advice on what I could do there to benefit any wildlife left. I have started recording the reptiles there from the start of the year. Now that many areas are now accessible which weren't previously it may open up new opportunities.
I have just received a reply to my letter to NE. Briefly they state that they were trying to clear the shrub from the heath areas. Due to the comments (complaints ??) that they have received regarding methods used they visited the site ( a bit late !!) and reviewed them and decided that the way forward was to clear the areas left which was the majority of the areas ( they had finished by then anyway!!) using chainsaws and similar methods whic was less destructive. They acknowledge that the methods used may have been wrong and they will seek comments from people with an interest such as myself if future work is carried out (Cop Out!!)  
There is more to the letter than this but I don't know that copying it in full here would breech privacy or copyright laws. Let me know if this isn't the case and I will post. If anyone would like a copy then PM me and I will send you it with pictures if you want. Tommorrow, it should be in the local newpaper which will raise awareness + I rang the local news to see if they would pick up the story ! It doesn't end here people !!  Local MP will be receiving a letter soon ! 
Back to Top
Chris d View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 79
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris d Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 8:42pm
Forgot to mention that the birch that they cleared with chainsaws have all been piled on top of the heather ! So much for clearing the area for the benefit of the heather !!!!!
Back to Top
GemmaJF View Drop Down
Admin Group
Admin Group
Avatar

Joined: 25 Jan 2003
Location: Essex
Status: Offline
Points: 4359
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 9:24pm
It is unusual for NE to carryout a site a visit they must have received some serious flak - interesting they then decided when it was too late the method may have been wrong?? As you say it is then rather too late but lucky they changed tactics before the whole lot went as at many sites.

Regarding Copyright you could write back to NE and ask for permission to publish the letter in full here, I for one would like to see it, I'm sure others would too.
Back to Top
sussexecology View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2010
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 411
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sussexecology Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 11:05pm
Originally posted by GemmaJF GemmaJF wrote:

 
Anyone who has followed adder ecology closely will know there is no correct time for totally clearing the habitat. These schemes are simply disastrous for reptile populations. .
 
Sorry, Gemma, what i meant was: there are better ways to manage the habitat if adders are known to be present. That is managing the habitat in a more sympathetic way by using different methods eg not going in with a bulldoze and doing vast amounts of habitat all at once. Sorry was a bit tired when wrote last night as late night again so didn't come across that well.
 
Bye for now. 
Back to Top
sussexecology View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 30 Sep 2010
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 411
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote sussexecology Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 11:22pm
Originally posted by GemmaJF GemmaJF wrote:

 

I came to the conclusion many years ago that it will be almost impossible to stop these kind of works due to entrenched attitudes and lack of education regarding the needs of reptiles.

 
And totally agreed with that too Gemma
 
That is really what it comes down to at the end of the day is awareness
 
But who will make the conservation organisations aware of the issues?
I would have said it would have been NE, or maybe the county ecologist.
 
But then we have the problem of the conservation organisation not listening to the county ecologist, or any consultant for that matter, so we are back to square one. Is my opinion that conservation organisations, inc local groups, do not want to listen to ecologists or consultants for that matter (and one local group totally dead against developments even when the impacts on wildlife have been reduced or the habitats will be enhanced).
 
 
 
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12345 12>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.06
Copyright ©2001-2016 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 0.125 seconds.