Back on 28 September I promised that you would be amongst the first to know the outcome of our negotiations aimed at getting agreement on how the Highways Agency will safeguard stone curlews as part of their proposal to dual the A11. Here's a link to the web page that tells you some of the background to the case.
Well, the news is very good (and hopefully you will see some of the media coverage).
I’m writing this as colleagues on the other side of the office are crafting the final words that will allow us to withdraw our objection to the Highways Agency’s proposals (though I will have delayed posting this until the ink is dry!)
So, what does all this mean for stone curlews (pictured) currently sunning themselves in North Africa? The Highways Agency has agreed to deliver sufficient mitigation to ensure that the dualling of the A11 has no impact on the stone curlew population of the Brecks. What does ‘deliver sufficient mitigation’ mean? In essence, this will mean bringing a sufficient area of land in the Brecks into exactly the right condition for 11 pairs of stone curlews which will neutralise the predicted impact of the faster, busier and better-illuminated A11. There is good evidence that these goggle-eyed nocturnal birds are badly affected by disturbance – hence the RSPB’s long-term concern with this proposal.
The stone curlews are getting a good deal, but it’s worth considering the wider implications of this result. We simply would not have achieved this outcome without the Birds Directive. The Breckland Special Protection Area is designated for these special birds so that planning and decisions on development proposals have to account for any likely effect – we should expect nothing else for our most important places for wildlife.