Press release from Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust is challenging the Government’s proposals for high speed rail which threatens 160 wildlife sites between London and Birmingham.
The Wildlife Trust is part of a powerful alliance of major national charities calling for a national transport strategy that takes account of environmental impacts.
Nine groups including the Chiltern Society, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Woodland Trust have signed The Right Lines Charter * which sets out guidelines for high speed rail development.
Philippa Lyons, chief executive of the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust says: “As it stands, HS2 is on track to deliver a damaged natural environment. We need efficient and sustainable transport systems but they must not be achieved at the expense of the environment.
“The proposed HS2 route will fragment the landscape, threaten important wildlife sites and undermine action to support nature’s recovery. Breaking up habitats is one of the biggest causes of wildlife loss, and the Government seems to want to do this in spite of its ambition to be ‘green’,” says Philippa.
“You would expect a project of this magnitude to have a comprehensive Strategic Environmental Assessment, looking at all aspects of the project, but the Government has not done this.”
The proposed route threatens to irreparably damage several important wildlife sites in Buckinghamshire including Calvert Jubilee Nature Reserve, the Colne Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest and 10 ancient woodlands.
“We are responding in the strongest terms to the HS2 proposal, and urge everyone who cares for local wildlife to complete the HS2 questionnaire and write to their MP. It doesn’t matter where people live, their opinions still count. The website bbowt.org.uk has useful information,” says Philippa.
People can give their views online at the Department for Transport website, by post and at the HS2 road-shows where there are detailed maps for HS2 in each locality.
The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust is one of seven Wildlife Trusts affected by the High Speed Rail route between London and Birmingham.
Notes- Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) is one of 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK working to achieve the shared aim of securing a better future for wildlife. BBOWT’s vision is to create a region rich in wildlife and appreciated by all. BBOWT manages 80 nature reserves across the three counties, works with other agencies and individuals to help safeguard the wider countryside, and aims to inspire people to take action for wildlife. BBOWT has over 52,000 members. Find out more at www.bbowt.org.uk.
