It's quite interesting, isn't it, that the Government is getting into a bit of a tight spot over forestry sell-offs and lease-offs. People aren't uniformly enthusiastic about small government when it comes to slimming down the Forestry Commission and handing things over to Big Society. And to be fair, it's difficult to find much of Big Society that seems terribly keen on it either.
I was at an excellent conference on Saturday, organised by the Sussex Ornithological Society, where, after my talk, I was asked a question about forest sell-offs. The line that I gave was, of course, the same as in this blog. And it seemed to be pretty much what the audience thought too - dispose of some commercial forests, with safeguards, by all means, but protect the biodiversity-rich heritage sites.
And the same issues will be coming along with NNRs soon too.
As publicised over the Christmas break, a group of NGOs including the RSPB have agreed some principles about whether we would be prepared to take on heritage sites from NE and FC.
A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.
Johno, Well well what a suprise the Big Society people are flogging our Woodland off, i wonder who will benefit ? somewhere perhaps for the idle Rich to pursue there love of wildlife by shooting every Animal & Bird that comes into there shotgun sights. This is another example of this goverment and there savage cuts, another example is that many Councils will be cutting there Ranger & Park Warden services throughout the country. These people are on the frontline in protecting our wildlife and when there gone no amount of voluntary groups are going to be able fill there roles properly regardless of what the Chief Executive of the RSPB thinks in his Column in the RSPB magazine. I find it wrong for this one person to express his obvious pro goverment views, the RSPB should be neutral but it appears the Chief Executive is not, i and many other members do not share his views, i think these cuts are going to be a disaster for our wildlife & countryside.