Don't ban dogs from nature reserves | Letters

Conversation can be turned into conservation, says Phil Brown. Plus Rob Yorke on the need for honesty about trade-offs between land use and diet choicesChris Packham is wrong to propose banning dogs from nature reserves (Two hundred ways to save British wildlife, Opinion, 19 September). In fact, the enactment of such a measure would actually exacerbate the problem of dogs and nature by depriving the largest single group of green-space users in Britain, namely dog walkers, from access to countryside awareness.Instead of a knee-jerk ban, he should consider an effective alternative that balances access with conservation. If he were to visit Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Carlton Marshes nature reserve on the edge of Lowestoft, he would learn how - with its dog ambassador scheme - it has managed to turn conversation into conservation. Through the scheme, Carlton's dog owners have learned to access the reserve in a considerate fashion that supports the trust's wildlife conservation objectives. Continue reading...