The Truth About Wildlife Series on BBC1....

[jamesthornton]

Originally Posted by Red Robin

....For those who don't know: Progs on iPlayer are only available there until the next episode if it's a series. So that means one week only in this case.

They're both available for me as well as every Springwatch episode..

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by Red Robin

....For those who don't know: Progs on iPlayer are only available there until the next episode if it's a series. So that means one week only in this case.

Yes I was just frustrated by them being so slow to get the next one up, will try again later today.

[rogpow]

For anyone that missed this series when it was broadcast regionally - the first episode is on BBC2 tonight at 7pm.

Rog

[Deb London]

Thanks rogpow, that's very useful to know.

[The Man]

Hi All
Last night, in North Wales, I watched part 1 of this series; Farmland. Chris Packham's message is different to the one he puts out in the Spring/Autumn watch series: that he believes in this series (Part 1) that British wildlife is seriously in decline. In the other series, he is often heard telling the British public to get out there and sample the great british wildlife in all its diversity! Confusing stuff from Mr Packham indeed. So which is it: lots of diversity out there or declining numbers and species? He is not alone in mixed messages but he is high profile.

Farmers get money for basically leaving field margins alone. Can I get a grant for leaving my garden to do its own thing?

The Man

[RKB]

Originally Posted by The Man

Farmers get money for basically leaving field margins alone. Can I get a grant for leaving my garden to do its own thing?

The Man

They don't "leave them alone" at all. They are paid to manage them in a way that produces wildlife, instead of food crops. This involves sowing and managing the margins (and associated hedgerows). If you leave a pollinator of bird food margin alone, it will become bramble and scrub within 5-10 years. You need to mow them, move them about, and even spray them sometimes.

So they are still 'farming' the margins.

I watched the programme last night, and a lot of the 'accepted truths' were repeated that have been mentioned on recent threads. I thought it was pretty selective in places. For instance, Packham's "wider picture" includes many increases, but he didn't mention any. The impression he was giving was that everything had declined on farmland, and it was devoid of life.

But if we look at the RSPB's farmland index, more than a third of farmland bird species have actually increased: The RSPB: Advice for farmers

Sure, that means 2/3 have decreased. But it's hardly armageddon out there...

[Red Robin]

Originally Posted by The Man

Confusing stuff from Mr Packham indeed. So which is it: lots of diversity out there or declining numbers and species?

....A bit of both, some of each, and no more 'contradictory' than any other presentation from the media whether TV or newspaper/magazine. People put their own spin on subjects and inject their own biasses, in my opinion.

It's not black and white.

[ViperaBerus]

Originally Posted by The Man

Chris Packham's message is different to the one he puts out in the Spring/Autumn watch series: that he believes in this series (Part 1) that British wildlife is seriously in decline. In the other series, he is often heard telling the British public to get out there and sample the great british wildlife in all its diversity! Confusing stuff from Mr Packham indeed. So which is it: lots of diversity out there or declining numbers and species? He is not alone in mixed messages but he is high profile.

Why is that a mixed message? Sounds quite accurate to me. You can have a diverse range of wildlife that is in decline. Nothing contradictory or confusing about that. We do have an excellent and diverse range, but it is sadly and very obviously declining quite quickly.

[Gill Catton]

Originally Posted by ViperaBerus

Why is that a mixed message? Sounds quite accurate to me. You can have a diverse range of wildlife that is in decline. Nothing contradictory or confusing about that. We do have an excellent and diverse range, but it is sadly and very obviously declining quite quickly.

Agreed.

[STYRBJORN]

If you start with 100 species and 99 die out while 1 increases to take over the entire biosphere does that represent an increase in biodiversity? Some posters on here appear to think so. There are now some 7 billion human beings on earth. We have systematically wiped out nearly all the megafauna that existed when we first left Africa, and are now destroying smaller spp at an exponentionally increasing rate. "Biodiversity" and "H.sapiens" are oxymoronic terms.