What we value most about our green spaces is a sense of naturalness that may show the benign influence of a human touch, something that is similar to what we aim for in the more relaxed and informal of our gardens. They (the conservation organisations) are industrial operations. We value things on a human scale. The conservation industry wishes to work 'efficiently' bringing economies of scale.
Two examples raised at the walkabout users forum yesterday.
The clearing of rhododendron from the woodland. The job is planned as an industrial operation. The chain sawing is done as one part of the operation. Large limbs of the timber are piled up and left. The next stage comes later. It may be burning or shredding. The central planning of this produces economies of scale. The piles of timber are left for weeks, months and in some cases years between the two stages. There is no doubt that the priority is efficient working and use of forces and resources.
The second example is the plan to turn an informal path - or desire line - into a public right of way. This will probably release funds for another project - projects are what they like - and allow a small section with problems to get attention. The trouble with this is that the repairs are done to certain standards and the informality which people cherish is immediately lost. Also once the path gets on the system it never comes off again. Any future management initiative has to be logged and bureaucratised.
Strange that the notices in the car park had been covered with graffiti put there by someone who obviously did not like all this management. By the time the walkabout meeting began they had been removed. And that infantile 'Paws on the Moors' notice keeps getting removed and then reappears.
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