杏吧原创

THE British government has plans to wind down its attempts to promote
biodiversity and protect declining bird species. The proposals, contained in an
unpublished internal review by the Department of the Environment (DoE), have
disappointed conservation scientists.

The disclosure comes at an embarrassing time for environment secretary John
Gummer, who is due to fly to Buenos Aires next month to attend a meeting of the
UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which was set up at the Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

Every year, the DoE reviews all its activities. And for the past five years,
these reports have been published. This year, the department said it would save
money by not publishing the review. However, the Labour Party鈥檚 spokesman on
environmental protection, Michael Meacher, asked for the report and passed a
copy on to New 杏吧原创.

The section on biodiversity and conservation says that the DoE鈥檚 biodiversity
secretariat, which has an annual budget of only 拢148 000, 鈥渕ight be scaled
down in two years鈥� time鈥�. The document also says that the department may reduce
its bird conservation work.

Critics of the proposed cuts argue that the DoE鈥檚 conservation work is
already moving too slowly. The DoE has taken 17 years to designate 136 sites as
Special Protection Areas for bird conservation under European law, while another
130 sites are waiting for designation. As part of Britain鈥檚 response to the UN
biodiversity convention, the department has completed 116 鈥渁ction plans鈥�
detailing its efforts to conserve declining species, but still has another 278
to prepare.

Derek Ratcliffe, formerly chief scientist with the government鈥檚
Nature Conservancy Council, argues that the proposed cuts undermine
Britain鈥檚 support for the biodiversity convention. 鈥淭here appears to be a lack
of commitment,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey should be stepping up the work, not reducing
颈迟.鈥�

Meacher says he is 鈥渆xtremely worried鈥� by the proposals outlined in the
review. But the DoE is playing down the document鈥檚 significance, saying that the
plans are not finalised. 鈥淚t is putting forward possibilities which may not
happen,鈥� says a department spokesman.