10 June 2011
Two young men are being sought by police following the largest heath fire in Dorset for 35 years.
The pair were seen walking toward the A35 footbridge leading to Heights Road in Upton on Thursday.
Residents living nearby have returned to their homes after being evacuated when the fire spread rapidly over about one sq km (247 acres) of heath.
At its height, 200 firefighters were tackling the blaze which started at about 1400 BST.
Det Insp Jim Beashel, from Dorset Police, said: "This was a major incident that had a considerable impact on the community.
"I believe that those responsible are likely to have told friends or family about their involvement and would urge anyone with information to contact us urgently."
'It was panic'
Dorset Fire and Rescue's Neil Rickett said: "This fire was extremely difficult given the access and the high winds. The heath is quite marshy so it was difficult to get vehicles onto the heath."
Four people were treated after breathing in smoke and one firefighter was taken to hospital with exhaustion.
Another firefighter suffered minor burns to his arm, during what the fire service said was Dorset's biggest heath fire since 1976.
Resident Russell Bourton had water pumped from his swimming pool to fight the flames.
He said: "Within an hour the smoke was getting closer and closer. At one point I thought we were going to lose the house."
The flames came to within 100m (330ft) of Claire Graves' house.
She said: "We realised immediately it was around our house.
"It was panic - we didn't have time to pick anything up. We just had to get out for our own safety."
Fire crews remained on the site damping down on Friday, helped by rainfall during the morning.
Ecosystem affected
Dorset Wildlife Trust said the damage has put wildlife development in the area back about 25 years.
Steve Davis, from the trust, said it will have "massive implications".
He added: "It's not just the bigger animals that have been affected... it is the whole ecosystem, the insects, for example, would have been taken out by the smoke.
"The site is internationally important, it has all six species of British reptiles which are only found in a few selected locations in the south coast."
Homes in Beacon Road and Kingcup Close were among those evacuated. Properties in nearby Long Meadow Lane were also under threat at the height of the blaze.
Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles around and at one point was blowing across parts of the A35.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-13723882
Showing posts with label threat to conservation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label threat to conservation. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
WWF condemns oil exploration plans inside Africa’s iconic nature park
Virunga oil drilling
January 2011. WWF calls on UK listed companies SOCO and Dominion to abandon their oil exploration plans in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning these actions will undermine decades of work and successful and costly conservation efforts aimed at saving the park's unique nature.
Oil exploration
The UK-listed companies' plans to drill for oil will be costly for the area's precious and fragile biodiversity, including, chimpanzees, hippos, elephants and other rare species, as well as the local population who benefit from tourism and sustainable fishing inside the national park.
Africa's oldest National Park
Africa's oldest national park and the continent's first World Heritage Site, Virunga is home to many species of mammals, birds and reptiles, and an impressive diversity of landscape and habitats. It is also home to about 200, almost a quarter, of the earth's last remaining mountain gorillas. Armed groups are moving out of the park, and the enormous efforts put into conservation work is starting to pay off and the park's situation is finally improving. But with oil companies coming in all these achievements might be undermined.
Some 30,000 local fishermen who fish sustainably on the park's Lake Edward, a Ramsar protected site, will also suffer if drilling plans in the park go ahead.
After so many years of conservation and money invested in the Park by conservation groups, the international community and the government, it is devastating to see an oil company pursue profit with total disrespect for both the animals and the local Congolese. WWF calls on the Congolese government to guarantee and to enforce the existing oil exploration ban in the park designated World Heritage Site and asks the UK-listed companies to respect the law and international convention and to abandon their harmful plans for exploration.
Company maps seen by international media indicate that SOCO intends to drill through much of the park in areas with some of the highest savannah biomass in the world.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/virunga-oil.html
January 2011. WWF calls on UK listed companies SOCO and Dominion to abandon their oil exploration plans in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning these actions will undermine decades of work and successful and costly conservation efforts aimed at saving the park's unique nature.
Oil exploration
The UK-listed companies' plans to drill for oil will be costly for the area's precious and fragile biodiversity, including, chimpanzees, hippos, elephants and other rare species, as well as the local population who benefit from tourism and sustainable fishing inside the national park.
