A naturalist warns on the impact of nuclear power on wildlife

Nuclear power station could destroy wildlife haven I’ve loved since childhood Naturalist Stephen Moss was 13 when he first saw the RSPB reserve in Minsmere, Suffolk. Now he fears plans for Sizewell C could wipe it out, Guardian Stephen Moss @stephenmoss_tv 7 Sept 19 Minsmere and I go back a long way. I can still remember the thrill of my first visit, in 1973, when I was just 13 years old. Later, I made my very first wildlife programme there, with Bill Oddie. And most recently, I presented live programmes from the reserve on the BBC’s red button for Springwatch.

So naturally I am worried that this unique place could be ruined by the proposed building of Sizewell C nuclear power station, a few hundred metres down the coast. And I’m not the only one. My colleague Chris Packham, who like me first went there as a teenager, has called on EDF Energy to ensure that it safeguards Minsmere and its wildlife, now and in the future.

More than 20,000 people have already written to EDF to raise their concerns, and the RSPB – which is firmly against the plans – is holding a Love Minsmere festival at the reserve on 15 September.

There are more than 200 RSPB reserves in the UK – so what makes Minsmere special? The main reason is the incredible range of species found in such a small area – just 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres).

The reserve’s bird list currently stands at nearly 350 species, of which more than 100 have bred; while more than 1,000 types of butterfly and moth have been recorded, including the eponymous Minsmere crimson underwing, recorded just once in the UK, here at Minsmere.

This is all thanks to a complex mosaic of habitats, including woodland, scrub, meadow, heath, freshwater wetland and coastal marsh……… https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2019/sep/07/nuclear-power-station-could-destroy-minsmere-wildlife-haven-i-have-loved-since-childhood

September 8, 2019 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News

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