A wildlife charity has said gorse clearance work on Greenham and Crookham Common is taking into account the impact on wildlife and will be done before the ground nesting bird season gets underway.
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has been working on the land since January as part of ongoing vegetation management on the common.
Greenham and Crookham Commons
The organisation says it is increasing the area of scrub, mature leggy gorse and trees that are cleared this winter in order to create more open grassland and heathland for the species that need it.
While it acknowledges there will be an ‘impact’ on wildlife, the charity says the work is necessary.
Principal ecologist Andy Coulson-Phillips explained: “The increase in clearance work will result in some parts of the site looking very different and undergoing big changes in a short space of time.
“There will be a short-term impact, both on wildlife and visually, but the re-set will benefit our target species and habitats going forwards.
“As the habitat regenerates, insects and other animals will re-colonise.
“This can only happen when healthy, long-term populations remain to provide new colonists, which our works are seeking to achieve.”
The trust says it is considering the impact on wildlife
By carrying out the works in winter, says the trust, it avoids disturbing nesting birds and many other species such as reptiles, amphibians and mammals who will be either hibernating below ground or tucked in areas of deeper cover.
While monitoring data is being used to treat other areas more sensitively to ensure the habitat management works ‘does not remove all suitable nesting habitat come next spring’.
Contractor’s excavator stands burnt out and cordoned off on Greenham Common
But the timing of the project, which hasn’t been without incident after an excavator caught fire on Wednesday, has attracted some concern from people who fear contractors are disturbing local wildlife.
In a letter to Newbury Today Imogen Dancaster from Greenham wrote: “I am writing regarding the decimation of the gorse this year on Greenham Common so close to nesting season.
“Huge areas have been grubbed up at a time when birds would have already spotted suitable nesting spots.”
While Simon Kirby said he too had contacted the trust to ask about the suitability of its timing.
He said: “I’ve asked the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) for some more information on this as I’m concerned to read that Newbury Today reports that this vegetation clearance was happening yesterday in the bird nesting season.”
A detailed explanation of the works by BBOWT and why experts believe it important is available for people to read online here but senior land manage Tom Hayward insists it is paying close attention to the timescale.
He said: “We share readers’ concerns about potential disruption to breeding birds.
“The management works at Greenham Common began in January and were scheduled to take place over the winter in order to avoid disturbing breeding birds and other wildlife, as ground-nesting bird season begins on March 1.”