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2012
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209
pages
English
Ebooks
2012
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
02 juillet 2012
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781907807305
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
Devoted to birds and wildlife since childhood, Mark’s early scientific research at Oxford, Aberdeen and the RSPB provided a solid background for his management, ambassadorial, and political lobbying activities which were to follow – and his larger than life, yet quietly humane personality has provided the final tools in his own, unique, nature conservationists’ toolbox.
In this book, Mark mixes a great many stories from his professional life at the RSPB with personal anecdotes and passionate arguments on past and present issues in bird and nature conservation. He shows us something of the many scientists whose work paves the way for conservation action, places domestic conservation into an international context, takes us behind the scenes to glimpse the politicians who have worked with him, or against him, along the way. Mark leaves us armed with practical tips and a guiding philosophy to take wildlife conservation though the troubled years that lie ahead.
A personal, philosophical and political history of 25 years of bird conservation, this book provides an instructive and amusing read for all those who would like a glimpse into the birds and wildlife conservation world – what the issues are, what must be done, how it can be done, and the challenges, highs and lows involved.
1. Early years
2. Flow Country days
3. In the pink – roseate terns
4. Counting, cubes and curves
5. Is it ever right to be nasty to birds?
6. Special places
7. Hope for farmland birds
8. Reintroductions: putting something back
9. Nature reserves
10. Climate
11. The raptor haters
12. Trying to change the
13. Advocacy in practice
14. Snippets
15. Whither the RSPB?
16. The tangled bank
17. What we need to do to win
Index
Publié par
Date de parution
02 juillet 2012
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781907807305
Langue
English
Poids de l'ouvrage
1 Mo
Fighting for Birds: 25 years in nature conservation
Published by Pelagic Publishing www.pelagicpublishing.com PO Box 725, Exeter, EX1 9QU, UK
ISBN 978-1-907807-29-9 (Pbk) ISBN 978-1-907807-31-2 (Hbk)
Copyright © 2012 Mark Avery
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from the publisher.
While every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Pelagic Publishing, its agents and distributors will be held liable for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover portrait © Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) Cover background © Matthew Dixon (iStockphoto)
Foreword
I starteb this Book at the Beginning anb reab to the enb without stopping anb that, for me at least, is a rarity. ut then Mark Avery is a rarity too, as he has few, if any, equals in contemporary ritish conservation anb I was aBsolutely itching to biscover his ibeas, views anb visions in this eagerly awaiteb Book. It’s Been a long time in the making; Mark is in his fifties, But it’s Been worth the wait anb there is no bouBt that this Book will Be recogniseb as a truly important one. I bon’t use this term gliBly either, as I can only think of one other in this category that has mabe it onto my shelves in recent years. ut for ‘important’ please bo not reab in any way ‘worthy’, it’s just that here a tremenbously respecteb figure has confronteb a series of critical issues with bynamic aplomB. Anb I greatly enjoyeb it too. I bibn’t agree with all of it of course, But if anyone has the passion anb reason to change minbs on all matters wilblife anb conservation it is Mark Avery. So I learneb a tremenbous amount, unberstanb some key issues far Better now, sniggereb at some very tasty gossip anb abmireb the pragmatism anb clear thinking that has formulateb his authoritative views. It mabe me think anb that is always an essential component to a goob reab. It all Begins so gently with typical Boyhoob tales of a Bubbing Birber, Before bescriBing a formative ebucation in the company of some of recent ecology’s true giants anb some fascinating science, all enthusiastically explaineb, anb then charts Mark’s years of influence anb success at the RSP. ut this is very much a platform for what follows: honest Behinb the scenes betails anb clear explanations of the recent evolution of this influential charity, all with a fair spattering of canbib criticism thrown in. It therefore abbresses many of the criticisms anb concerns which unsettle some of the memBership, anb I’m sure will lay most to rest. Ultimately however, it is the climax of the Book which holbs most rewarb Because here one of our most respecteb anb knowlebgeaBle conservationists gets straight anb serious on the issues which commanb so much of our concern. Anb I’m sure some will finb controversy here. Not me. I reab anb saw real clarity, anb I felt hearteneb anb re-assureb that there are those with the courage to tell the harb truth aBout the health of, anb future hopes for, our nation’s wilblife. So for myself it’s a triumph, anb if you have any real interest in the joB of saving species anb their haBitats then it’s a tremenbously rewarbing ‘must reab’.
