UK: Campaigners Call for Legal Protection on Woodlands
Copyright 2001 The Press Association
November 21, 2001
By Amanda Brown, Environment Correspondent, PA News
Ancient woodlands face daily threats of destruction due to a lack of legal protection, campaigners have warned.
Now to highlight the problem, a leading conservation charity has "created" a wood in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London to illustrate the national loss of tree cover.
Conservation charity The Woodland Trust will show that until the late 1600s, much of the area around the Square was wooded. A map of the area dated 1548 shows there was a small wooded enclosure, roughly from Admiralty Arch along Cockspur Street, and the site of the National Gallery was fields.
Actress and environmentalist Prunella Scales will mark National Tree Week this week by announcing that public fears for the future of trees and woods has led to a dramatic rise in active Trust membership.
At the start of this week membership of the charity reached 100,000, growing by 60% in the past two years.
Prunella will reveal survey results that show more than 80% believe ancient woodland is the UK's equivalent of the tropical rainforest and think it should have more protection.
Other findings from the survey show:
85% of people agree that having more woods around urban areas would help us stay in touch with nature.
65% said that seeing woods on their way to school, work or the shops made them feel less stressed.
Some 85% of ancient woodlands have no national proactive designation, which means ancient trees and woods can be damaged or destroyed.
Yet the trust says there would be a national outcry if the National Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields and Nelson's Column were ripped down. But such devastation is unlikely since these monuments are legally protected.
The Woodland Trust campaigns for better protection of ancient woodland, which is one of the richest habitats for wildlife and home to many protected species, including dormice and bats.
Prunella Scales said: "People are waking up to the value of the United Kingdom's woodland heritage, and it's reassuring to know that over the past 30 years, the Trust has acquired more than 1,100 woods, many of which were under threat.
"Now we can all do our bit to help by becoming members and help to ensure that future generations continue to enjoy the beauty of our woodland."