Some people seem to be able to find money for projects that are worse than useless. As I've often said the land around Blacka would benefit immeasurably if the managers would just go away and let nature get on with it. There have to be places free from farming - the industry responsible for the greatest degrading of our wildlife and landscape. It's not clear if this is something else or the early launch of the SMP Master Plan that the partners and their website tell us will be launched in late spring? Whatever it is there seems no shortage of management money for this area just a massive shortage of judgement and imagination. If Sheffield's council tax money is going into this when libraries and children's centres are threatened with closure I'm wondering whether those who live in the Town Hall have any idea of priorities. Looking at the picture it's possible that all is achieved through a kind of old pals act. Certainly Sheffield should make the very best of its countryside but not through intrusive management. Protect it from being exploited by all means. But creating habitats? Has anyone ever considered that some habitats can be not worth creating? Or that some create themselves? Or that wildlife is not well served by subsidy funded meddlers?
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At first, I thought the £400,000 in the article in The Star was advance notice of the HLS funding that the SMP will trouser, once the inevitable agri-environment agreement is signed with Unnatural England.
However, I risked jeopardizing my sanity, and went on to the SMP website and found that the £400,000 is coming from central Government, as funding for "Enhanced public access and engagement" in the the Dark Peak NIA - or to give it the full title - The Dark Peak: Public and Private Lands Nature Improvement Area Partnership (yawn). That is why Benyon and Lawton were at this launch at the NTs Longshaw Visitor centre (when did it become known as the Moorland Discovery Centre? No need of a centre to discover moorland when your absolutely surrounded by it there!!)
You might have wry smile after reading the news release. It says:
"A series of public workshops and consultation road shows have enabled over 1,000 people and organisations including the British Mountaineering Council, Ramblers, Hunter Archaeology Society, and Friends of the Peak District, to help shape and inform the draft master plan"
Did you feel as though you had shaped the draft master plan in any way?
You will remember that the mapping of areas included in this NIA shows Blacka Moor to be owned by Sheffield Wildlife Trust. They might as well own it, because they do just what they want with it, rather than what the public wants. Isn't the public the owners of Blacka!!!
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