Bid to protect local wildlife
East Lothian residents are being invited to submit their views on a soon-to-be implemented strategy aimed at protecting plants and animals that are threatened with extinction.
Some very familiar plants and animals are threatened with extinction in East Lothian, including grey partridge on farms, swifts and bats in towns, bluebell in our woods and water voles along our rivers.
As well as the familiar species, unusual species need conserving, such as beetles, mosses, lichens and spiders. A strategy to help all these species has been produced for East Lothian — the East Lothian Biodiversity Action Plan (ELBAP).
The ELBAP was first produced in 2003.
A lot of very useful and interesting work has been done since then, including the building of ponds on Haddington Golf Course, the sowing of wildflower meadows in towns and projects to help birds on farms.
These projects are taken forward by a range of people, including farmers, foresters, conservationists, planners and businesses.
Website
Biodiversity Officer at East Lothian Council Stuart Macpherson is asking for people's views on the ELBAP before the new strategy is launched.
Copies of the ELBAP can be found in libraries, community centres and on the Countryside section of the East Lothian Council website.
Copies have also been sent to every community council, local councillor and council manager. "The ELBAP is a plan that should be implemented by everybody and so we want people to comment on the plan first," said Stuart.
He added: "A list of habitats and species that need urgent conservation action has been produced for Scotland.
Rivers
"A similar list of priorities has been produced for East Lothian and it includes nearly 300 species and about 30 habitats.
"These include coastal areas, woodlands, farms, towns and rivers, as well as rocky places and wetlands.
"The ELBAP describes these priorities and lists conservation actions that need to be implemented to help our biodiversity survive.
"Biodiversity in East Lothian has benefited over the last five or six years through a variety of projects involving all sorts of people.
"A project to help farmland birds has nearly doubled the number of grey partridge and increased the numbers of many other birds"
Click here to go to East Lothian Council's countryside section
Full report in East Lothian News, May 9, 2008
Some parts of East Lothian are protected because of the important wildlife they contain, but this amounts only to about 10 per cent of the county.
The biodiversity process aims to encourage wildlife across the remaining 90 per cent of the county. The need for a biodiversity process remains as urgent now as it was 15 years ago.
If people would like to have an input on the ELBAP, comments should be submitted to Stuart Macpherson, Biodiversity Officer, East Lothian Council, Haddington, EH41 3HA, by May 16.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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