Page 14 - Wildlife News April 2015

What nature does

water carbon

Nature is the ultimate water utility. Blanket bogs in Scotland, Wales and north west England lock
Healthy upland bogs, grasslands and up atmospheric carbon as peat for thousands of years. Yet
woodlands release heavy rainfall slowly, many have been damaged or destroyed.
reducing floods. They clean the water
too, reducing bills.

Tony Juniper human health
is an environmental
campaigner, writer Research shows that living near natural
and advisor. He is areas substantially reduces the risk of
also a Trustee of many major diseases, improves mental
Beds, Cambs and health, reduces crime and promotes
Northants WT. social cohesion.

nik pollard

During the recent period of body of evidence suggests that this is water. While for most of us the closest
economic austerity the measures indeed the case, and far from being we get to knowing where it comes from
needed to sustain the health of the obstructive to Britain’s interests, healthy is turning a tap, it is of course in the end
natural world have come under attack. ecology is essential for achieving a robust recycled and replenished by nature. Up on
Presented as barriers to growth and and resilient economy. Dartmoor, an area that was for centuries
competiveness, pro-nature policies have regarded as a wasteland, I got an idea of
been rolled back and budgets drastically This is certainly the conclusion I reached how this works. The thick blanket bogs that
cut. It is a manifestation of how in economic during the course of writing What Nature clothe the high hills there hold and steadily
and political circles the idea that nature Does for Britain. From the peat bogs release clean water that is topped up by
must be sacrificed as an inevitable price and woodlands that help to secure our frequent heavy rain. Degraded bogs do
for progress has become deeply ingrained. water supply, to the insects and soils that that work far less effectively, however, and
produce most of the food we eat, and from as bogs have been damaged by fire and
Could it be, however, that this narrative the capture of carbon in saltmarshes to the excessive grazing pressure so the cost of
of people versus nature is quite wrong? avoidance of psychological illness through supplying clean water has gone up.
Instead of being hostile to our interests, being in wildlife-rich environments, it
could investment in the conservation and seems that at almost every turn nature and South West Water decided to do
recovery of the natural world be at the wildlife are playing vital practical roles. something about this and invested in the
heart of a strategy to promote national restoration of the bogs. Not only does
health, wealth and security? An increasing There is perhaps no more fundamental the modest expense of bog recovery
necessity for our wellbeing than fresh

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