CLOUDCROFT CHECKERSPOT/FRITILLARY

Neil Jones Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk
Fri Jan 7 08:32:00 EST 2000


In article <3.0.6.32.20000107085047.008f9670 at csm.ex.ac.uk>
           A.P.K.Torry at csm.ex.ac.uk "Andrew Torry" writes:

> Sorry Neil I just can't resist saying it again.
> 
> >
> >Putting something on the protected list does not make it invisible.
> >It just stops people killing it. The legislation here does not inhibit
> >my work and from my knowledge of your legistlation it would not inhibit
> >me if I lived in your country.
> 
> UNLESS YOU ARE A MULTI _MILLION POUND COMPANY (TESCO - SAINSBURY ETC.)

There is no need to shout! :-)

Andrew, in his haste to post actually didn't make his comment relate
directly to mine, but having heard the argument before I think
I know what he means.

He is, it appears, reiterating his claim that UK legislation bans collecting
but does not protect habitat. Tesco and Sainsbury are for those in foreign
parts large UK supermarket chains.
 
Million Dollar US companies do get fined for damaging habitat in the US.
It is also possible under UK legislation. It is just more difficult.
There is a myth that habitat is not protected in the UK.

Section 9 subsection 4(a) of the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act

"If any person damages or destroys or obstructs access to any structure or
place which and wild animal included on schedule 5 uses for shelter or
protection he is guilty of an offence."

The problem is there are some loopholes elsewhere but it is still possible
to get a prosecution.

There is one example I know of where someone could have been prosecuted
if only the prime suspect had actually been seen doing it.

Aside from this government bodies do have the ability to legally
compulsorily purchase threatened sites. This has only been achieved once.
A chap called Andrew Lees persuaded Neath Borough Council to do this
to Pant y Sais Fen part of Crymlyn Bog. It was being tipped on. The small
tip that remains now carries the memorial which I quote in my signature. 
This "waste ground" is now part of a National Nature Reserve.

There will be an opportunity shortly to lobby for better protection when
parliament starts work on the new Wildlife Bill. I hope that then 
instead of shouting at me that Andrew will join in lobbying for 
better legislation.

I hope to be putting some stuff on the web at some point.

If you can get enough people to make enough fuss about something then
you can stop it. People rarely hear of the campaigning successes because
many problem developments are stopped very early.
The last time an important butterfly site was destroyed near me there was
such a fuss that it made the 6 o'clock BBC national news. I can't claim
all the credit but I did start the ball rolling.
We didn't stop that development but the company concerned who had destroyed
several other sites have made a noticable change and are moving into a different
area of work. They had a lot of bad publicity particularly when a top
executive hid his hand from the TV camera when it was asked if it was
he who had bused in the big burly men who disrupted public meetings.!


-- 
Neil Jones- Neil at nwjones.demon.co.uk http://www.nwjones.demon.co.uk/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn Bog
National Nature Reserve


More information about the Leps-l mailing list