Oh dear oh dear! I am rather annoyed at journalist John Humphrys quote in the Mail today regarding the massive and devastating fires in Greece that have caused so many deaths and destruction.
The quote that boiled my blood - "The rest of the peninsula - nearly as big as Wales - has yet to be discovered by the package tourist and probably never will. For that, much thanks. This is a corner of Europe we need to preserve."
Reading through the article I am getting the telepathic message that Mr Humphrys is more worried about his corner of Greece being mauled by developers should the woodland near his home go up in smoke.
There are suggestions in today's press that developers have started, or paid others to start, the forest fires that have wiped out so much of this delightful country.
If the trees and scrub close to John Humphrys house in a Peloponnese village are burnt away then Greek law will allow development. Luckily for John Humphrys the wind from the sea will probably keep the flames from venturing near his oasis so he can probably be assured of summers rest after a busy winter on Radio 4.
I am not suggesting for one minute that these fires are a good thing for Greece. This is one Greek Tragedy that will spread misery for years both to the people who have lost a loved one, or in some cases their whole family, the economy and not to mention the re-development issues.
Regeneration
Perhaps it is the wrong time to talk about scrub clearance using the burning method in the wake of the Greek fires but just as burning off of heathland helped heather regeneration and ecology on areas such as the New Forest and indeed around the military training areas of Bordon, Oakhanger and Longmoor (pages 52 and 53 offer a glimpse of the rare wildlife and plants that can be found on these special sites) where I grew up as boy.
There is no doubt that uncontrolled burning caused casualties when lizards, rabbits, slow worms, grass snakes, voles, mice, fox cubs, badgers and even young dear were caught up in the raging fires which I recount were on occasions started deliberately too. The Army Fire Brigade based at the Bordon Garrison would attend and they always seemed to know the culprits.
However, controlled burning of small areas were a well practised and a very effective way of regenerating the heather.
Less than a year later these areas were said to be teaming with wildlife again and I firmly believe that many habitats that today are under threat because they have been let to exhaust themselves of the resources that the insects and 'starter' courses of the food chain need to flourish.
Areas which are burnt start to create opportunities for a refreshed ecology and it should be considered in habitat and woodland management once again.
The Heather Trust for England and Wales have produced some great information on how our countryside benefits from controlled burning.
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