We might think we would feel safe if our government ministers and civil servants were gray squirrels. The predatory pine martens in Westminster's jungle provide them with peace of mind.
Activists who 'created a landscape of fear' over authorities' failure to protect nature are withdrawing from their activities. wild justice To spend more time in the garden with wildlife and my grandchildren.
But Mark Avery, whose campaign group he co-founded six years ago with Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay, attacks law enforcement for breaking government promises and failing to restore Britain's biodiversity. He vowed to redouble his efforts.
The former RSPB conservation director, who has become an outspoken critic of weak conservation charities, will continue to campaign for a ban on grouse drive shooting. Wild Justice Petition for Parliamentary Debate The momentum will increase.
“We're creating a landscape of fear in the same way that pine martens do for giant squirrels,” said Avery, of Wild Justice, which he co-founded with Ruth Tingay and Chris Packham, after meeting with lawyers. spoke. lee day “We don't need to win every case to make Whitehall and government agencies think seriously about the decisions they make, any more than a pine marten doesn't need to catch every giant squirrel to create a landscape.” because of. ”
Mr Avery, a Labor member, said he was disappointed with the government's environmental policy to date and blamed the government's lack of involvement on the biodiversity crisis due to a lack of rural-minded MPs. said. “The grouse shooting and the badger culling are two things that Labor should consider as a way of showing they are independent and different to the last government,” he said.
Wild Justice's latest petition calling for a ban on grouse shooting has soared to nearly 50,000 signatures in the new year and is likely to spark a debate in parliament.
Their previous petition forced a debate at Westminster in 2021, but Mr Avery said the Labor government would be forced to tighten regulations on grouse shooting, which critics have linked to the persecution of birds of prey and moorland burning. He said that he is trying again because there is a possibility that it will be realized.
“We want to have a debate under a Labor government with four Green members in the House of Commons,” he said. Labor has previously indicated it supports licensed grouse shooting. happening in Scotland right now – Not prohibited. “We need to understand the reasons for climate change, wildlife habitat, and [preventing] flood It’s very powerful, but we’re realists,” Avery said. “If you have to get a license first, get it. That would never happen under a Conservative government.”
Mr Avery said he believed grouse shooting was “disappearing” due to climate change. low number of grouse But he said there are “more sticks and more carrots” to persuade wealthy wetland owners to choose alternative income sources to wetlands, such as carbon storage, rewilding and natural flood management. I was hoping for
He added: “Just because we've been chasing and shooting ruffed grouse in the UK for 150 years doesn't mean illegal activity is involved when floods are damaging people's homes and businesses. There is no reason why it should be left alone anywhere else in the world.” It kills native wildlife, damages supposedly protected habitats, and is bad for the climate. ”
Grouse moor managers deny that controlled heather burning is damaging peat habitat, saying good managers want to “rewet” moors for grouse. It is claimed that there is. Illegal persecution of hedgehogs is widely associated with grouse blooms, but grouse moor managers claim the problem has decreased in recent years.
Since Wild Justice was formed, its two most important victories have fundamentally changed society. List of “Pest Birds” Birds Species such as jackdaws and jays, which play an important role in planting acorns in the countryside, are now widely protected and allowed to be photographed.
As another challenge, Natural England, the government's wildlife conservation organization, is tightening regulations on the release of up to 60 million exotic pheasants and red-footed partridges a year for bud collection, and is increasing the number of birds that are released near wildlife reserves. The release of birds into the area is restricted. Both species were placed on the list of problematic invasive species, which also includes the gray squirrel. This change ensures that wild birds are better protected from pheasants and red-footed partridges during avian influenza outbreaks.
“We have shown that there is another way to win conservation wins in the UK – by outsiders. All of this will change the way our statutory bodies and government work.” said Avery. “Ruth, Chris and I are sometimes considered revolutionaries, but using the law is a very middle-class way of changing the world. There are many laws that apply to conservation, and we all abide by them. If only they did, they would be very good laws.”
Mr Avery said conservation charities including the National Trust, RSPB and Wildlife Trusts – the latter of which he cited as the most effective of the three – were encouraging their members to get the point across to political parties. I believe we need to do more to mobilize. When Mr Avery was in the RSPB, he pointed out to Liberal Democrat MPs that there were more RSPB MPs in his constituency than there were in the majority, and MPs suddenly took notice.
“I get the impression that everyone is interested in football. There are thousands of people who are naturally interested, but not all of them will be in the crowd of 40,000 people on a Saturday afternoon. , it's just invisible. We're always told about the results of football. We're not told anything about the results of biodiversity. NGOs mobilize all these people and make them talk to politicians. We need to get back to writing letters to our members of Congress and threatening to vote for alternatives.”
Avery had only volunteered for Wild Justice, but now that Wild Justice is determined to continue pursuing the government over its wildlife failures, he will be replaced by a full-time staff member. said. “The relationship between environmental NGOs and governments and institutions is rather too cozy. We are not going to be friends with the government,” he said. “We want to make friends of Britain's wildlife. We act on their behalf. We see them as the disenfranchised people we work for. If you are affected by a rare moss in the forest that has a lot of pheasants scratching and eating everything, you cannot sue, but Wild Justice does. You can sue.”
