BBC Radio 4 "Nature" programme

Blurry eyed? You didn't have to drive back to Essex afterwards

• Pre-management survey for protected species

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Tony the Hartland thread is still on the forums, despite a few noises from some quarters that it shouldn't be..

JC, as you know I've just set up a reptile survey at a private reserve on behalf of the EARG..I believe also that it is the way forward, where people manage with common sense not budgets.

It isn't just herp interest either, the place is teaming with rare inverts and surprise surprise there will be very little to advise regarding herps, it is already A1 diverse habitat though the survey results will be of great interest for comparisons. We hope to add another 30 acres of strategically placed Essex meadow ASAP.

Brett, Merv has been advising me for the past few years to just move on if people won't listen, don't waste time with it you'll just end up as bitter as I am. Accused of single species management simply because I wanted to safeguard an adder hibernaculum. Still they can always restock with animals moved by consultants can't they

As far as the widespread species are concerned, we can look to the wider countryside and away from gardened 'reserves' where money and the public are the primary importance. Still, in the process don't discount everything, there are some very good wardens out there, just avoid the hierarchy would be my advice.

Tony you have my total sympathy. I might not have known individuals for the many years you have followed them but I feel the total frustration when I see an area destroyed and I can picture exactly where all the individual snakes I've recorded were when it happened or their plight when they emerge from hibernation and all the familiar cover is gone. There is something about working with adder, and that is you just canÆt help getting to know them..

There is a huge frustration when you stand on one side with simple compassion for the animals you study backed by survey data and the other side is some ar***** behind a desk coming out with generic arguments and anecdotal comments whilst the snakes habitat is destroyed for eternity.

Steve,

KRAG is currently looking into building a dossier of case studies. Perhaps this will be taken up further.

I have a lovely one for Essex, I would publish the emails I received from someone at the NT regarding a report I wrote after voluntarily surveying of a local 'wildlife reserve' ... but for some reason I never heard back from him when I asked if his comments were carefully thought out and suitable for public publication.

A number of nature conservation organisations believe they are exempt from the WCA and can ignore protected species legislation. Their interpretations of the wording are creative to say the least. The bottom line is there needs to be a prosecution to make them listen. One excuse is they cannot afford to carry out pre-management surveys, well wake up people you can't afford to carry out the project and comply with the law in that case.

It appears to be a recurring theme in UK nature conservation that so called conservationists destroy habitat of rarer species whilst trying to improve it for something else they may never have on the site