This blog…

Mark 9 Comments

…will aim to cover a variety of subjects as time goes on – including peat, marine protected areas, raptor persecution, habitat recreation, politics, government agencies, valuing nature, forestry

…will treat sensitively any information sent to it

…would benefit from some decent photographs – does anyone have any suggestions?

…will occasionally have guest blogs from invited contributors

…welcomes comments provided they are on topic and polite about others commenting on this blog and reasonably polite about me – but challenging alternative views are welcome

 

PS I was sad to learn that a hiker has been killed by a grizzly in Yellowstone – I hope it wasn’t this grizzly.

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9 Replies to “This blog…”

  1. Hi Mark,

    Always happy to contribute photographs of you see any you fancy on my album section (facebook). Also. might have some photos if specifically requested. See you at the Birdfair?

    Peter

  2. Mark,
    I have read through your blog entries, the list of topics covered and the subjects you might cover in the future in the blog and your ‘News Blast’. I was surprised to see that you have not covered the protection of Special Protection Areas (SPA). As these are the most important (and theoretically most well protected) places for concentrations of birds I would have thought you would have some forthright views.
    I would have expected an especially strong blast on any proposal to destroy by covering with concrete/asphalt some 35 hectares of SPA and the additional damage to some 176 hectares of SPA by disturbance.
    But no, silence. And there was silence when you were Director of Conservation of the RSPB.
    For Blog readers, they may be thinking this destruction takes place in some obscure and distant backwater of eastern Europe, funded by Eurocash.
    But no, this is not eastern Europe but eastern England. The SPA is the Breckland SPA, centred around Thetford, classified for its populations of stone curlew, nightjar and woodlark. The development is the A11, to be turned in to a dual carriageway between the Fiveways roundabout close to Mildenhall and Thetford, covering a length of the SPA in concrete/asphalt and disturbing a swathe of adjacent habitat to the extent of deterring some 11 territories of stone curlew.
    We heard a lot about the Via Baltica and accompanying pole bashing from the RSPB in your time. We heard nothing about the destruction to be wrought by the A11 dualling.
    I as a professional conservationist, long standing RSPB member and former RSPB staff member have been appalled by the fact that the A11 was not given the full tests of the law by Planning Inquiry, UK courts, European Commission and EU Court. Why did it escape this open and transparent scrutiny? Because the RSPB signed up to an undertaking with the Highways Agency to ‘mitigate’ the destruction by creating habitat elsewhere within the SPA.
    So Mark, how about the behind the scenes expose of why the RSPB did not campaign for the A11 dualling to be subject to the full tests of the law. Who first dreamt up the dirty deal and who did ‘stand up for nature’ in the offices of the RSPB? Tell us who were on the side of the angels and who were on the side of the environmental vandals.
    Blast away.
    In anticipation.
    Roger Buisson
    PS This is not a cunning plan to gain evidence for a court action, the decision has passed its Judicial Review deadline.

    1. Mark
      I know that the Game Fair has taken up a fair amount of your time but how about even an acknowledgement that there are serious issues to be discussed about the decision on the A!! dualling from Fiveways Roundabout to Thetford and the RSPB’s role in that decision.
      Regards
      Roger Buisson

  3. Enjoying having a read through your blog, the shorter daily posts are right up my street.

    For photos you may want to consider flickr and creative commons licenses are worth a look. Just remember to attribute the photograph to the photographer.

  4. Buissons comments are the most extraordinary set of blinkered rantings i have ever heard. I am quite surprised that he has not dug a hole in some forest floor, crawled in, covered himself with earth and expired lest his living body break wind and cause some poor finch a nanno second of discomfort from the noxious fume. Wake up you wretch and admit that homo sapiens exists even if it is clothed in your effigy.

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