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RIGHTS OF WAY WATCH
Natural England caught red-handed
Steve Yandall says that Natural England told him that the HEATH Project in Cornwall suffered from "local maladministration". Not true.
A document he has just received from Europe confirmed "an NE Director as having signed an agreement in 2006 to use Cornwall as an European "landscape scale" grazing trial."
Says Steve,
"This ,of course,indicates more widespread maladministration as;
1. This was done with no public participation or consultation.
2. This referred to historic practises when the science cannot support historic practises on sites which until recently (60-120yrs) were mine waste sites. Heather being amongst the first colonisers. The occurence of coastal heathland in Cornwall is as much to do with mining as historic grazing practises. The document also failed to account for SB Chapman's self sustaining heaths.
3. This document gave no 'cross border' definition of heathland to which conservators could work but did include a monitoring clause. How can that which is ill defined be monitored and how can monitoring be achieved when NE state that they can only visit sites every 18-36 months?
4. The document also failed to address the funding necessary to ensure success through information, training and support for the yeomen charged with implementation."
Adds Steve,
"My fear is that in launching landscape scale initiatives without developing a support structure for farmers/landowners initiatives are doomed not only to biological failure but social and economic failure BEYOND the schemes boundaries.
"Environmentally, financially and socially the UK and NE cannot countenance another ESA type failure but, it appears, that the means to ensure success remain unadopted?"
Do you agree with Steve ?
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Natural England caught red-handed. Part Two.
Steve Yandall says that Natural England told him that the HEATH Project in Cornwall suffered from "local maladministration". Not true.
Steve Yandall also says the contract itself was flawed and can be shown to be.
Says Steve
"NE contracted to monitor this 'experiment' but,in reality,cannot do so.I have been told that monitoring can only be done once every 18-36 months.
"ELS/HLS recipients are not in a position to guarantee success as they have neither the training or support to protect or sustain this precious heritage.
"A landscape scale trial relying so heavily on grazing and being launched over such a short time will homogenise and erode one of Cornwall's greatest differentiators. Can it be coincidental that CWT are launching a similar landscape scale project at the same time?
"I fully believe that Natural England do not have the means,vision or accountability necessary to guarantee the success of this project.Without guarantees(and guarantors)and legal compliance nothing should have been progressed.
"Without utilising mixed management NE becomes a vehicle for negative change. Cornwall's character was built through multiple human impacts and in failing to consider ALL the variables before agreeing this action,in failing to ensure success through failing to maintain poor support and monitoring structures and in failing to communicate this initiative to the Cornish public thus denying them the right to determine their own future surroundings NE have created a trial weighted toward failure.
"I leave you with the fact that NE admits overgrazing on the Lizard National Nature Reserve (below Goonhilly).If an NE permanently wardened area can have failures how can they look to success on a landscape scale?"