tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1699498022364463633.post9105740771831028457..comments2023-12-21T23:17:51.728+00:00Comments on St Margaret's at Cliffe Photo Diary: Hogs in declineTony Morrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01516463619239374331noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1699498022364463633.post-29203635407357209842018-02-25T20:27:00.195+00:002018-02-25T20:27:00.195+00:00Increased badgers = decreased hedgepigs. Increased...Increased badgers = decreased hedgepigs. Increased monoculture farming = decreased hedgepigs.<br /><br />Tony, I don't know if you've ever visited a well managed shooting estate (upland or lowland), but I can assure you that biodiversity is much improved where there is an alternative use other than agriculture. Very few reared pheasants (or partridges) actually breed so the impact on invertebrates is likely to be negligable. Many shooting estates/shooting farmers now leave buffer strips which are unsprayed and unfertilized. The difference between these and open arable fields is considerable from a wildlife perspective. <br /> Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994462604141118739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1699498022364463633.post-71673163834349319982018-02-12T11:50:09.732+00:002018-02-12T11:50:09.732+00:00Can't disagree with the very last line of your...Can't disagree with the very last line of your reply Tony.Derek Faulknerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140363868104172311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1699498022364463633.post-5050528802663187812018-02-11T11:39:56.577+00:002018-02-11T11:39:56.577+00:00Derek, yes habitat is created but the bio-mass of ...Derek, yes habitat is created but the bio-mass of introduced and bred game species in the environment is now equal or more than all the natural species put together in our countryside. Pheasants feed their young on invertebrates and this obviously has a major affect. In addition where land such as upland moors is managed for game shooting the biodiversity is severely reduced. There is a lot of research done on the subject and as yet I haven't digested it all, but I do know that overall mans used of the planet is leading to the largest mass extinction there has been.<br />Tony Morrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01516463619239374331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1699498022364463633.post-73730273069226771462018-02-09T06:27:56.203+00:002018-02-09T06:27:56.203+00:00I can't see how anything that affects species ...I can't see how anything that affects species such as hedgehogs can be halted. Habitat is disappearing at an enormous rate in the countryside now and will continue to do so, with the government insisting that we need to build 300,000 new houses a year! How much prime hedgehog habitat is that going to swallow up. As usual, you had a swipe at the game bird shooting fraternity but just step back for a moment and think about the amount of good hedgehog habitat that is still preserved by game shooting interests. Big new housing estate on green fields or countryside for game shooting, I'm pretty sure hedgehogs would prefer the latter.Derek Faulknerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140363868104172311noreply@blogger.com