(My) First Berus of the Season!

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

I did not write what you seem to have read, Ilian.

* The "gardening" I am referring is nature conservation management. The shown examples have no such goal, I'm sure.
* I love deserts (especially if you bend the definition to include the US ones). I was referring to (practically) irreversible alternate stable states caused by human action. I am talking about this chronology:
(1) high biodiversity area,
(2) suffers severely loss,
(3) all human impact seizes,
(4) subsequent 'natural evolution', leading to a long-lasting steady state of low biodiversity.
Think of the desertification in Crete or the spread of Eucalyptus.
If you let it be, you have accept permanent biodiversity loss. If we can manage the place to make up for the biodiversity loss (mitigation, reversal, ...), I say: let's do it (catholic guilt complex, anyone?). This is particularly crucial for species with limited dispersal capacity in fragmented habitat patches in human landscape. There are practically no "wild places" in Europe. No other continent underwent man-induced alteration for such a long time and on such scale. So, we'll have to live with the "gardening" or let it all go to hell.

We've all had this discussion before. I'd rather read about what all of YOU are doing about biodiversity loss near your home or anywhere else. I'm hardly an optimist, quite the opposite, really, but I get a little bit annoyed by angry bystanders who cannot be bothered to participate in conservation and decision making. Anyone can at least try to voice views to make things better for the herps.

Finally, I think the weather is too nice for this type of talk. I think I need to go and try to find a "wild place".

[Ilian Velikov]

I'd rather read about what all of YOU are doing about biodiversity loss near your home or anywhere else. I'm hardly an optimist, quite the opposite, really, but I get a little bit annoyed by angry bystanders who cannot be bothered to participate in conservation and decision making. Anyone can at least try to voice views to make things better for the herps.

Well, growing up in a fairly poor country like Bulgaria I was thought that if I go and study biology the only job I'll get is "as a vet helping cows to give birth" for which you get paid pretty much nothing...it sounds stupid but sadly it's not far from the truth. So as much as I wanted I didn't study biology and unfortunately today my job has nothing to do with it. It might sound like a silly excuse but I'm too busy to work my ass off (in other areas than conservation) in order to keep my family alive, and I really can't afford to spend time volunteering in "conservation gardening" in the local park. Otherwise, in the little free time I have I combine spending time with my wife (fortunately she enjoys it too) and surveying the tiny local adder population (in Greater London) which is under severe pressure, drawing their head patterns to try and count how many there are and how their numbers change under the pressure of flooding, human interference, etc., and sending my data to local proper conservationists; Both me and my wife are members of the local wildlife trust so we contribute a small amount of our small monthly budget to conservation; I voice my views to people whenever I get a chance, e.g. catching a Dice snake to show the Bulgarian kids who noticed it in the river while swimming that it's not dangerous and explaining to them and their parent why they shouldn't kill it; Reporting illegal trade of wild animals back in Bulgaria, and eventually after the authorities failed to do anything about it I bought some Emys (couldn't afford to buy everything) and released them in a reservoir I knew already had a population of them; Also helping make herps more popular through my art....It might not be the serious conservation work that you do and I'm very sorry that I can't afford to do more but I'd like to think I'm a bit more than an "angry bystander", and if you hire me so I can live from it I'd love to get seriously involved in conservation. I'll be very happy and you'll be less annoyed by my arguments

Anyway, I'm sure there's truth in the conservation views of both of us, and I really don't want to start a long discussion. One thing is sure, we won't run out of things to talk about if we meet one day

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

If you thought I was talking about doing manual labor, that's incorrect. Also, this was a call to everyone on the forum, nothing personal. I did appreciate the story that I should be happy with not having to bring baby cows into the world, though

I am referring to pushing local authorities and land owners to take care about what's there, especially if international and national legislation demands it. Subsidy funding may even be available that they are unaware of. I didn't use the word "exploit" accidentally when I mentioned the Habitat Directive. Anyone (and getting personal for a second, you for sure, Ilian) can do this, backing it with your own insights and observations on site, regardless of your education or job type. It often brings rather additional sadness than satisfaction, but we can only try to sustain populations of the animals we like so much. If we don't use the HD to challenge destruction of crested newt or yellow-bellied toad sites, it's useless as a whole to my mind.

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

eventually after the authorities failed to do anything about it I bought some Emys (couldn't afford to buy everything) and released them in a reservoir I knew already had a population of them

+ for animal welfare
- for reducing future poaching (basic supply-and-demand logic)

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

It might not be the serious conservation work that you do

I have never been caught doing anything serious in my life. Ever.

[Jeroen Speybroeck]

surveying the tiny local adder population (in Greater London) which is under severe pressure, drawing their head patterns to try and count how many there are and how their numbers change under the pressure of flooding, human interference, etc., and sending my data to local proper conservationists

That's the stuff!

[Will Atkins]

Ilian - YOU are a local proper conservationist yourself , speaking as one of those who you kindly supply data to!

[Ilian Velikov]

If you thought I was talking about doing manual labor, that's incorrect. Also, this was a call to everyone on the forum, nothing personal.

No I didn't think you're talking about that. It was just an example because this is one of the few conservation activities you can get involved in if you don't have a degree in this field. As I said I can't afford the time to volunteer for this let alone more time consuming work that would involve traveling and long hours on the field. As for alerting authorities and pushing them to take actions I agree with you. Personal or not you're statement was provoked by my words, so I couldn't help but feel that you consider me one of those "angry bystanders" you were talking about.

I did appreciate the story that I should be happy with not having to bring baby cows into the world, though

Yeah you should be happy. Generally I don't lack a sense of humour but I don't find this particularly amusing because this more or less prevented me from studying/working something that I have a passion for and I regret it ever since.

+ for animal welfare- for reducing future poaching (basic supply-and-demand logic)

I was sure you'll bring that up you're right of course about the supply-demand logic but as I said I didn't just gave money to a poacher I also contacted the CITES office in Bulgaria and asked them to take action against him and all the others (it was a whole market) hoping I won't have to do this again. I just couldn't stand the sight of a turtle in a dirty bucket with a centimetre of muddy water.

Ilian - YOU are a local proper conservationist yourself , speaking as one of those who you kindly supply data to!

I wouldn't go that far and consider myself as such but thanks Will. I'm trying to help as much as I can, and at the same time try to compensate, at least a little, for the missed opportunity to be a field biologist

[Ilian Velikov]

So just to get this thread back on topic...