Wildlife, rate rise, nuclear energy and bus to Fairlop

Paul Donovan, Dangan Road, Wanstead, writes:

The latest David Attenborough series, A Perfect Planet, finished with stark warnings as to how precarious the future looks.

The world is now in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, with 500 species of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles on the verge of extinction.

Half of all insects are believed to have been lost since 1970 due to the destruction of nature and heavy use of pesticides.

The devastation being caused by the way human beings live at the moment is causing untold damage.

The green lungs of the planet, such as the Amazon Rainforest, are rapidly being felled. These precious biodiversity resources cannot be restored in the short term once they have gone.

The repercussions for humans are also pretty horrific, with the Covid-19 pandemic an example of what could increasingly happen moving forward.

The Attenbourgh programme did show some signs of hope, where positive developments are contributing to save and develop biodiversity, as well as cut global emissions.

One positive development worldwide has been the rewilding movement. This has seen whole areas being returned to more like their natural state, allowed to develop unmolested.

In places like the Knepp estate in West Sussex, original species like Dartmoor ponies, Tamworth pigs and longhorn cattle have returned and prospered.

The work is truly remarkable and is spreading out right across the country.

At local level, Redbridge has been seeking to increase the amount of land given to wilding. The growzone initiative started in Wanstead has been one notable success.
Now, the extinction threat has been picked up with the new Endangered in Wanstead campaign, highlighting 10 species that are struggling to survive in our local area.

The project, organised by Wild Wanstead, the Wren Wildlife and Conservation Group and London Wildlife Trust has singled out the house sparrow, hedgehog, skylark, swift, common toad, pipistrelle bat, smooth newt, tawny mining bee, stag beetle and common blue butterfly as at risk.

The campaign will seek to involve local stakeholders to all play a part in preserving and promoting the future existence of these threatened creatures.

It is incredible to think how many species that used to be plentiful have diminished. Some 30 or 40 years ago, house sparrows used to be a common sight around Wanstead gardens, now much less so.

Hedgehogs were once a common sight in the gardens of Wanstead (Image: PA Images)

Then there are the hedgehogs, which are now a rarity.

If we begin to act to help out by creating the sort of environments where these creatures can prosper, they can come back.

Among the suggestions made are planting more trees and hedges, pollinator-friendly plants outside, tear up those destructive concreted over drives and pathways, replacing them with lawns and vegetative areas and create log piles in quiet corners. Nest boxes will help the birds, as will sticking to footpaths in areas like Wanstead Flats and Park.

The successes of programmes to reintroduce birds like the red kite to different parts of the UK shows what can be done, where there is a will there is always a way.

So please get behind the Endangered in Wanstead project, so we can do our bit to retain and promote such vital biodiversity.

• More information on Endangered Wanstead can be seen at wnstd.com/the10

Thank you for nothing

Martin Greenberg, Roding Lane South, Redbridge, writes:

A couple of weeks ago I received a notice telling me that my state pension would increase on April 5.

Thank you Mr Chancellor.

This week I received a notice telling me that my rates bill would increase by that exact amount. Spooky?

Thank you for nothing, Redbridge Council.

The argument for nuclear energy

Will Podmore, Clavering Road, Wanstead, writes:

There are many scare stories about nuclear energy. The disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011 was not caused by the plant.

An underwater earthquake caused a tsunami which killed an estimated 15,000 people.
By 2015, according to the World Health Organization, an estimated 574 people who had been living near the plant or working at the plant had died.

573 of them died from stress and privation caused by botched evacuations: three days after the tsunami, 800 hospital patients were put on buses without medical care, water or food. For some the bus ride lasted 48 hours. Patients died of hypothermia, deterioration of existing conditions and dehydration.

Radiation caused only one of the 574 deaths. A radiation death of a worker was reported in 2018. More workers at the plant might still die prematurely, but there is no evidence of elevated radiation-related mortality in the general population.

Pushker Kharecha and James Hansen published a study on nuclear power in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology in 2013. They found that, assuming quite reasonably that fossil fuels would have been used instead, between 1970 and 2009 the use of nuclear power around the world prevented around 1.8 million deaths.

They noted that if Germany had never used nuclear power, pollution from other power sources would have killed 117,000 Germans up to 2009.

After the Fukushima accident, Germany stopped all nuclear development.

Bus link to Fairlop

Mr R Emery, Primrose Avenue, Chadwell Heath, writes:

I was very much interested to read of the council’s plans to enlarge and enhance Redbridge’s jewel in the crown which is Fairlop Waters.

Also that the rumoured closure of the sailing centre is now only to be temporary and indeed will be improved with the addition of new boats.

This brings me to a bugbear I have had for some time about the inadequacy of public transport serving the facility.

I live in the Goodmayes area and to be frank, public transport isn’t even a consideration.

If I don’t walk there, then it’s the car, which is a shame for such a short distance.
It has never been easy to get from here to Barkingside by bus and I wonder if now is the time to introduce a link from perhaps the King George’s Hospital hub to open up Fairlop Waters to many more people without using their cars and of course for those that do not have cars.