Going Dutch
The Dutch are spending millions of Euros creating new areas of woodland, wetland and heathland to help wildlife move to new sites as climate change alters existing habitats.
Bridges, overpasses and underpasses, planted to resemble natural habitats, are also being built in Switzerland, Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe linking old and new sites and providing safe passage for animals over or under new transport routes.
The RSPB believes that UK governments should also be funding schemes to help wildlife adapt to climate change and new developments. The need for new sites is behind our plan to transform Wallasea Island in Essex into a huge wetland to help declining birds like redshank, lapwing and curlew and other wildlife including otters, saltwater fish and plants.
But the UK already has any number of sites where wildlife is protected and, with a population of more than 60 million and growing, and food shortages and soaring food prices worldwide, how can we justify giving up more land to wildlife?
The Netherlands has a population of only 16.5 million but at 16,000 square miles, is the 25th most densely populated country in the world. The UK, which covers 94,000 square miles, is 51st in the population density league. That means we too should be able to find more land for wildlife.
On farmland, landowners can be paid to use measures that help certain species without it affecting crop production. At the RSPB’s Grange Farm in Cambridgeshire, crop yield is almost unchanged in ten years but the number of birds has almost doubled.
In urban areas like the Thames Gateway, green, wildlife-friendly expanses of land have been incorporated and are improving quality of life for residents and workers. In the south-west, maps are available highlighting to councils the best wildlife sites but also the locations with most potential for habitat creation or restoration.
These initiatives reflect collaboration between conservationists, planners and developers and the use of existing government advice and measures under EU law. Other authorities should take note, employ a conservation expert and put into practice the advice they receive.
Mark Twain once urged: ‘Buy land, they’re not making it anymore’ and it is true that they are not. But the Dutch have proved that you can accommodate people, development and wildlife without having to buy extra land either. The UK has the means to do that too.