M
McBad
Guest
The following article appears across pages 18 and 19 of the current November
2003 BBC
Wildlife magazine. Whilst I usually have a lot of respect for the articles
in this magazine (part of the reason I subscribe to it) this piece appears
inflamatory, biased and ill-informed.
I'm sure that neither the magazine nor the author of the article, James
Fair, will mind a wider audience, so I've quoted their words in full below.
"Off-road invasion
Conservation act is enabling 4x4 access to vulnerable wildlife sites.
It was hailed as a genuinely progressive piece of conservation legislation,
the first major one for nearly 20 years. But the Countryside and Rights of
Way Act (2000) has revealed an unexpected sting in its tail.
Among the clauses improving the protection for sites of special scientific
interest (SSSIs), the CROW Act also had a provision for a definitive map of
England's rights of way to be completed by 2026.
No one expected the 'Discovering Lost Ways' project would find quite so
many, but what is really alarming conservationists is that many of these
lost ways are legally open to motorised transport, and off-roading groups
are taking full advantage. Part of the problem stems from rights of way
that go back hundreds of years, where a landowner granted a right of way
through a newly enclosed field to someone with a horse and cart. Legally,
this right now extends to any form of transport.
What's worse, when considering a case, public enquiries cannot consider the
conservation value of the land - it could be an SSSI or Special Protection
Area (SPA), it makes no difference.
The Government's wildlife adviser English Nature is alarmed. "There is a
very serious issue looming here," said a source. "There are many people -
most people - involved in countryside management who find it hard to
comprehend how a right to use a horse and cart in 1780 extends to a
mechanically propelled vehicle."
English Nature is particularly concerned about vehicular rights of way being
discovered on virgin moorland in northern England. Important populations of
wading birds, such as curlews, lapwings and golden plovers, could all be
affected should these newly discovered routes be graded as "open to all
traffic".
It's been estimated there may be some 16,000km of unrecorded rights of way,
of which 2,700km would be legally open to cars, jeeps and bikes.
Discovering Lost Ways project officer Ellie Stevenson confirmed the
involvement of 4x4 groups in tracking them down. "Off-roaders and the
British Horse Society have been very active in undertaking trawls of the
archive evidence," she said. "They have most to gain."
But the battle to preserve the wildlife value of England's byways goes
beyond this. Campaigners all over the country are fighting to protect green
lanes - tracks bounded on both sides by banks or hedgerows - from
off-roaders (see box, left). Many lanes face 'regrading', though in some
cases councils are intervening and imposing traffic regulation orders
(TROs).
But why all the fuss? Well, green lanes may be far more important as
habitats for plants and invertebrates than other apparantly comparable
areas. Published research has shown that butterfly diversity is much higher
in the hedges either side of a green lane than in single hedges. John
Dover, from Staffordshire University, has carried out extensive research
into green lanes. "Just looking at the raw data, they looking stonking good
for birds as well," he said."
The box with the article says...
"THE BATTLE FOR GREEN LANES
* The Fosse Way in Wiltshire attracts off-roaders, who drive along the banks
of the Avon. But damage to the river banks is hitting the endangered
white-clawed crayfish, and the activity may also have scared off otters.
* Three green lanes in Clee Saint Margaret, in Shropshire, are being damaged
by 4x4s and trail bikes. The county council is considering putting Traffic
Regulation Orders (TROs) in place to prevent motor vehicles using them.
Local residents say a badger's sett may have been disturbed by the activity.
*Mastiles Lane, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, runs through an SSSI.
English Nature has fenced off a particularly sensitive area adjacent to the
track to keep out off-roaders, and the local authority has just applied a
traffic regulation order, banning recreational vehicles from the lane.
Campaigners say many more are needed in the park."
The article is accompanied by a photograph by Kippa Matthews showing a blue
Range Rover, registration MHN 660?, apparantly about to be winched through a
heavily waterlogged section of track. The caption says "Car Trouble.
Damage caused by 4x4s to Mastiles Lane in the Yorkshire Dales has prompted a
traffic ban, but other wildlife-rich areas are being hit by off-roading."
The article ends with the following statement: "Action The Ramblers
Association is compiling an 'At Risk Register' of the most vulnerable green
lanes and byways and is campaigning for a change in the law. Contact Donna
O'Brien 020 7339 8500; www.ramblers.org.uk ".
If you would rather contact the editor of BBC Wildlife about the quality of
the articles carried by the magazine he can be reached at 'The Editor, BBC
Wildlife Magazine, Broadcasting House, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2LR or
e-mail [email protected] .
