Access for all?

Balancing dog walkers & wildlife

Did you hear the excellent Radio 4 broadcast "Access for All?" in the Nature series on 29th April? Paul Evans investigated the evidence on the impact of people on the wild places that they visit, and whether dog walkers had a disproportionate impact. This is becoming a pressing problem - on the one hand we need people to stay in contact with nature and the outdoors, on the other hand there are more and more of us. Heathland and dunes present particular problems as they are great places to walk with a dog, but are very prone to enrichment by dog faeces, which eventually changes their very nature. There are conflicting opinions on the increase in damaging disturbance from dogs, beyond that just caused by us. A lot of the evidence used comes from an Australian study - if you know of British research, let us know. It's likely that the outcome will be that it varies. We already know that otters are disproportionately disturbed by dogs, and that is likey to be true for ground nesting birds. We can manage access for the benfit of all, but this often means more signs & information and less of a feel of the wild. Conservation organisations are working on this - opening non-sensitive areas to lessen the pressure on species and habitats that need special care. If you have an opinion, feel free to email alison@muksak.com. I'd like to hear your views.