Chris Packham, April 2012
P.S. I can’t wait for volume two... mayBe he will beal with bomestic cats!
Preface
Writers write to influence their readers, their preachers, their auditors, but always, at bottom, to be more themselves. Āldous Huxley
This is a book about birds and wildlife and how to save them. It’s told through the BersBective of my 54 years on this Blanet, during most of which time I have been fascinated by, and in love with, the natural world. If you were to be utterly conventional and start at the beginning of the book and read through to the end, then you would Brogress from the Bast to the future, and from the Bersonal to the general. Throughout, I try to extract Barticular lessons and general truths from the instances and events described, whilst also trying to give the smells and the flavours of work in conservation - as it is actually done. There is a lot of me in this book, but it’s certainly not an autobiograBhy. There is nothing here of girls, marriage, family or love - exceBt a love affair with the natural world. ut in writing about nature I have diBBed into my own exBeriences and work over the years to tell a story of how nature conservation works in the UK. So there is quite a lot about birds I saw, Blaces I visited and BeoBle I met - but the hero, or heroine, is definitely Nature, not me. The first chaBter skiBs through more than half my life to exBlain the influences that made me a nature-lover, birder, naturalist and conservationist, and ends with me arriving at the RSP in 1986 as a scientist. The next two chaBters describe some of my early work as a scientist at the RSP involved in uBland afforestation issues in the far north of Scotland and roseate tern conservation from the UK to West Africa. These two areas, between them, introduced me to a wide range of the RSP’s conservation work from Bolicy to nature reserves in the UK and beyond. The bulk of the book consists of stories about different asBects of nature conservation told through my exBeriences at the RSP but also trying to extract the bigger messages from these events and to develoB an intellectual framework for nature conservation. This book is not a day-by-day, month-by-month, nor even year-by-year account of the life and times of an RSP Berson. Rather, it is a collection of thoughts and reflections on the birds, Blaces and BeoBle that I’ve encountered over a 25 year career in the world’s best nature conservation organisation - more than half of that time sBent in a senior Bost as Conservation Director. The last few chaBters try to make some sense of the broader state of UK nature conservation with its tangled bank of wildlife NGOs, and sets out some challenges for all of us who want to make the world a better Blace for nature. The views exBressed in this book are mine, not those of the RSP. Some of them are the views that I had to keeB to myself as an emBloyee and am now free to voice as a freelance writer and environmental commentator (ChaBters 10, 11, 15 and 16 are the main Blaces to find these). If you would like to keeB in touch with my writing and thoughts then I write a daily blog about UK wildlife issues atwww.markavery.info and a monthly column, ‘the Bolitical birder’, forBirdwatchmagazine.