M
2003 BBC
Wildlife magazine. Whilst I usually have a lot of respect for the articles
in this magazine (part of the reason I subscribe to it) this piece appears
inflamatory, biased and ill-informed.
I'm sure that neither the magazine nor the author of the article, James
Fair, will mind a wider audience, so I've quoted their words in full below.
"Off-road invasion
Conservation act is enabling 4x4 access to vulnerable wildlife sites.
It was hailed as a genuinely progressive piece of conservation legislation,
the first major one for nearly 20 years. But the Countryside and Rights of
Way Act (2000) has revealed an unexpected sting in its tail.
Among the clauses improving the protection for sites of special scientific
interest (SSSIs), the CROW Act also had a provision for a definitive map of
England's rights of way to be completed by 2026.
No one expected the 'Discovering Lost Ways' project would find quite so
many, but what is really alarming conservationists is that many of these
lost ways are legally open to motorised transport, and off-roading groups
are taking full advantage. Part of the problem stems from rights of way
that go back hundreds of years, where a landowner granted a right of way
through a newly enclosed field to someone with a horse and cart. Legally,
this right now extends to any form of transport.
What's worse, when considering a case, public enquiries cannot consider the
conservation value of the land - it could be an SSSI or Special Protection
Area (SPA), it makes no difference.
The Government's wildlife adviser English Nature is alarmed. "There is a
very serious issue looming here," said a source. "There are many people -
most people - involved in countryside management who find it hard to
comprehend how a right to use a horse and cart in 1780 extends to a
mechanically propelled vehicle."
English Nature is particularly concerned about vehicular rights of way being
discovered on virgin moorland in northern England. Important populations of
wading birds, such as curlews, lapwings and golden plovers, could all be
affected should these newly discovered routes be graded as "open to all
traffic".
It's been estimated there may be some 16,000km of unrecorded rights of way,
of which 2,700km would be legally open to cars, jeeps and bikes.
Discovering Lost Ways project officer Ellie Stevenson confirmed the
involvement of 4x4 groups in tracking them down. "Off-roaders and the
British Horse Society have been very active in undertaking trawls of the
archive evidence," she said. "They have most to gain."
But the battle to preserve the wildlife value of England's byways goes
beyond this. Campaigners all over the country are fighting to protect green
lanes - tracks bounded on both sides by banks or hedgerows - from
off-roaders (see box, left). Many lanes face 'regrading', though in some
cases councils are intervening and imposing traffic regulation orders
(TROs).
But why all the fuss? Well, green lanes may be far more important as
habitats for plants and invertebrates than other apparantly comparable
areas. Published research has shown that butterfly diversity is much higher
in the hedges either side of a green lane than in single hedges. John
Dover, from Staffordshire University, has carried out extensive research
into green lanes. "Just looking at the raw data, they looking stonking good
for birds as well," he said."
The box with the article says...
"THE BATTLE FOR GREEN LANES
* The Fosse Way in Wiltshire attracts off-roaders, who drive along the banks
of the Avon. But damage to the river banks is hitting the endangered
white-clawed crayfish, and the activity may also have scared off otters.
* Three green lanes in Clee Saint Margaret, in Shropshire, are being damaged
by 4x4s and trail bikes. The county council is considering putting Traffic
Regulation Orders (TROs) in place to prevent motor vehicles using them.
Local residents say a badger's sett may have been disturbed by the activity.
*Mastiles Lane, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, runs through an SSSI.
English Nature has fenced off a particularly sensitive area adjacent to the
track to keep out off-roaders, and the local authority has just applied a
traffic regulation order, banning recreational vehicles from the lane.
Campaigners say many more are needed in the park."
The article is accompanied by a photograph by Kippa Matthews showing a blue
Range Rover, registration MHN 660?, apparantly about to be winched through a
heavily waterlogged section of track. The caption says "Car Trouble.
Damage caused by 4x4s to Mastiles Lane in the Yorkshire Dales has prompted a
traffic ban, but other wildlife-rich areas are being hit by off-roading."
The article ends with the following statement: "Action The Ramblers
Association is compiling an 'At Risk Register' of the most vulnerable green
lanes and byways and is campaigning for a change in the law. Contact Donna
O'Brien 020 7339 8500; www.ramblers.org.uk ".
If you would rather contact the editor of BBC Wildlife about the quality of
the articles carried by the magazine he can be reached at 'The Editor, BBC
Wildlife Magazine, Broadcasting House, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2LR or
e-mail [email protected] .
M
