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Dog Walking on SSSI/SPA’s in England and Wales
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Walking your dog in the countryside is part of the fun of owning a dog or even dogs but how many of us stop to think “am I complying with the latest regulations/legislations”. I would not mind betting that a lot of us don’t.
How many of us have any idea what the status of the land on which we walk is? From the discussions I have recently had with dog walkers it appears very few of us. Dog walkers on the whole are reasonable people who are willing to listen when you start to tell them what the status is and are then anxious to learn more when you have told them; especially when it is a SSSI/SPA.
The first question is usually what are SSSI and SPAs?? A SSSI is a site of Special Scientific Interest and a SPA is a Special Protected Area under the European Bird Legislation Annex 1. For any part of the countryside to be a SPA it must also be a SSSI and it means there are endangered species such as ground nesting birds.
So what has this to do with dog walkers other than being something nice to know? Well a SSSI and a SPA or a SSSI on its own for that matter, is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), any behaviour deemed to be an offence under this Legislation carries fines up to £20,000. Now that is a lot of money in anybodies purse. There are of course other legislations in place to protect such land from misuse and they have their own penalties for failing to observe.
OK, I hear you saying, but what is the point you are trying to make? Well my message is this: Our dogs must be under strict control at all times. OK that goes without saying I hear you murmur, but did you know that in the “Bird Breeding Season” (February to September) ALL dogs are required to be kept on a lead of no longer than two meters in length and kept on the paths and tracks in areas where ground nesting birds are nesting. These areas are usually but not always Heathland. This is because there is clear evidence that where dogs are walked without leads endangered species are further endangered through disturbance that often lead to predation of the nests or chilling of the eggs.
It is also a requirement to clear up after our dogs. NO KICKING OFF THE PATH INTO A DITCH. At the present time some 200,000 tons of our dogs excrement is left in the countryside and I am one of the people who steps into a dollop of this every time I work or even just walk in the countryside;; so please clear up and dispose of in a responsible manner. If there is no “Dog Bin” Take it Home, DO NOT hang it in the trees or on gate posts because such disgusting habits can not continue to be tolerated. (Please see photographs). You know much of our SSSI/SPA’S is Defence Estates (MoD) land on which Military personnel carry out training, I know for one that I would not like to have to carry around the smell of dogs wast matter for days on end. SO come ON join me in trying to make our countryside a cleaner place and leave the birds in piece. I thank in anticipation for your cooperation.
 
Chairman
HCS and HCS Protection Group (Coordinated Law Enforcement) partnership. |
30 Jul 2008 by prometheus
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