March 30th, 2010
A housing development plan that has been put forward to be placed at Talbot Heath has been condemned by the RSPB.
The housing project application is said to be for 450 student flats and 378 homes and is to sit alongside the heathlands in Poole. A protest has been lodged to the Poole Borough Council and they along with other Dorset councils have committed to safeguard the heaths from any residential development within 400 metres, under a planning framework.
The RSPB have fears that this huge development will do a lot of damage to the unique wildlife that live on the heath. It is going to cause a huge disturbance and put immense pressure on the heathlands and the inhabitants it supports like the Dartford Warblers and the rare sand lizards. Not only is it going to have an enormous effect on the heathlands and wildlife, this development is only going to add to the already traffic congested Wallisdown Road.
Talbot heath is not only a protected site, has countless statutory designations being named a UK site of special scientific interest, European special protection area and special area of conservation it is also a wetland site of international importance under the RAMSAR convention.
The RSPB are standing alongside the local residents, Natural England and Dorset Wildlife Trust who are all against these housing plans.
Tags: Dorset Wildlife Trust, housing development, Natural England, Poole Council, protest, RAMSAR, RSPB, Talbot Heath, Wildlife | Posted in Local Councils, News, Wildlife, environment
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December 29th, 2009
So you thought golfing was all about the great outdoors and getting back to nature? Well, apparently in the past, the management of golf courses has been environmentally questionable, with many using harsh chemical pesticides and disregarding the areas’ natural inhabitants.
Now, with the support of the RSPB the ‘roughs’ i.e. less cultivated areas, are now back to being a haven for wildlife. In Britain alone, there are more than 140,000 hectares of rough and out-of-bounds areas on golf courses, this is indisputability a huge area to abuse.
Now European Union laws prevent the use of damaging pesticides and encourage the green-keepers to use environmentally-friendly chemicals instead. As a result many courses are now enjoying an increase in wildlife. Crane Valley in Dorset for example, works with Natural England to ensure it remains a natural habitat for wildlife and is now benefitting from the presence of two sets of nesting buzzards. Another club, the prestigious Remedy Oak, also in Dorset, has recently reported an upturn in the quantity and variety of birds on its courses.
Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said ‘Golf, is a good walk spoiled’? – well, maybe not so any more…
Tags: birds, conservation, golf, RSPB | Posted in Wildlife
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