178 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
178 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
earth
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wildlife
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7631314
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-----
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# David Attenborough warns of ecological disaster
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## Sir David Attenborough has warned that Britain's wildlife is being
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destroyed thanks to man's impact on the environment.
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![Sir David Attenborough][1]
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Sir David Attenborough wrote the foreword to Silent Summer Photo: PA
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By Nick Collins 9:10AM BST 25 Apr 2010
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[Comments][2]
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The naturalist made his comments in the foreword to a new book, _Silent
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Summer_, in which 40 prominent British ecologists explain how humankind is
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wiping out many species.
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It comes fifty years after the publication of _Silent Spring_, Rachel Carson's
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acclaimed book on pollution of wildlife that helped the growth of the
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environmental movement worldwide and led to a ban of some pesticides in
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Britain.
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The new book explains the negative impact of pesticides, population growth,
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farming and other factors on the plants and species that prop up Britain's
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ecosystems.
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Attenborough writes: "We tend to focus on the bigger animals and ignore the
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smaller ones - but small creatures like these are the basis of our entire
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ecosystems and they are disappearing faster than ever.
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"That loss is transforming our wildlife and countryside."
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The 600-page book, edited by Norman Maclean, emeritus professor of genetics at
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Southampton University, lays bare the grim reversal in the populations of many
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butterflies, bees, flies and snails, and the virtual extinction of some
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species of moth.
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Prof Maclean argues that "the evidence is that we could be in the middle of
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the next great extinction of wildlife, both globally and in Britain."
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The book details how three quarters of British butterfly species are in
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decline, thanks in part to the destruction of the plants caterpillars feed on,
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treated by farmers as weeds.
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Moth numbers were down by a third from 1968 to 2002 for the same reasons, with
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at least 20 species having seen populations decline by more than 90 per cent.
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Rivers in Britain have also suffered, with caddis flies, mayflies and
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stoneflies said to have badly suffered from the increased use of pesticides on
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sheep and cattle, which can wash off and poison the water if the animals enter
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a river or stream.
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The species are a key food source for birds, fish and other predators.
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Starling and swallow populations are down by two thirds since the mid-1970s,
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while it is feared that hedgehogs could be extinct by 2025, _The Sunday Times_
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reported.
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][4]
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* Share: [Share][3] [ ][5] [ ][6]
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[Tweet][7]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7631314/David-Attenborough-warns-of-
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ecological-disaster.html
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Telegraph
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## [Wildlife][8]
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* ### [News »][9]
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* ### [UK News »][10]
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* ### [Earth »][11]
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* ### [Earth News »][12]
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* ### [Environment »][13]
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In earth
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[![Animal pictures of the week: 27 May 2011][14] ][15]
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### [Animal photos of the week][15]
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[![][16] ][17]
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### [A bug's life][17]
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[![Pilot whales in Loch Carron ][18] ][19]
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### [Fears of whale stranding in the Western Isles][19]
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[![Animals of the week][20] ][21]
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### [Animal photos of the week][21]
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[![][22]][23]
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### [Chelsea Flower Show 2011][23]
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][4]
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Share:
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* [ ][3]
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* [ ][5]
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* [ ][6]
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* [Tweet][7]
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* Advertisement
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![][24]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][25] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][26]
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sponsored features
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[EDITOR'S CHOICE »][27]
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### [Gil Scott-Heron: 'A voice for Shakespeare'][28]
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[![Gil Scott-Heron][29]][28]
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Composer, musician, poet and author whose writing provided a vivid commentary
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on the black American experience.
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### [Beekeeping diary: the new colonies arrive][30]
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### [Spectacular light show dazzles Sydney][31]
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### [WS Gilbert: a knight for our times][32]
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### [The Telegraph's Matt is Hay Festival star][33]
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Advertisement
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Classified Advertising
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* [RHS Chelsea][34]
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* [UK Breaks][35]
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* [Property][36]
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