Review of Conservation regs

[bee warrior]

Originally Posted by stevecurtis

I don’t get so excited about wildlife protection laws anymore; lots of them are never enforced.


All the best Steve

I can fully understand and sympathise with where you are coming from Steve. I often feel the same. It has been a hell of a slog getting wildlife up the political agenda and I do think popular attitudes and perceptions start to change, albeit slowly-even when prosecutions rarely occur . But, 'the greenest government ever' is now going to affect a slide in the opposite direction.

Earlier today I read the following;The chancellor has proposed:

• Tax breaks for the country's most polluting industries.

• A revision of the basic safeguards that protect our most precious wildlife sites from development.

• A major expansion of airport capacity in the south-east of England

• Support for a major expansion of the road network.

• Aggressive implementation of a new presumption in favour of development in the planning system.

Osborne has proclaimed that protecting the environment is against the public interest – something no senior politician in this country has done in recent history!!!!!! I think he may be from another planet because only someone who believes there is another planet can think this way!

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by bee warrior

Osborne has proclaimed that protecting the environment is against the public interest :

just what you expect from the 'greenest government ever'

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by bee warrior

Osborne has proclaimed that protecting the environment is against the public interest

Seriously, he said that?!!

[Johnny81]

If he said that then he is seriously out of touch. What about the CAP reforms etc? Should we all just brush environmental issues under the carpet because the country/Europe is skint?

[bee warrior]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Seriously, he said that?!!

This was my source Jason. ~Not necessarily verbatim but even if this was alluded to it is seriously very scary and conservationists/environmentalists/people who care need to be aware of where this is all leading -and I do not think its SUSTAINABLE (as they would have us believe)!

The government must embrace a green future | Letters | Politics | The Observer

[Plantzzman]

I wouldnt put much hope in the government being wildlife friendly. I posted a thread in this section months ago recounting the story of a battle to stop an incinerator being built in Sinfin - an area of Derby. Through the process common lizards (found nowhere else in Derby) were found - Common Lizards being a BAP species. Before planning was granted the developer was aloud to catch the lizards twice and move them to a restricted area of the site in man made hibernacula. We are now going through a protracted planning appeal - the lizard fencing was removed in spring 2011 but nobody - neither the developer or the city council - the sites owner has ever had to prove that any of their actions have not impacted on the colony. To this day we dont know if the colony survives. This highlights the reality of wildlife conservation in the UK ruled by wishy washy regulation with barn door sized loopholes letting developers get away with far to much !

[Plantzzman]

Just an update on my previous post - Natural England are now going to tell the developer that it ISNT best practice to carry out catching of lizards on the site I focus on before the planning inquiry ruling.