It is an interesting conundrum that most rewilding, or indeed public, spaces face. Knepp is criss crossed with public footpaths and it covers 3000 acres+, most open. It seems all you can do is to let your good reasons be known and put up signs. Everyone seems to think their pet is a sweet, sedate darling and a glaring anomaly.
The wildlife ponds in my local woods are set aside specifically for amphibians. The Friends association put up signs and fences around the ponds but dog owners literally take the fences out so their precious darlings can frolic in the water. So much for the frogs and newts.
…. And so you come to the controversy as to how much you should take out of public bounds. Should Knepp put up a large fence around the wildlife ponds? Will they have to? Can you have ‘non-interventionist’ rewilding with thousands of visitors and scientists cluttering the place up all year?
The more public you have on the land, the more they tromp everywhere, not keeping to footpaths. The more erosion you have from foot traffic, demands for public loos, cafes, parking etc. Do you, necessarily, start to destroy the thing you are trying to celebrate? As with the Lake District, Ben Nevis, Everest, Machu Picchu etc, etc, etc
As with Schrodinger’s Cat - we change what we observe.
It is an interesting conundrum that most rewilding, or indeed public, spaces face. Knepp is criss crossed with public footpaths and it covers 3000 acres+, most open. It seems all you can do is to let your good reasons be known and put up signs. Everyone seems to think their pet is a sweet, sedate darling and a glaring anomaly.
The wildlife ponds in my local woods are set aside specifically for amphibians. The Friends association put up signs and fences around the ponds but dog owners literally take the fences out so their precious darlings can frolic in the water. So much for the frogs and newts.
…. And so you come to the controversy as to how much you should take out of public bounds. Should Knepp put up a large fence around the wildlife ponds? Will they have to? Can you have ‘non-interventionist’ rewilding with thousands of visitors and scientists cluttering the place up all year?
The more public you have on the land, the more they tromp everywhere, not keeping to footpaths. The more erosion you have from foot traffic, demands for public loos, cafes, parking etc. Do you, necessarily, start to destroy the thing you are trying to celebrate? As with the Lake District, Ben Nevis, Everest, Machu Picchu etc, etc, etc
As with Schrodinger’s Cat - we change what we observe.
All true @Fire. Only the other day I was at a local heathland nature reserve with clearly displayed signs asking to people to keep dogs on leads during the breeding season to protect nesting birds. Do people do that? Unfortunately not in most cases. I've had altercations with some people on a fairly regular basis ....but...do they listen? Sadly not.
I'm a regular day visitor to Knepp. Lucky enough to live not far away. Great place although I have to say not all ornithologists in Sussex are thrilled by the White Stork 'reintroduction' (read 'not' reintroduction) but that's another story. Thrilling to see them in the Sussex skies nevertheless.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
Well, if the trips to wilded places this year show up anything, it's that every aspect is political and has its critics. Storks are coming over fnow rom the continent of their own accord.
Well, if the trips to wilded places this year show up anything, it's that every aspect is political and has its critics. Storks are coming over fnow rom the continent of their own accord.
There have always been vagrant White Storks in the UK in small numbers, a few records per year. Prior to the storks at Knepp they last bred in Britain in Edinburgh in 1416; a long time ago. It is not certain that they ever nested in Sussex, prior to the Knepp (re)introduction. That's the point I was making. I'm on the fence as to whether it is good or not; I just don't know. Thrilling to see them in the skies over Sussex though.
It is true that this year, one of the Knepp storks returned this year and it's mate is not part of the programme.
Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
The argument that Chris Packham has made is that we should concentrate resources on conserving, managing, reinstating, wilding the natural environment with as much diversity as our climate and geology can support and not attempt to manage, in any sense - positive or negative - the species that choose to then live there. He contends that massive amounts of money spent on one (usually furry and pretty) creature is rarely really successful at protecting that species in a sustainable way. Whereas if we create habitats, biodiversity will increase and many currently threatened species will thrive just by being left to get on with life rather than constantly counted and measured.
Poaching or illegal trapping of specific species - the prevention of it - is a different sort of intervention, and a necessary one.
He would, I imagine, argue that if the storks are coming on their own, that's a sign that the habitat regeneration is creating an environment conducive to larger species of animals being able to support a population and breed and that can only be a good thing. It's unlikely to create the sort of imbalance that more deliberate interventions tend to but even if it does, having a healthy natural population of any species is better than the terrible depletion of the ecosystem that's been happening generally across the planet and specifically in the UK in the last decade or more
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I'd go with that. I agree with Chris Packham on most things. Re-creating infinte complexity is the name of the game - of habitats, eco systems, interactions. Simplicification is deadening - in people and planet.
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It is an interesting conundrum that most rewilding, or indeed public, spaces face. Knepp is criss crossed with public footpaths and it covers 3000 acres+, most open. It seems all you can do is to let your good reasons be known and put up signs. Everyone seems to think their pet is a sweet, sedate darling and a glaring anomaly.
As with Schrodinger’s Cat - we change what we observe.
I'm a regular day visitor to Knepp. Lucky enough to live not far away. Great place although I have to say not all ornithologists in Sussex are thrilled by the White Stork 'reintroduction' (read 'not' reintroduction) but that's another story. Thrilling to see them in the Sussex skies nevertheless.
It is true that this year, one of the Knepp storks returned this year and it's mate is not part of the programme.
Poaching or illegal trapping of specific species - the prevention of it - is a different sort of intervention, and a necessary one.
He would, I imagine, argue that if the storks are coming on their own, that's a sign that the habitat regeneration is creating an environment conducive to larger species of animals being able to support a population and breed and that can only be a good thing. It's unlikely to create the sort of imbalance that more deliberate interventions tend to but even if it does, having a healthy natural population of any species is better than the terrible depletion of the ecosystem that's been happening generally across the planet and specifically in the UK in the last decade or more
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”