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Energy at any price? New Severn Barrage Report launched
Avon Wildlife Trust representative Lucy Rogers was at the House of Lords on 2 March to help launch a special report on the future of the Severn Estuary.
The Wildlife Trusts’ report - Energy at any price? highlights the vital importance of the Severn Estuary. Not just for wildlife but people too. As the Government considers different proposals for harnessing the immense natural tidal power to create electricity, The Wildlife Trusts say damming the Estuary with an old-fashioned barrage would have a devastating impact. Instead, the Government should commit to investigating a range of modern, low-impact technologies.
The Wildlife Trusts believe three innovative options* hold the most promise. The decision should be taken on the basis of causing least environmental damage and being most cost-effective. The Wildlife Trusts want to ensure the chosen option will not be something society regrets in decades to come.
The Severn Estuary provides a haven for the young of commercial fish stocks. It provides a means of transport and trade. It is the site of many recreational pursuits and, by its very nature, brings enjoyment to people of all ages. And the importance of the Estuary for wildlife is recognised through UK, European and International law because of its internationally-important species and extensive habitat areas. By building a barrage, the Government would be reneging on its commitments to protect this wildlife to the highest levels.
Lucy Rogers, Director of Conservation Programmes for Avon Wildlife Trust said: “It is no exaggeration to say the Severn Estuary is an irreplaceable part of the UK’s natural heritage.
“It is a dynamic system which affects all our lives. We want to remind people about what the Severn Estuary means; it is part of our cultural heritage and it also very much part of today too; people rely on it for their livelihoods. We are mobilising our members to take action.
“We cannot view our energy needs in isolation from our environment. Altering the Severn’s intertidal habitat is so risky. We have a moral and ethical obligation to ensure the best options for the natural environment are pursued. We should not consider out-dated technology which could impact on the Estuary on an unprecedented scale.
“Destroying the Severn Estuary – arguably the eighth natural wonder of the world – would be a deadly sin. We need your support to protect this unique place – join us and become a ‘Severn Bore’!”
Further information
Contact Lucy Rogers 0117 917 7270
Download
the report (PDF)
See
it on the YouTube Wildlife Trust Channel
Join Avon Wildlife Trust and become a ‘Severn Bore’:
- Write to your MP
- Express your concerns about taking the right decision, for the Estuary
and people. Visit www.theyworkforyou.com
- Join our campaign
– Keep an eye on www.wildlifetrusts.org for news, developments and
specific details of how to help
- Enjoy the Estuary – And visit local
nature reserves in the area. Visit
our Severn Estuary page to download
our Severn Wanders guide
Thirty years young!
we've come a long way since we began
to champion wildlife in cities thirty years ago.
When we started, many of the more traditional naturalist
societies thought it was radical, even dangerous, to
allow the public free access to nature reserves. But
we quickly proved that nature reserves could usually
be open to all and in unexpected places too. We created
the country's first urban nature park on Brandon Hill
and today long grass, wildflowers and natural hedgerows
are a feature of parks everywhere. We did this because
we felt wildlife should be enjoyed by everyone. Now we
have scientific proof that getting closer to nature can
make us happier and healthier, we are bringing wildlife
to people's doorsteps, creating wildlife-rich areas in
community spaces and gardens where they will make life
more liveable.
Our education centre at Willsbridge Mill was ground-breaking
when it was launched in 1987. Today children spend most
of their time indoors and green spaces are unfamiliar,
even frightening. We're going back to our original thinking
and planning a major programme to inspire every child
in Avon about the natural world. This will mean using
our centres, nature reserves and involve working in schools
to ensure the next generation of children will enjoy
exploring the great outdoors as much as playing computer
games.
We'll be celebrating our thirtieth birthday in 2010
with a programme of exciting activities to get everyone
involved with nature - watch this space!
Avon’s boundaries may have come and gone, but Avon Wildlife
Trust is still with us and still catering for the special
mix of urban and rural that identifies Bristol and its
surroundings
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House Sparrow Project launch in Victoria
Park |
Missing - the house sparrow!
Keep an eye out for a different kind of courting
couple this Valentine’s season as the Trust launches an investigation
into why one of the West’s best-loved garden birds – the house sparrow
- is disappearing.
Trust spokesman Steve Micklewright explains: "The cheeky, chirpy
house sparrow used to be one of our commonest birds, but numbers have
dwindled so much they are now a species of conservation concern. We are
keen to find out why numbers are dropping and where they are hanging
out - but we need the public’s help. So, as St Valentine’s Day approaches,
we’re asking everyone to take part in the online survey we’re running
at www.wildsparrows.org.uk and let us know about any house sparrows they
see.”
The project is launching at Valentine’s time because, traditionally,
this is when bachelor male house sparrows start trying to charm females
into becoming their life-long mate.
Steve explains: "There’s nothing softly-softly about house sparrow
courtship. Males get straight to the point by choosing a perfect love
nest then chirping loudly to advertise their find to passing females.
To get the Wild Sparrows project going, we want to gather in reports
of this type of behaviour to give us a sense of how many pairs are breeding
in this area.”
Avon Wildlife Trust (AWT) is being partnered for the project by the
Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project, Bristol City Council and by Bristol
Naturalists’ Society (BNS) whose spokesman, Richard Bland, says: "When
I was young there was barely a part of Bristol where you could not see
house sparrows. Now they are found in just a few areas of the city, and
this decline is replicated throughout the West Country. It's vital we
know where the surviving colonies are so we can protect them and start
helping them to increase their numbers."
Modern housing is believed to be a main cause of the problem. According
to Avon Wildlife Trust’s Steve Micklewright "Sparrows like to nest
close together in roof spaces near the guttering, but modern construction
and house renovations make this impossible.”
The charity will be demonstrating how lost nests can be replaced with
easy-to-build artificial nesting boxes when Wild Sparrows is launched
during a celebration of sparrows involving children from St Mary Redcliffe
Primary School at Victoria Park, Bedminster, on Wednesday 10 February
(11am start).
As the campaign develops, AWT will also be helping other communities
to create new nesting sites and encouraging local gardeners to plant
out insect-attracting flowers, such as nasturtiums, to ensure that sparrow
chicks don’t suffer from a shortage of food.
During the next school half-term, there will be opportunities for families
to build and decorate sparrow nesting boxes as part of the Festival of
Feathers events at Avon Wildlife Trust’s two wildlife education centres
– Folly Farm, Bishop Sutton, on Tuesday 16 February, and Willsbridge
Mill, Willsbridge, on Wednesday 17 February. In addition, Steve Micklewright
will be giving a talk – Where have all the sparrows gone? – at Bristol
Zoo Gardens on Tuesday 9 March, 7pm start.
NB: See below for more listings info and a round-up of sparrow facts.
For more details, including guidance on how to identify sparrows and
join the sparrow survey, see www.wildsparrows.org.uk or contact Avon
Wildlife Trust on 0117 917 7270.
Where have all the sparrows gone?
Steve Micklewright from the Trust
will talk about the ecology of these characterful little birds.
Talk
at Bristol Zoo Gardens on Tuesday 9 March, 7pm start. More
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