As we go into 2014 we can be certain of one thing - there will be plenty more doom laden conservation stories in the media. Politicians can expect more and bigger e-petitions and polls telling them what to do. These are normally centred on demanding the Government either:
(a) Protects - stopping someone from doing something,
(b) Prescribes - demand someone starts doing something or
(c) Spends - yet more money
This type of campaigning is so much easier to do (and raise funds for) than encourage what can be achieved; with what we have today. Just as a poorly performing school or hospital can't simply demand action from the Government nor should conservation organisations. Clearly the government could always do more but what about the variations in conservation success at different sites right now? What could we do today with what we already have?
Why does the UK's only farmer owned National Nature Reserve (NNR) at Elmley have significantly higher breeding success than other nature reserves on the same marsh? So what if it is owned by a farmer rather than a conservation NGO - surely we should all copy best practice? It's what we would do with schools and hospitals?
I find it interesting that conservation NGO’s have, between them, spent literally millions of pounds over the years projecting messages in the media that:
1)
Simplifying
issues
2)
Ignore the
many places & people that have achieved amazing success
3)
Mislead
or avoid how and why conservation success has been achieved
As a result public views on some conservation issues are entirely a guess. They are not based on reality, other than a few media stories. Yet it is incredibly dangerous to become contemptuous of the beliefs and innate feelings of the majority. It becomes a kind of madness to argue with them – even when you can answer the question with facts and evidence.
I am not a fan of conservation by opinion polls. Just as recent MORI polling reported that, as a nation, we believe 15% of girls under the age of 16 get pregnant each year when the number is 0.6% or we think 22% are unemployed but the actual is 8% - the wisdom of crowds has its limitations.
Perhaps it is time for those in conservation to engage in a bit more of “what makes you think that you are right and everyone else is wrong?” Let’s hope that in 2014 conservation NGO’s can prioritise wildlife before pleasing the crowd. Wildlife needs organisations that tell us we’re wrong when we’re wrong; not one that tells we’re right when we’re wrong.
