Subject: Rare butterfly site subject to direct action

From: Neil Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 Jun 1995 20:28:06 +0100

Events at a site for the Marsh Fritillary Eurodryas (syn Euphydryas) aurinia
have taken an unusual turn. The site at Selar Farm, Cwmgwrach in the
Neath Valley in South Wales was being destroyed for an opencast mine.
Now protesters from the radical environmental group Earth First! have
set up camp in the trees on the site and are blocking further work.
The Marsh Fritillary is listed as protected under the European Habitats
Directive which came into force shortly after the site was given the go ahead.
The butterflies were to have been removed from the site in an attempt to set
up a colony nearby, but this is was not entirely succesfull as a number of 
the creatures were still flying there today.

The site attracted controversy as it will be the first British legally
protected Site of Special Scientific Interest to be totally obliterated.
This is due to a weakness in the regulations that gives priority to
development planning legislation. The controversy has been further augmented
by press reports alleging that one of the developers consultants has admitted
that the plans to move the butterflies will not work. This has supported the
claims of conservationists who have pointed to expert research which
has demonstrated that this kind of establishment attempt is in ineffective
in the vast majority of cases. It has also been pointed out that the
new colony is to be based on the offspring of just two females an
undesirably low founder population.

-- 
Neil Jones
[email-masked]

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From: Neil Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Jul 95 21:46:22 GMT

This morning the police moved in on the protesters protecting the Selar
Site of Scientific Interest which is a site for the rare Marsh Fritillary
Eurodryas (syn Euphydryas) aurinia. Contrary to expectation the mining
company Celtic Energy did not attempt to evict the protesters from the site but
used the heavy police presence as a cover to re
start work on a scheme to move the meadows to a site half a mile away.

The event has received considerable media attention and was covered on the
main UK-wide BBC TV news program at 6.00pm.

THe company has recieved criticism for the way in which it has resumed its
activities prefering to drive over and damage the meadows rather than to access
the site via parts that had already been striped.

15 of the demonstrators were arrested many under the contraversial new
Criminal Justice Act which among other things removes the suspects right to
silence.

-- 
Neil Jones
[email-masked]

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From: Neil Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 95 05:02:18 GMT

"The battle of the butterflies continues." These were the words with which 
the BBC began its Welsh News program last night. This follows the battle
by protestors to protect the habitat of the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly
at Selar at Cwmgwrach in the Neath Valley.
The previous nights broadcast had shown the protesters turning the tables
on mining Company Celtic Energy by switching their action to the company's
HQ in Aberdare. Accompanied by a BBC film crew the protesters carried out a
sit-in protest. The protest was carried out in a carnival atmosphere with
music and dancing and culminated with a roof top display where the company's
emblem was symbolically burned. The action was also covered later in the evening
by the Welsh Language television service S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru = Channel Four
Wales) where they interviewed several local residents who were supporting the
campaign.
Yesterday events switched back to the Selar Site itself with the police
making a number of arrests. It was again covered extensively with a live
broadcast carrying an interview with representatives from the protesters,
the local residents committee, and the mining company. 

-- 
Neil Jones
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Pierre A Plauzoles)
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 1995 17:06:12 GMT

In a previous article, [email-masked] (Neil Jones) says:

>used the heavy police presence as a cover to [re-start] work on a scheme 
>to move the meadows to a site half a mile away.

This whole situation puts a huge black stain on the United Kingdom as far 
as I am concerned: I *never* imagined the British capable of such high 
levels of unwillingness to use common sense and obedience to pronciples of 
common decency (unless of course one has the unmitigated gall to go back a 
couple hundred years ... and keep a huge chip on one's shoulder).  I am 
not willing to do so.  Common decency should apply to how we treat other 
species resident on this our common home, planet Earth.  Such wholesale 
disregard for the necessities of a species' life is outside the bounds of 
said "common decency" and should be treated as such.

Neil, I apologize for being so blunt, but you are not the target of my 
dissatisfaction.  I think that, by now, you know that.  Better luck in 
the next battle.

-- 
Pierre Plauzoles   [email-masked]
Canoga Park, California

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From: Neil Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 95 06:54:00 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>
           [email-masked] "Pierre A Plauzoles" writes:

> >company Celtic Energy did not attempt to evict the protesters from the site but> >used the heavy police presence as a cover to [re-start] work on a scheme 
> as I am concerned:
It is absolutely appalling I agree. Every species has as much right to survive
as our own. 
We have our problems here, but it should be realised that the British are
more interested in the conservation of butterflies than any other nation.
Butterfly Conservation has around 10,000 members and is the largest 
insect conservation society in the world. The vast majority of the public
are against this development. I have had many people who know my interest in
butterflies asking me "Why aren't you up the trees in Cwmgwrach?"

The problem is a right wing politician called John Redwood who was until
recently Secretary of State for Wales. He is not Welsh but has a constituency
in Wokingham in England. He has been variously nicknamed "The Vulcan"
for his lack of feelings "The Sheriff of Wokingham" and "The Governor General"
,a term for a colonial govenor. He has cut drastically funding for conservation
here and gave the go ahead for Selar without the expected Public Inquiry.
Even the Prime Minister has "Cast doubt on the marital status of his parents"
(This is a family newsgroup) 

I am not one of the protesters myself but I am fascinated by the fact that
this action centres around a butterfly. Myself I prefer to argue the scientific
case.

As an aside many foreign observers do not know the difference between Wales
and England. Wales is a separate country within the UK. It even has its
own language decended from the speech of the Ancient Britons. A Welshman
is no more English than a Californian is a Texan.

-- 
Neil Jones
[email-masked]

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From: Neil Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 95 10:49:51 GMT

The destruction of the Selar SSSI in Wales was covered on the Channel 4 news
in the UK last Monday night. The broadcast which went to most parts of the UK
covered the attempts being made to move the colony of the Marsh Fritillary
butterfly (Eurodryas aurinia) to a new site a short distance away.
The item carried an interview from one of Butterfly Conservation's full time
staff at the introduction site. He descibed it as "a farce". The site was
obviously unsuitable due to the very small amount of the foodplant which was
present.

The item went on to cover a story on how the worlds largest colony of the
Great Crested Newt near Peterborough was under threat from a development.
It described how the official government agency English Nature had failed
to object. It also stated that the colony stradled the border of the
constituencies of the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party Chairman.
Coincidentally the developer makes large contributions to Conservative Party
Funds.

The Selar Story was again covered later in the week when. the BBC program
Newsnight covered a legal challenge that was being made to the damaging
mining operations on health grounds. The butterfly was again mentioned.

-- 
Neil Jones
[email-masked]