Africa's oldest National Park
Africa's oldest national park and the continent's first World Heritage Site, Virunga is home to many species of mammals, birds and reptiles, and an impressive diversity of landscape and habitats. It is also home to about 200, almost a quarter, of the earth's last remaining mountain gorillas. Armed groups are moving out of the park, and the enormous efforts put into conservation work is starting to pay off and the park's situation is finally improving. But with oil companies coming in all these achievements might be undermined.
Some 30,000 local fishermen who fish sustainably on the park's Lake Edward, a Ramsar protected site, will also suffer if drilling plans in the park go ahead.
After so many years of conservation and money invested in the Park by conservation groups, the international community and the government, it is devastating to see an oil company pursue profit with total disrespect for both the animals and the local Congolese. WWF calls on the Congolese government to guarantee and to enforce the existing oil exploration ban in the park designated World Heritage Site and asks the UK-listed companies to respect the law and international convention and to abandon their harmful plans for exploration.
Company maps seen by international media indicate that SOCO intends to drill through much of the park in areas with some of the highest savannah biomass in the world.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/virunga-oil.html
WWF condemns oil exploration plans inside Africa’s iconic nature park
Virunga oil drilling
January 2011. WWF calls on UK listed companies SOCO and Dominion to abandon their oil exploration plans in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning these actions will undermine decades of work and successful and costly conservation efforts aimed at saving the park's unique nature.
Oil exploration
The UK-listed companies' plans to drill for oil will be costly for the area's precious and fragile biodiversity, including, chimpanzees, hippos, elephants and other rare species, as well as the local population who benefit from tourism and sustainable fishing inside the national park.
Africa's oldest National Park
Africa's oldest national park and the continent's first World Heritage Site, Virunga is home to many species of mammals, birds and reptiles, and an impressive diversity of landscape and habitats. It is also home to about 200, almost a quarter, of the earth's last remaining mountain gorillas. Armed groups are moving out of the park, and the enormous efforts put into conservation work is starting to pay off and the park's situation is finally improving. But with oil companies coming in all these achievements might be undermined.
Some 30,000 local fishermen who fish sustainably on the park's Lake Edward, a Ramsar protected site, will also suffer if drilling plans in the park go ahead.
After so many years of conservation and money invested in the Park by conservation groups, the international community and the government, it is devastating to see an oil company pursue profit with total disrespect for both the animals and the local Congolese. WWF calls on the Congolese government to guarantee and to enforce the existing oil exploration ban in the park designated World Heritage Site and asks the UK-listed companies to respect the law and international convention and to abandon their harmful plans for exploration.
Company maps seen by international media indicate that SOCO intends to drill through much of the park in areas with some of the highest savannah biomass in the world.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/virunga-oil.html
January 2011. WWF calls on UK listed companies SOCO and Dominion to abandon their oil exploration plans in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning these actions will undermine decades of work and successful and costly conservation efforts aimed at saving the park's unique nature.
Oil exploration
The UK-listed companies' plans to drill for oil will be costly for the area's precious and fragile biodiversity, including, chimpanzees, hippos, elephants and other rare species, as well as the local population who benefit from tourism and sustainable fishing inside the national park.
Africa's oldest National Park
Africa's oldest national park and the continent's first World Heritage Site, Virunga is home to many species of mammals, birds and reptiles, and an impressive diversity of landscape and habitats. It is also home to about 200, almost a quarter, of the earth's last remaining mountain gorillas. Armed groups are moving out of the park, and the enormous efforts put into conservation work is starting to pay off and the park's situation is finally improving. But with oil companies coming in all these achievements might be undermined.
Some 30,000 local fishermen who fish sustainably on the park's Lake Edward, a Ramsar protected site, will also suffer if drilling plans in the park go ahead.
After so many years of conservation and money invested in the Park by conservation groups, the international community and the government, it is devastating to see an oil company pursue profit with total disrespect for both the animals and the local Congolese. WWF calls on the Congolese government to guarantee and to enforce the existing oil exploration ban in the park designated World Heritage Site and asks the UK-listed companies to respect the law and international convention and to abandon their harmful plans for exploration.
Company maps seen by international media indicate that SOCO intends to drill through much of the park in areas with some of the highest savannah biomass in the world.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/virunga-oil.html
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