During the Second World War small groups of people were thinking about how wildlife and the countryside might best be conserved in the hoped-for aftermath of the conflict. From such discussions emerged in 1949 the Nature Conservancy, the first government conservation body in Britain. It sought to protect examples of heaths, meadows, moorland and coppiced […]
Category: Polls
POLL: Should the illegal otter trade in India be stopped?
A new TRAFFIC report sheds light on the intensifying illegal trade in Asian otters for their skin as well as the rise in illegal otter pet trade. India is a hotspot of otter poaching, according to a new report by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Of the 167 otter seizures in South and Southeast Asia […]
POLL: Should the UK halt its failed badger cull policy?
The imminent expansion of England’s controversial badger cull “flies in the face of scientific evidence”, according to the nation’s foremost experts, who have called on new prime minister, Theresa May, to halt the “failed” policy. The scientists say the badger cull, intended to curb tuberculosis in cattle, is a “risky, costly, and inhumane” distraction and […]
POLL: Should France enforce the law protecting the Ortolan Bunting?
The French population of the Ortolan Bunting (Emberiza hortulana) has declined by 50-75% in the last 30 years. This, despite hunting of the species being forbidden by law since 1979. It was even made a protected species in 1999. However, each year, about 30.000 Ortolan Buntings are illegally trapped and killed during the autumn migration […]
POLL: Should the EU support a total ban on the ivory trade?
Wildlife officials in nearly 30 African states say they are appalled by an EU decision to oppose a comprehensive global ban on the ivory trade. In a position paper released on 1 July, the European commission said that rather than an all-encompassing ban it would be better to encourage countries with growing elephant numbers to […]
POLL: Should Spain’s “Running of the Bulls” festival be banned?
Five people were hurt, including one seriously, at Spain’s famed San Fermin running of the bulls festival, which was also marred by five arrests over allegations of sexual assault, authorities said. Those hurt fell as they were chased by six rampaging bulls on a two-and-a-half minute dash through the narrow streets of Pamplona on the […]
POLL: Should the slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroes be stopped?
Last week a pod of 30-50 pilot whales was slaughtered in the first grindadráp (grind) of the year, on the island of Viðoy in the Danish Faroe Islands archipelago. The ordeal began this morning when locals spotted a pod of between 100-150 pilot whales passing by Svínoy. Several boats then drove the pod of whales […]
POLL: Should the EU’s extension of the Glyphosate license be stopped?
As expected, the European Commission has extended the license for glyphosate for 18 months. Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis announced the last-minute re-licensing on June 28 despite failing three times in a row to secure a majority decision from the European Union’s member states. The EU’s current approval of glyphosate had been set to expire on Thursday but due to the member […]