Mark Avery, Northants, March 2012
Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public. Winston Churchill
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my family members (parents, wife and children) for putting up with me while I lived the experiences described in this book (and those that aren’t) and then for putting up with me again as I wrote about those experiences. I don’t think that I would have ended up having so much fun in nature conservation if it weren’t for the two school masters mentioned in Chapter 1, the late Derek Lucas and Tony Warren. I wouldn’t have had much of a career as a scientist if I hadn’t got off to a reasonable start with the help of Professor Tim Clutton-Brock FRS, Professor Lord Krebs FRS and Professor Paul Racey. Although they all sound terribly grand and important, and indeed they are, they were all kind and helpful to me at times when I needed kindness and help, and I thank them all for the chances they gave me. The late Colin Bibby recruited me to the RSPB and had popped in and out of my life in the years before. He was a great intellectual birder and influenced so many of us so deeply. When Colin moved on from the RSPB, Graham Wynne made the brave decision to appoint me as Colin’s replacement as Head of Conservation Science, and then several years later, when Graham became RSPB Chief Executive, he made another brave decision to appoint me as Conservation Director. I worked directly to Graham (now Sir Graham) for about 19 years and I can honestly say that he was only completely unreasonable a few times each year. I owe Graham an awful lot, as do so many others, and as does UK nature conservation, and it was a privilege to work closely with him for so long. The RSPB was a friendly and inspiring place to work. All my 25 years at the RSPB were happy ones and very few of the days were unhappy - that’s quite a thing to be able to say. Thank you to all my ex-colleagues from the lads in the Transport Office to those who worked closely with me, and from my Board colleagues to my long-suffering PAs (Anita McClune and Claire Farrar). I’d like to thank my successor at the RSPB, Martin Harper, for reading through this book on the RSPB’s behalf and not being too picky about it! Thank you also for pointing out one lapse of my memory which I have corrected but I wonder how many remain. Good luck in a great job and just remember not to be too nice to too many people! And there was this bloke I met... No, that’s enough thanks. There are so many people in nature conservation who are doing a really good job under difficult circumstances because they care about nature. To those I’ve worked with - thank you. To those I have yet to meet - I’m looking forward to it! Let’s hope we all win in the end.
Contents
Foreworb Preface Acknowlebgements
List of aBBreviations 1years Early 2Country bays Flow 3 In the pink - roseate terns 4 Counting, cuBes anb curves 5it ever right to Be nasty to Birbs? Is 6places Special 7 Hope for farmlanb Birbs 8putting something Back Reintrobuctions: 9 Nature reserves 10 Climate 11 The raptor haters 12to change the worlb Trying 13in practice Abvocacy 14 Snippets 15 Whither the RSP? 16 The tangleb Bank 17 What we neeb to bo to win
Inbex
National Farmers Union, 1908-
Friends of the Earth, 1969-
The Farmland Bird Index
Forestry Commission, 1919-
Joint Nature Conservation Committee, 1990 -*
Rare Breeding Birds Panel
Natural England, 2006-*
GcT/ GWcT
ASSI
Defra
Ec/EU
DEcc
cROW
cBc
ESA
NE
NFU
NGO
NERc
RSPB
Ramsar
RBBP
JNcc
IUcN
Ncc
NIEA
British Trust for Ornithology, 1932-
Countryside Council for Wales, 1990-*
Area of Special Scientific Interest
Agricultural Development and Advisory Service, 1971-1997 and continuing as a private concern,ADAS.Originally 1946-1971 as the National Agricultural Advisory Service (NAAS)
List of abbreviations
Common Birds Census
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act of 2000
Department Energy and Climate Change, 2008-
Department of the Environment, 1970-1997**
Environmentally Sensitive Area
Non-governmental Organisation (a generic term)
Natural Environment Research Council. An umbrella organisation with various responsibilities, 1967-
European Community, 1967-1993 / European Union, 1993 - present. Previously the European Economic Community1957-1967)
Nature Conservancy Council, 1973-1990*
Common Agricultural Policy
Breeding Bird Survey
Environment Agency, 1996-**
English Nature, 1990-2006*
British Ornithologists' Union, 1858-
Northern Ireland Environment Agency, 2008-*
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, 2001-present**
Game Conservancy Trust, 1931-2007 / Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, 2007-
BBS
BTO
cAP
BOU
ADAS
FBI
FoE
Fc
EN
ccW
DoE
EA
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, 1891- (Royal Charter
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1956 - present. Previously the International Union for the Preservation of Nature (IUPN)
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, 1971. Not actually an abbreviation, but the name of the place in Iran where the participating countries signed the convention, which names important wetland sites, called Ramsar sites.
RSPcA
SAc
ScAR ABBS
ScI
SEO
SNH
SPA
SSSI
WeBS
WWT
awarded 1904)
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 1824-
Special Area of Conservation
Statutory Conservation Agencies and RSPB Annual Breeding Bird Surveys
Site of Community Importance
Sociedad Espanola de Ornithologia, 1954-
Scottish Natural Heritage, 1990-*
Special Protection Area
Site of Special Scientific Interest
Wetland Bird Survey
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, 1946-. Initially the Severn Wildfowl Trust and then the Wildfowl Trust.
