Misinformation

A petition came up in my Facebook feed to 'protect our forest stream', of course it caught my attention. It told of plans to destroy a 'natural' stream and 'ruin' the 'natural' environment, it had photos which it said reflected previous 'failed' projects. Moving stuff. Except, it was all disingenuous bollocks, probably done with the best of intensions. It just so happens I'd come across a blog post by a local MP from which the petition derived heavily, and which was so inaccurate and ill informed it beggared belief, although being from an MP had an air of authority, but was little more than nimbyism with an anti EU sub text.  The Bog woodland restoration project is a higher stewardship project partly funded by the EU, and it's been running for over 20 years now, I reckon. I'll admit that when I first came across the diggers in the forest remodelling streams I'd grown up with and loved, I was horrified. Although with some research my fears and doubts were allayed, and as the restored streams and their environs healed any lingering fears and doubts were dispelled. The truth of the matter is, all too often what we perceive as natural, is in fact far from it.  Many of the forest streams (pre restoration) were nothing more than Victorian drains to aid forestry, much of the streams environs were plantation woodland too, not natural. The Bog woodland restoration program has returned these streams to the pre Victorian meandering courses, restored a more natural woodland environ and through those actions benefited nature greatly. The Victorian straightened streams were quite sterile, or at best had limited diversity, the waters ran too fast and the drained environs inhospitable to the forests natural flora and insect life.  I didn't know that at the time and though it was how it should have been. Now though along the restored and well healed sections of meandering streams the increased diversity in flora and insect life is clearly visible.  The once empty streams teem with aquatic flora, a huge variety of insects are now present, fish have begun to return and with them an increased number birds such as Egrets, which I don't remember seeing pre restoration. The stream banks, now free from the scouring of fast flowing waters, host a myriad of plants, which also attract increased and diverse wildlife. The environs too have changed markedly, whereas the  straight drains (streams) channelled the water from the land and swiftly out of the forest, the restored streams slow that process down making the environ and the forest in general seasonally wetter, preventing flooding in the adjoining urban areas and increasing the fertility and diversity of the woodland. So, far from destroying a 'natural' stream and ruining the 'natural' environment, this restoration program is enhancing and to a degree (a tiny degree, mind) re-wilding a environment much diminished by human activity.

And, I say all this not being a big fan of conservation per se, what with it myriad inherent problems, born of its species and arbitrary period specific methodology.  Want to know what I'm going on about? Check out 'Feral' by George Monbiot, he explains it better than me. 

Anyway, my point? Question everything, never take things on face value, no matter how emotive or well meaning they may appear. Misinformation in our information age is rife. But hey, don't take my word though.