Reintroducing Extinct Species - Your views and our views!
Where Northumberland National Park stands on this issue
One of the statutory purposes of National Parks is to conserve native species and habitats. Some of these now traditional environments for our familiar wildlife exist because of the way the land has been managed for many centuries, and returning some extinct native species could upset that balance.
It's also important to point out that wild animals need large territories to hunt or forage, and even Great Britain's fourteen National Parks are not great enough to contain some species. Unlike the vast tracts of true wilderness found in some countries, there really is no wilderness left in the UK - all land works for its living as farmland, forest, grouse moor or grazing. Predatory wild animals will naturally orientate towards easy prey such as domesticated livestock, and even those with vegetarian preferences wouldn't be able to resist fields of nutritious crops.
But all this is not to say that the National Parks do not welcome the reintroduction of some vanished species - but we tend prefer it to happen by natural processes. For example, plants and invertebrates native to the rare upland bog habitats of Northumberland, which were artificially drained in the last few centuries and are now being restored, are beginning to recolonise. Similarly native fauna, like the rare black grouse, are re-establishing themselves in the native woodlands regenerating after the felling of large conifer forests.
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Readers' Views
Letter from Adrian Manning:
Dear Northumberland National Park,
I was interested to read your article on reintroducing extinct species. While I agree with the author that reintroduction of wolves and bears is not feasible, some of the other species mentioned are actually reasonable reintroduction candidates for Northumberland - particularly beaver, but also wild boar and possibly lynx.
Beaver are a keystone species and create habitats for other biodiversity. Beaver prefer eating bark from shrubby growth and saplings, but don't eat conifers. They can be used to manage encroaching scrub along waterways. They also eat bankside weeds such as meadowsweet, willowherb and umbellifers etc and in the growing season, prefer herbs, forbs and tubers to tree bark. European beaver don't build large dams and don't affect salmon fishing. It is likely that there are sites in NNP that are suitable now for beaver, and a project could easily start with a fenced area first. There is huge ecotourism potential for a beaver project in Northumberland (as seen in Denmark recently) and a small project would be relatively inexpensive.
Wild Boar are also a keystone species and a key component of European temperate woodland habitats. There are already feral Wild Boar populations in south-east England, and are probably here to stay. In that context, a planned reintroduction of wild boar in NNP for ecological and conservation reasons is more plausible than it was only a few years ago - particularly in conjunction with some re-wilding projects (see below).
Lynx - in the article it said that lynx died out 2000 years ago. In fact evidence suggest they were still present in Anglo-Saxon times - and humans were a likely contributor to their demise. In light of this, they are now a much more reasonable and legitimate target for restoration. The high and growing numbers of roe deer, particularly in Kielder, mean that it should be possible to sustain population in the NNP/Kielder area (at least 50000 ha of habitat). Lynx also have huge potential for ecotourism, and although they are difficult to see they bring an "X" factor to the areas where they have been reintroduced. The reintroductions in Germany are a good example of this.
In your position statement, it is stated that NNP prefers species to return by natural processes. However, unlike mainland Europe, many of the lost keystone species that could bring back key ecological processes cannot return without human help. Also, I don't think preservation of cultural landscapes and associated biodiversity (which is vitally important) and re-wilding projects need to be mutually exclusive. I think the two could coincide together and re-wilding would enhance landscape and habitat diversity. With the onset of climate change, landscapes will inevitably change and there is a real need to create greater habitat connectivity. Hence a need to restore ecosystems as well and conserve existing ones. While restored ecosystems for wolves and bear are not feasible in Northumberland, the restoration of some relatively large areas of restored native forest where natural processes predominate, and some lost fauna, is both possible and worthwhile.
Further to these points, I think it would be good for NNP to consider initiating some re-wilding projects in parts of the park to enhance ecological, biodiversity and landscape values (and in turn to encourage ecotourism). Northumberland is one of the least populated counties in England, but also has some of the lowest levels of native tree cover. Whilst re-wilding concepts may have seemed far-fetched a few years ago, there has been a shift in conservation thinking in the last decade, with acknowledgement of the need for large-scale, conservation and the restoration of ecological processes. Consequently, I would encourage NNP to consider some re-wilding projects and some of the the more feasible reintroductions. Some good examples of re-wilding projects can be seen at http://www.carrifran.org.uk/ (not far from Northumberland) and at http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.contents4.html
Kind regards,
Adrian Manning.
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Letter from Alasdair Cameron:
Dear Northumberland National Park,
The reintroduction of extinct animals such as the beaver, lynx, wild boar and potentially even bison and wolf (in some areas) is to be welcomed and should be encouraged. Sadly, Britain has one of the most impoverished selections of wildlife in the world, diminishing us as a country and a people. While a great many logical arguments can be made for reintroducing species (maintaining a healthy ecosystem, providing early warning of environmental damage, improved water course management and increased tourism), at the end of the day this is also a question about the kind of island we want to live on. Will it be a country of car parks, visitor centres, fences and farmland? Or will there still be space in the modern world for things which remain, even slightly, beyond our control, to stimulate the imagination and remind us of more than ourselves.
I would urge the Northumberland National Park authorities to take a mature and forward thinking approach to wildlife reintroductions, one which looks to taking a lead and improving all of us, not merely maintaining the same beautiful, but incomplete, status quo.
Alasdair Cameron
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Letter from Linda Storey:
Interesting comments by previous writers. I am all for reintroducing extinct species animal or vegetable whatever their size or eating habits, but should we not put greater effort into ensuring the species we still have do not go the same way?.
Both previous writers mention the potential for tourism with the introduction of beaver etc. In accessing these 'attractions' how many existing wildlife will be exterminated/moved or endangered including the rising incidents of road kill and accidental spread of disease.
The climate /countryside IS changing, like the dinosaurs the time for these animals has passed or like it or not they WOULD still be here.
Sad but true,
Linda Storey
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Letter from Guillaume Gerber:
Bring the animals back, if they do become a nuisance... they have become extinct once before we can control their numbers or eradicate them again.
GF Gerber
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Letter from Jack Wimmer:
Dear Northumberland National Park,
I think it would be a great idea to reintroduce extinct species to Great Britain. However, I do also think, especially after reading the article, that it is a good idea not to rush into things, but still, I would not want to delay, or go too slow, for too long. I personally hope that extinct species are going to be needed, and reintroduced, in Great Britain sooner or later.
Sincerely,
Jack Wimmer
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What's your view? Email us at hottopics@nnpa.org.uk