* Key dates in the history of UK Agençies responsible for wildlife matters
1949
1973
1990
1990
2006
2008
The Nature Conservancy (NC) established by act of parliament.
Nature Conservancy becomes The Nature ConservancyCouncil (NCC).
NCC split into four parts: English Nature (EN) / Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH - formed from Scottish part of NCC and the Countryside Commission for Scotland) / Countryside Council for Wales (CCW - similarity formed) / and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC - to serve all three agencies).
Countryside Agency: formed to take on the English responsibilities of the Countryside Commission (previously the Countryside Commission for England and Wales, then the Countryside Commission for England).
Natural England (NE) formed from English Nature and parts of the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency
Environment and Heritage Service renamed the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
** Key dates in the development of the Department of the Environment
1970-1997
1997-2001
1996-
2001-
Department of the Environment (DoE).
Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions(DETR).
Environment Agency. Formed to take over from the National Rivers Authority, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution, and the waste regulation authorities in England and Wales. Currently part of Defra.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
CHAPTER 1
Early years
Bird on the horizon sitting on the fence He’s singing his song for me at his own expense And I’m just like that bird oh oh Singing just for you Bob Dylan
was born quite early on the Saturday morning of Grand National day, 1958. Charles I Avery, my father, telephoned my mother Megan’s relations, the side of the family living in south Wales, to tell them the news. In those days few had telephones so the call went from my father to my uncle Peter who then spread the word of Megan’s child through the terraced houses of the Pontypool mining community. The message was passed concerning my arrival, gender, weight, number of fingers and toes, blue eyes and the general well-being of mother and baby. Uncle Peter then passed on the news through the day but soon realised that he and my father had dropped the ball somewhere in their conversation -what was this new baby’s name? After quite a bit of censure and teasing from the female side of the family (as he told me over 40 years later) he made his annual flutter on the big race. Scanning down the list of runners there was one that caught his eye because of the morning’s events, and he backed the winner of the Aintree National,Mr What,at 18/1 thanks to my birth. Despite the fact that National Hunt racing has been a lifelong interest, that is almost the last you will hear of it in this book which is not an autobiography. Rather, it is an account of experiences and thoughts about the world of nature and nature conservation. This chapter takes you from the day of the 1958 Grand National through to 1 April 1986, when I joined the staff of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and is a quick canter through the events that led to me working for the UK’s best nature conservation organisation. This chapter shows how random events - like a chance meeting in a pub - gave my life the nudge that sent it forward in a particular direction. It wasn’t inevitable that 28 years afterMr Whatwon the Grand National I would join the RSPB and work there for the next 25 years, but it was those apparently random choices and chances of friends and events that, looking back, and only looking back, made an RSPB career inevitable and just what I needed in life.
Early influences All my early years were spent either in Bristol or nearby. My father was a Bristolian whereas my mother was a miner’s daughter and nurse from south Wales. We first lived in the southern suburb of Brislington, close to where my father had been born, and then moved to almost within sight of fields in Whitchurch, and then further south again into the north Somerset village of Pensford, just seven miles from Bristol city centre but out in the countryside. Our holidays were spent in places like the Lake District, New Forest or mid-Wales and Sunday afternoons usually included a drive in the countryside whether to the Mendips, the Somerset Levels or the Cotswolds. I remember Dad pointing out the larger and commoner species such as kestrels, green woodpeckers and buzzards and we always thrilled when we saw a fox or a deer. But the countryside and the nature which lived in it were not in any way thrust upon me. They were on offer but no more so, as I can recall, than church architecture, cars, books, music, sport or a host of other interests. I collected stamps, made Airfix model aeroplanes, played war games and read voraciously from Enid Blyton through Conan Doyle to much of Hardy and most of Dickens, all by the age of 11. You’ll note that these were solitary pursuits. I was an only child and throughout my early education went to schools that were not those frequented by my neighbourhood
